As the Wedding Industry has taken a hit, many designers have had to reassess how they do things. I wanted to show how one such designer Sabina Motasem has taken her business online and has chosen to give more sustainable options to brides. In this video I take Gladiator’s Rebel Jennifer Stoute on her first wedding dress shop and experience and Sabina’s sustainable options.

#ecofriendly #sustainablefashion #weddingdressshop #bridalstylist #sabinamotasem #jenniferstoute #gladiatorstv

Inspired this week by the Chelsea Flower Show, (a garden show held for five days in the grounds of Royal Hospital Chelsea in London) I thought it was time to show off this years Bridal and Couture floral Dresses.

This gorgeous A-line floral dress by Carla Ruiz features large blue and green floral print patterns on a rich satin fabric.

If you are looking for something more traditional  Temperley London has their Iris Collection which features the Fiona dress left and Gwyn dress right both with floral details.

For a mixture of traditional and floral Heidi Elnora’s Valerie Lynn dress is a perfect fit, made from 100% hand printed silk jacquard this dress includes pockets on either side.

For amazing floral backs  take a look Alberta Feretti’s SS14 collection above and Claire Pettibone’s Fall 2014 Still Life collection which features Hearts Desire and Raven dresses below.

For a full-skirted, floral applique wedding dress it has to be Zuhair Murad below which also features a full length floral train.

But for something equally intricate but less exuberant it has to be Naeem Khan’s Spring 2015 Bridal Collection.

So which ones do you love, the bold, the intricate or the simply elegant?

Credits: View Fashion Book, Temperley, Heidi Elnora, Alberta Ferretti, Claire Pettibone, The Knot

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And ok what Beyonce is wearing is not your ususal summer dress but because its sheer and features crystals, stones and studs it makes my list. Beyoncé wears Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci dress.

So which one of these would you rock for all the festivities around your wedding?

Credits: Getty Images, PA, My Daily, Fashion Bomb Daily, Vogue

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Well you know by now I love jaw dropping dresses,  so I am super excited to find out that the V&A will be opening a new exhibiton  Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 this Saturday 3rd May in London and runs to the 15th March 2015.

The exhibition will highlight the histories of the dresses, revealing fascinating details about the lives of the wearers and offering an intimate insight into their circumstances and fashion choices.

On display will include some important new acquisitions as well as loans including the Vivienne Westwood dress worn by burlesque queen Dita Von Teese on her wedding day to Marilyn Manson featured above and the John Galliano outfit worn by Gwen Stefani on her wedding day to Gavin Rossdale below.

To get us in the mood I’ve put together some images highlighting how dresses have changed and below is the 30s to 50s and features Wallis Simpson who married the Duke of Windsor in 1937 and wore a chic Mainboucher dress in pale blue silk.  Princess Elizabeth who wore Norman Hartnell’s ivory satin wedding dress which was covered with pearl embroidery in a floral design and Grace Kelly who chose a gown by Helen Rose which consisted of a rounded collar, full skirt of ivory peau de soie, and a fitted bodice made from Brussels lace embroidered with seed pearls.

Then we have the 60s to 80s which features Priscilla Beaulieu who married Elvis in 1967 and wore a floor-length wedding gown of her own design, Bianca Pérez-Mora Macias who decided in 1971 against a traditional wedding dress opting instead for a white Le Smoking jacket by Yves Saint Laurent with nothing underneath, and a long white skirt, and of course Lady Diana Spencer who set the trend for poofy wedding dresses in the 80s wearing her iconic lace and taffeta dress designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel in 1981.

To book your tickets to the V&A head here and let me know which decade you love?

Credits: The Daily Telegraph, V&A, Daily Mail, Hello Magazine

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Last week I talked about some of the new collections from designers in London at the White Gallery, this week its all about New York Bridal Market and I have to say I have fallen in love with what designers have been doing to the back of dresses as well as the front. Oscar De la Renta’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection is a prime example of this with the above white silk faille ball gown with lace appliqué housing this gorgeous draped bustle below.

If you want to feel like a Princess from the eighteenth century, this is the dress that will definitely do it.

As for this dress he creates another amazing back with this Ivory stretch mikado trumpet gown with ruffle back.

And again with this Ivory Chantilly lace A-line gown with floral corded Chantilly lace embroidery, which is offset with this silver and white pearl necklace and crystal tassel.

For those of you who feel Oscar’s full skirts isn’t for you he did also have outfits for the city bride and a cool honeymoon outfit.

The above shows a short white silk faille dress with embroidered organza bodice and sleeve and a white cotton eyelet bikini with a white cotton eyelet pareo for those spending time at the beach.

To see the full collection from Oscar de la Renta’s 2015 Spring Summer Collection click here and to shop for some of his ready to wear collection head here.

Credits: Slavic Vlasic/Getty Images, Instyle, Brides.com

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This week I had the pleasure of attending the White Gallery a trade event which showcases the bridal collections of some of the finest UK and international designers. I was excited to see Ian Stuart’s new collection Frill Me along with Emma Hunt but I also got a few surprises which I loved and I thought I would share with you on this post. Starting off with  YolanCris  featured above with this gorgeous dress for the bride who wants to show off her gorgeous legs.

Anna Romysh Haute Couture aka Farage made me smile as sheer dresses were on display for the bride who would dare to bare. I love the one below.

Emma Hunt who launched her retail collection Echo at the show, continued the long sleeves and sheer trend with these two beauties.

Charlotte Balbier kept the peplum alive with this softer look in lace.

And Ian Stuart showcased a fresh approach to his award winning signature look, the full dress became more tapered in a fish tail and the on trend short dress got some volume added to it.

So which one of these take your fancy?

Credits: White Gallery

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At the Oscar’s, The 12 Years a Slave star, stunned again with a  floor-length pale blue Prada gown, inspired by champagne bubbles and thoughts of home. This custom made dress was embellished with crystals a Fred Leighton headband, gem-drop earrings and delicate gold bangles.

To get this look head to Coast for one of their blue maxi dresses and Net-A-Porter for their earrings and hair jewellery.

Credits: Getty, MTV Style, E-online

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So last week was New York Fashion Week and this week has all been about London, but for this post I want to focus on the second annual plus size fashion event that was dedicated to showing off clothes made for sizes 14 and up. Although not officially affiliated with London Fashion Week, the timing of the show was of course planned to initiate a discussion about the shape of things to come in the industry.

With the national average dress size being a 16, there is fashion for everyone and Rianne Ward, founder of Plus Size Fashion Weekend, said: “For such a long time people have worried about their size and the label in the back of their clothing. We need to remove the stigmas and barriers that are currently in place. We need to move away from our fixation with numbers and remember we’re all real women.”

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If you have a number of events to attend in the run up to your wedding and don’t know what to wear, look no further than New York Fashion Week for inspiration. All of this week editors and buyers have descended upon New York City to look at all the ready-to-wear fashion for Autumn 2014. So if you are wondering what to wear for your rehearsal dinner, hen party or even your engagment take a look at the ones I’ve pulled out and let me know what you think?

Lela Rose – Engagement Party ideas

Altuzarra – Hen Party ideas

Monique Lhullier – Rehearsal dinner ideas

Carolina Herrera – Honeymoon Wardrobe ideas

Credits: Eonline, Fashionisers.com, Diane von Furstenberg, Lela Rose, Altuzarra, Monique Lhullier, Carolina Herrera

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So a couple of weeks ago I wrote the Hues of Pink post highlighting the trend for the season courtesy of Vera Wang. But for those of you who think wearing pink may be a little bit to much for your bridal dress but would still like to wear some pink this post is for you. Whether its just for you or members of your bridal party the above ideas shows how you could get away with wearing the on trend colour in an alternative way.

Top Left: Pink Glitter Shoes by Carvela £120, Top Right: An alternative to a bouquet try a flower purse, picture above illustrates orchids. Middle left: Valentino’s Sugar Pink bracelet sleeve outfit. Middle Right: Cartier Pink Gold love Necklace. Bottom Left: Pearl Pink Earrings £155. Bottom Right: Elie Saab Embellished pink dress.

Credits: Top: Debenhams, Preston Bailey. Middle: Daily Mail, Cartier. Bottom: London Road Jewellery, Pinterest, AP