My Wedding Dressexplores the wedding outfit as a touchstone garment in women’s lives. In the tradition ofDropped Threads, this collection offers twenty-six true stories from well-known writers and fresh new literary voices. These are intimate stories about relationships; not just those between men and women, but between women and their mothers, friends and children. And, of course, with their wedding attire – a relationship that is sometimes simple, sometimes complex, but always fascinating in what it tells us about individual lives and aspirations. Some of the tales are humorous – the bride whose skin is dyed fuchsia on her wedding night or the woman whose shopping-savvy aunt takes her to New York’s garment district. Some are romantic – the woman who puts on her dress eight years after her wedding only to be caught by her husband when he comes home early from work or the quickie immigration wedding that turned into the real thing. Some are devastating – the bride who loses her mother to illness only days before her wedding or the woman whose mother tells of being kidnapped by her future husband. And some are revealing – the woman who wears her first wedding dress for her initiation ceremony into a convent and her second to marry her beloved; the dress that waited patiently in a shop window and then hidden in a box on a closet shelf; the same-sex wedding at age eighty; the thrift shop wedding dress that gets used for everythingbuta wedding. All are honest, personal and profoundly moving. As Anne Laurel Carter explains in her introduction, the pieces “fell easily” into four categories, so that’s how the book is organized. “Something Old” looks at how traditions like honouring one’s ancestors affected wedding dress choices, from a grandmother’s gift to a father’s old leather jacket, but also at how such traditions can play a role in ways you least expect. The pieces in “Something New” focus on dreams for the future, whether that means breaking away from the expectations of one’s family or choosing/creating a wedding dress (and a future) on your own. In “Something Borrowed,” writers tell of all the reasons behind borrowing (or trying to borrow!) dresses, for whatever reason, and “Something Blue . . . Or Peach . . . Or Striped . . . Or Floral . . .” looks at exactly that–the non-traditional choices women have made, and why. These stories re-create the range of emotions that are invested in dresses and wedding days: confidence, optimism, hesitation, fear, fury and hope. When you work away at the seams, even the simplest of wedding outfits reveals all manner of memories and meanings. And whether you’ve been married or not, the stories inMy Wedding Dresswill have you looking back with new eyes on your own life, and exploring what the phrase “my wedding dress” means to you. Contributors toMy Wedding Dress: Joanne Arnott Anita Rau Badami Adwoa Badoe Sandra Campbell Lorna Crozier Rebecca Cunningham Laurie Elmquist Alisa Gordaneer Jessica Ruth Harris Kathleen Boyle Hatcher Rosemary Hood Michele Landsberg Mary T. Malone Jenny Manzer Ami McKay Jane Munro Margaret Goudie Parsons Gianna Patriarca Elyse Pomeranz Edeet Ravel Kerri Sakamoto Ilana Stanger-Ross Darla Tenold Jamie Zeppa Foreword by Stevie Cameron Afterword by Amy Cameron Edited by and with contributions from Susan Whelehan and Anne Laurel Carter
Little White Dress: Women Explore the Myth and Meaning of Wedding Dresses
A look at the evolution of the wedding gown features full-color photographs and a text that places special emphasis on the last one hundred years.
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something True: An Exploration of Wedding Attire Through a Personal Bi-cultural Sensibility : St...
With more than 250 photographs, this stunning volume takes readers on a dazzling tour of the past hundred years of bridal fashion, detailing the periods, styles, iconic designers, noteworthy ceremonies, cultural influences, and key looks"- ...
Award-winning stationery designer, painter, and stylist Kristy Rice, consultant to celebrities, bridges the gap between how to dream your wedding and how to do your wedding.
Royal Wedding Dresses: From the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at Kensington Palace
Brides
Upon reading this book, brides will be better equipped to shop for their wedding dress by: *Knowing the different styles of wedding dresses they have to choose from *Understanding which dresses look best on their body shape *Knowing what ...
Since for many brides the wedding dress is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to indulge in the luxury of custom-made clothing, here is a guide to the salon experience.