Princess Bride

Every woman everywhere is born to be a princess. It does not matter where you live, how much money you make, how old you are, or whether or not this or that corrupt society acknowledges your beauty. Every girl everywhere was created by God to be His daughter.

In the words of the beautiful Gianna Jessen, "I am a princess. I have a stamp on my forehead that says, 'You'd BETTER be nice to me, 'cause MY DAD OWNS THE UNIVERSE!'"

I love it when every once in a while, women take off their disguises and dress like the princesses that they are. Sometimes, to survive in this dark forest, like Shakespeare's Rosalind, we don clothing to hide our softness, mystery, regality and even our beauty, to some degree.

But many women in our society do that far too often. Other women dress like courtesans constantly, which is even more tragic.

Sometimes, I think that our society would be better off if we women dressed more frequently like princesses, instead of waiting until our wedding day, or prom night, or an officer's ball to do it. Our semi-formal dresses are not formal enough and too skimpy for a princess.

Look at the beautiful Princess Grace Kelly in these photos. Her gown is ornate and lacy, it does not skimp on cloth, but nor is it garish. She is the very portrait of dignity and as graceful as her name. That is one princess who knows that her beauty deserves embellishment. We should all know that as well.

Dangling earrings for a Bride? YES!

I love ethnic touches in bridal array! I also love a bride who is not afraid to be boldly ornate. the trick is to balance the look. Jeniffer Lopez wears a single large camillia with her thin cathedral veil and her pristine updo. A whole wreath of large flowers would be too much with the dangling earrings. As it is, it is perfect!

Elizabeth Taylor's look is a thick, intricately bejeweled veil. While the earrings harmonize, they are not too heavy and do not distract from her own natural splendor.

Both of the other looks are neavily ornate, so they have no veil to cover it up, which would be a trifle pointless, wouldn't it? I love baubles in every occassion, though understated blind is beautiful too.

Bridal Inspiration

This is glorious example of old fashioned bridal beauty. The '40s and 50's repressed women in some ways and now our society has become repressed about women in different ways. I love looking at wedding dresses because it is one of the few occassions left in our tamed, unnatural society that gives us a break from the more oppressive parts of our culture. In short, it is an occassion where women are actually encouraged to look as feminine, as regal, and sweetly beaitiful as possible.

This look is from the movie "The Long, Long Trailer". The luminous Lucille Ball is wearing lace from head to toe with a copious veil and layers and layers of skirts. I love the long, lacy sleeves on this look and the sleek silhoutte. This gown is an example of an all lace look done right. The skirt and veil are extravagant but the bodice is fitted and not overly ornate. No overdone sequins, no exaggeratted beading, the lace is ornate enough. Also, since Lucy's neck is long enough, she can pull off wearing that regal high collar. This look is much more conservative and modest than a lot of bridal looks one can find today, which I always favor. The things in this look that can stand improvement are the 50's style cap under the veil and the tightness of the corset and girdle. Both are superfluous for the comfortable bride and too constraining. Otherwise though, this look just screams "Lady" and that is exactly what every bride stries to emulate on the day she is wed.

What Not To Ask Your Bridesmaid To Wear #5

#5-ANYTHING THAT IS IMMODEST OR DETRACTS FROM HER DIGNITY.

Example 1-Mini skirt cut dresses.
Example 2-Anthing that she can't bend over in.
Example 3-Anthing that she has to tug up so that her chest won't fall out of it.
Example 4-Anthing that is going to fall off if the guy she dances with steps on it.
Example 5-Anything too transparent or sheer.
Example 6-Anything that could be mistaken for a slip or lingerie.

What Not To Ask Your Bridesmaid To Wear #4

#4- ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT FLATTER HER SHAPE

Newsflash: Women come in all shapes and sizes and they are all beautiful.

Another Newsflash: What you see in the magazines are fake bodies.

If your bridesmaides are real women with real bodies, then understand if they can't all wear the same style of gown. If your sister Joan is really tall and long legged, don't try to force her in a teensy tiny dress. If your cousin Nellie is under five feet tall, with a tiny build, don't drown her in yards and yards of flounces and frills. If your groom's sister Katie is thinny thinny thin, she probably does not have full hips or a copious chest so she should not be in a dress that was cut for a woman with both. If your best friend from highschool, Tiffany, is big boned and full-figured, don't try to squeeze her lovely self into a dress designed for a box. If Barb, your best friend from college has a strong athletic build, she can't wear anything that could be mistaken for a slip (I generally discourage ladies from wearing those no matter what they look like.) This dress might not have to be one that they can be versatile and mult-occassional, but it should be one that makes them feel breathtakingly beautiful, as they are.

What Not To Ask Your Bridesmaid To Wear #3

#3-ANYTHING IN A COLOR THAT DOES NOT BECOME HER

Ladies, I can understand the desire to have an entirely uniform train of bridesmaids. I can appreciate the deisre to have the bridesmaids wear you favorite color. I know it can be a splendid idea to color coordinate the color of the bridesmaid dresses with the church, the reception hall, the theme, the centerpieces, etc. However, NOTHING JUSTIFIES MAKING A BRIDESMAID WEAR A COLOR THAT LOOKS TERRIBLE ON HER!

If your favorite color is chartruese, I am terribly sorry, but practically NOBODY looks good in that shade of sickening yellow green (why is that color so popular right now?) If you have a bridesmaid with heavy rosecea, red hair and brown eyes, I am sorry, but she simply can't wear steel gray. If you have a bridemaid with white blonde hair, pale skin and blue eyes, she is a "cool", if she is tanned with golden blonde hair and amber eyes, she is a "warm". Don't assume that because they are both blonde that they can both wear the same shade of blue. What is most important in a wedding, is not the buildings, and the decorations, (though these are important) what is MOST important is the PEOPLE! Human beings are more beautiful than the depths of the ocean, the heights of the mountains or whole galaxies of stars. It is they who deserve the primary adornments during a holy sacrament or during any celebration.

What Not To Ask Your Bridesmaid to Wear #2

#2- ANYTHING WITH A BUSTLE OR ANYTHING THAT LOOKS LIKE A TUTU OR A COSTUME

There were ages past, when adding an enormous wire frame that made you have to walk sideways through a door, added mystery and elegance to a lady. Those days are over!

What Not To Ask Your Bridesmaid To Wear #1

#1-Anything with huge, puffed sleeves

I do not care if they ever come back in (which I seriously doubt), they flatter nobody!

If your shoulders are tiny, they drown your frame. If your shoulders are stronger or broader in frame, they make you look huge. Even if you have emaciated arms, they do nothing for you. Sleeves are one of the best way to add dignity and elegance to any outfit or event. Huge puffed sleeves just make you look like you should be in a costume drama. (Yes, that is right! No Civil War era or costume gowns either!) Or worse, they make your dress look like it belongs on a little girl!

Innocence is Beautiful

Why do so many advertisements, movies, and magazines depict women in expressions of aggressive, domimating, almost violently intense lust. This is sometimes referred to as "provocative" or "seductive" or "aggressivly sexual" but all of these labels are misleading and a trifle insulting. Women are naturally seductive (coming from the Latin "se" and "ductio", meaning "to lead someone after one's self). Women are naturally sensuous, beautiful, powerful, and when healthy, the are confident in their power and charm. Women are naturally provocative to men as well. This is not just because of concupiscence. Which leads me to my next point.

Women are called by God to be happy in innocence. Do not misconstrue innocence as naivete, or ignorance. Women are ideally supposed to be happy, confident, secure in their power, free, passionate and innocent. And in all of those qualities...women are breathtakingly beautiful. Instead, what the culture is too often trying to persuade us is that beauty is not only taut, half-starved, strained, never at rest, unnatural, painful and extremely rare but that it is dirty, slavish, masocchistic or sadistic, dominating or submissive, relentless or needy, obsessive, insatiable, and dehumanizing.
I am enamored of beauty. In fact, I worship the God who is Beauty itself. I want to see women like me portrayed as they are suppossed to be, peaceful, joyful, loving, nuanced, captivating, multi-faceted, mysterious, powerful and innocent.