Akira - My Wedding Dress (Part Trois)

So, now that I have been thinking wedding dresses, I have a dreadful confession to make...one that induces disbelief & horror in those whom I have previously confessed this to...And that is, that I have not dry-cleaned my Akira Isogawa wedding dress since my wedding day over 2 years ago...yes, you read right...oh the shame!!!

At first this was because several hours after the wedding, hubby & I left for our 3-day (yes, that was all my then job would allow me to take) honeymoon; on my return, my sister got married a few days later, and I then travelled for work for practically 3 weeks. When the dust settled, I did not know whom to trust my dress with. Procrastination/uncertainty kicked in, and lo & behold, 2 years have passed (shame on me), and I have been too scared to even look at it since, until today...

I have recently discovered a dry cleaner my friend trusted her Vera Wang dress with, with good results...I have 'tested' them with a grease-stained coat, and they have passed, so...I took a deep breath & took my (crumpled) dress from the top of my wardrobe, and had a look...held my breath for the worse...and it still looks good! Big sigh of relief, crumpled yes, but nothing else...so before I take it to the dry cleaners (at long last), I thought I would take some close-up shots to share...

click to enlarge

With this dress I thee wed...

In less than a year, I gain a new sister-in-law, but she has yet to start looking at/for wedding dresses, I offered to scout some on her behalf...

Her likes: one-shouldered simple gowns, vintage dresses
Her dislikes: strapless gowns & the full-skirt meringue/very 'bridal' look.

As a fan of Marchesa, I think these would be the ones she would most like (especially the 2nd dress, that's the one I'm most excited about for her, and can't wait for her to see):

Marchesa Resort 2010

www.style.com

I found some other gorgeous options:

Elie Saab CTR Fall 2010 

A little extravagant, but so stunning:

www.style.com

Lanvin Resort 2010 

(playful)

www.style.com

Collette Dinnigan

www.style.com


www.collettedinnigan.com


www.style.com

I realized this is the dress my friend wore to her non-wedding wedding celebration (they insist it was really her now-husband's milestone birthday, but there was a wedding cake...)

And the bride wore white...

Last Saturday I got to revisit the magical place I was married in, as my cousin had her wedding in the exact same beautiful spot.



My cousin was the most beautiful bride ever, in a stunning drapey grecian goddess gown by Australian designer Collette Dinnigan. My pictures don't do justice to the incredibly stunning crystal detailing on her ivory silk satin one-shoulder drape gown...

(style.com & elle.com)

Collette Dinnigan SS08

My gorgeous mom, visiting from Brazil, wearing a silk Perri Cutten coat dress over my Empire Rose silk dress, and Fendi Forever Mini Boston bag (a gift from my mother-in-law). Also, not pictured, she wore the shoes I wore as a bridesmaid to my sister's wedding (one size too big for her, remedied with 'Party Feet'). I wore my YSL wedding shoes...

Willow draped silk dress

Yves Saint Laurent Dada semi-wedges in Platino Dries Van Noten clutch

Tom Binns Faux Real cuff

Swarovski 'tennis bracelet' (30th b'day present from my sister)

Sportsgirl acrylic ring (bought this years ago for $1.50!)

YSL Dada semi-wedges - my wedding shoes

Bridesmaid shoes

Akira - My Wedding Dress (Part Deux)

It's been a while since I promised a lovely reader that I'd post more shots of my wedding dress. I posted a few pictures in one of my first posts: Akira - My Wedding Dress, so here they are:

I cannot believe how relaxed I was on the day...

This was moments before I walked down the aisle...

Even on my wedding day I felt awkward in front of the camera...I'm just not photogenic, hope my dress is!

Trying hard not to laugh, as I'm feeling cheesy.

It is by absolute chance that my sisters' bridesmaids dresses matched the bottom of my dress. I had bought the BM dresses almost a year before I found this dress (2 months before my wedding, replacing the Monique L'Huillier dress I had first bought as my wedding dress). Serendipity...

Shoe shot! My wedding shoes were Yves Saint Laurent Dada Semi-Wedges in Platino. My sisters' bridesmaid shoes were Franco Burrone, with removable Swarovski clips.