Christina Ricci's Designing Her Own Wedding Dress -- Would You?

05/17/2013

 

Kevork Djansezian/Staff/Getty Images

Christina Ricci is looking forward to marrying fiancee James Heerdegen. The 32-year-old actress wants to get all the details just right -- from the catering to the flowers to the venue. But she's also going one step further than most brides-to-be: She's designing her own wedding dress.

Says Ricci of the designing process, "it's fun! We are still in the initial sketching stages." She hasn't yet revealed which famous designer she's working with, but we're hoping it's somebody great like Valentino or Dior.

 

Several famous brides have had a hand in designing their own dresses -- from Blake Lively, who worked with Marchesa, to Anne Hathaway who donned a custom Valentino gown.

What does her fiance -- whom she met on the set of the tv series Pan Am -- think of it? “[Jimmy] is not really into fashion that much. He’s not even going to help plan the wedding. He’s working. He’s always working.”

So tell us: if you had the chance -- and the means -- would you design your own wedding dress? And if we're gonna have a wedding fantasy here -- who would be your dream designer to work with?

Share with us in the comments!

And don't miss Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta and I Found the Gown tonight on TLC starting at 8/7 c.

[Hello]

--Julie Gerstein

Slithering Snake Sends A Wedding Day Message Of Love

Fleming Island, Florida, couple Lori and Vincent Gubbini had the slithering surprise of their lives when a snake interrupted their wedding ceremony. The snake wound around a flower girl's feet, and she screamed "snake!" which through the wedding-goers into a tizzy. (I totally understand -- snakes freak me out because they don't have legs.)

Thankfully Mr. Gubbini isn't a total weirdo about snakes like I am, and is taking it in stride. He actually thinks the snake was good luck. "It was circling around us into a little circle...as it was doing that somebody was taking a snapshot and it made a heart," he said. "I think the heart meant that we're going to be together forever and that was our way of knowing that." 

Maybe he's right. Apparently in Victorian England, snake rings served as popular wedding bands. The coils of the snake were thought to represent "eternity." he coils winding into a circle symbolized eternity.

Don't miss Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta and I Found the Gown tonight on TLC starting at 8/7 c.

--Julie Gerstein

Would You Get Married In A Dress You Already Own?

05/07/2013

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Over the weekend, British actress Keira Knightley wed her beau James Righton in a ceremony in France. The bride wore flats -- but she also wore something else: A dress she'd been seen in more than four years ago. Fashionistas were atwitter because Knightley's short pink wedding dress looked an awful lot like a Rodarte dress she wore to the BAFTA film awards in 2008. And that was while she was still with her ex-fiance, Rupert Friend.

Yes, That's A Wedding Dress Made Out Of Divorce Papers

How's this for cynical: 15-year-old Demi Barnes, of West Sussex, England, won a wedding dress design contest -- by constructing a gown out of divorce papers.

I wanted to create a wedding dress with meaning,” Barnes told ABCNews.com. “For me, the dress represents that too many people rush into marriage and end up getting divorced. I love the irony of the idea.” Yes, it's definitely ironic!

Barnes used more than 1,500 papers for the project, and it took her two days to construct in all. The clever garment is currently on display at her school, and will eventually come home -- though it may require her family taking the front door off their house!

Click through to see a video of Barnes' dress!

Lunch with Lori and Contribute to Cancer Research

04/17/2013

One year after receiving the breast cancer diagnosis that changed her life, Lori Allen of Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta is opening her salon to a few lucky fans in hope that other women's lives can be saved.

Partnering with the Noreen Fraser Foundation, which sponsors programs to help women detect breast cancer at its earliest stages, Lori is auctioning an unforgettable day in Atlanta through CharityBuzz.

Lori will offer you and three guests a tour of Bridals by Lori, an opportunity to meet the consultants -- including Fashion Director Monte Durham -- and an intimate lunch and conversation. The fan who places the winning bid will also get to watch Lori film an episode of the show! It's a dream day for anyone who can't get enough BrideDay fun and loves a little Southern sass.

Get more details about the auction here.

Photo: DCL

Ask Sondra Celli: How Did You Become The Gypsy Dressmaker?

04/15/2013

We're excited to have My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding designer extraordinaire Sondra Celli answering all of our most urgent bling fashion questions. Sondra is the queen of bling -- and knows how to take a look from so-so to sparkle-tastic. That's why she's the go-to designer for gypsy brides looking to make a bold statement. Sondra's motto is "it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that bling" and her award-winning work has been seen in publications such as Harpers Bazaar, New York Magazine and Vogue.

Got a style question for Sondra? Email us and we'll pass along your query. And don't forget to catch up with Sondra and her outrageous brides every Sunday at 9/8 c. 

Q: How did you develop such a strong relationship with the gypsies, even though you're not
one?

My relationship with the gypsy community started well over 30 years ago. At that time I had a
children’s clothing line available in department stores and found out that a lot of my designs were
being shipped off to the same address. I later found out that it was a gypsy community. When I
opened my own studio a few years later, the gypsies started buying from me directly. Since then I
have designed for their children and grandchildren. I am on my third generation of designing for
some of the families. I have a strong relationship with the gypsies because we have a mutual respect.
I am honest and direct, extremely reliable and can turn around last minute orders in no time. I have
been invited into their homes and to many gypsy family celebrations.

Something Borrowed, Something New: Monica's Sleeve Situation

04/08/2013

On this week's Something Borrowed, Something New, Monica and her mother-in-law Kathleen are in search of a gown with sleeves. Kathleen's 1978 empire waist and lace gown might just fit the bill, but there are a few changes that need to be made first. For one, the high neck on Kathleen's gown is making it difficult to breathe. And the bell sleeves on the gown are a bit too big and billowy. 

Kelly's got plans to retain the overall shape of the gown but update the huge sleeves. And she wants to make it just a tad more sexy than its current shape will allow. We'll see how well that goes over with Kathleen.

In the meantime Sam's got a challenge on his hands: Monica's always wanted sleeves on her gown. It's difficult to find sleeved gowns these days, which means that any sleeve will be have to be custom-designed added on after the fact. Monica tries on two dresses and is less than thrilled. But the third, a $2,400 Winnie Couture gown blows her away -- despite not having her desired sleeve situation.

"I was absolutely convinced I was going to wear a gown with sleeves," she says, "but now I'm not so sure. I'm standing in this dress that is absolutely everything I said I didn't want...I'm loving this dress."

Meanwhile, Kelly's working to transform Kathleen's dress into the perfect gown for Monica. Does she succeed? By cutting away at the neckline and adding a sexy lace panel to the back, Kelly's managed to update and modernize Kathleen's dress without sacrificing the gown's overall look and feel.

Which dress would you choose?

If you picked Monica's "something borrowed" congrats! That's what she picked, too! Don't forget to tune in this Friday at 9/8 c for the series finale of Something Borrowed, Something New!

--Julie Gerstein

Four Weddings Tweet Winner Revealed!

04/03/2013

Last week we asked you to tweet along to the latest episode of Four Weddings and share what you loved and loathed. Each bride was given a custom hashtag to help fans support the brides they thought should win. The best tweet would receive a year's supply of Georgetown Cupcake #Brideday cupcakes from TLC.

Let me say that again: A year's supply of cupcakes!

After sifting through hundreds of great tweets, we're happy to report we've found a very deserving winner. Theresa Pazsint didn't just tweet -- she tweeted in haiku.

But which wedding was the fan favorite? Check out how Friday's brides scored with viewers after the jump!

Something Borrowed, Something New: Courtney's Transformation

04/01/2013

Bride-to-be Courtney recently lost more than 100 pounds, and she wants to show off her new, slimmer figure in a form-fitting gown. "I want the wedding to be classic vintage. My perfect wedding dress would be very form-fitting to show off my new body." Courtney and her fiance Chris have known each other since they were 14, and it was Chris's workouts that inspired Courtney to lose the extra pounds.

Courtney's mom Dawn really wants her to wear her wedding dress. It was the dress that her mother originally wore, and Dawn's attached the idea of passing the dress down to her daughter. But Courtney's not so sure. The dress is, she says, "not me." But both Courtney's mom and grandmother are pressuring her to pick the family heirloom. Will they win out?

To make the dress more Courtney-appropriate, Kelly decides to give the old dress a modern twist with a sweetheart neckline and a strapless frame. Meanwhile, Sam goes shopping with Courtney and Dawn, Courtney's sister Charissa and her grandmother Denise. Denise is just happy that Courtney is even considering wearing her dress. "I want my granddaughter to go her own course." Mom Dawn is not convinced. Still, Courtney happily picks a Casablanca Princess Sweetheart gown, which retails for $1,250.

Back in Kelly's studio, she's working on creating a dress that shows off Courtney's curves but keeps the integrity of the lace. And oh yeah, Dawn is pushing it real hard. But does Courtney like it? The response? "Oh my gosh!"

But which would you choose?

 

If you chose the Something New, you and Courtney are on the same page! That's what she went with, too!

--Julie Gerstein

Your Daily Cry: Couple's Dying Wedding Wish Granted

03/22/2013

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Nolan Keane has been battling brain cancer for the past four years, with the help of his devoted girlfriend Morgan Carstens. In 2008, at 24, Keane was diagnosed with diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme, a type of fast growing brain cancer. He was given just a year to live, but with the love of Carstens, he managed to outlive all expectations. Unfortunately, the couple recently found out that Keane's cancer had spread, and he was given only months to live. His dying wish? To marry Carstens, in the presence of his family and friends, and then honeymoon at Disneyworld. Disneyworld is a special place for the couple -- Keane had proposed to Keane at the Florida theme park the previous November.

The couple's resources were depleted, though, by the high cost of Keane's medical care (Carstens had given up her job as a registered nurse to take care of Keane full-time). So friends came to the rescue and set up a GiveForward page for the couple, with the aim of raising $20,000. "Since we cannot cure him, the least we can do is try our best to give Morgan and Nolan the most amazing moments possible during his time with us," wrote Carstens' sister on the couple's Facebook page. "We know we are asking a lot, but this is something we cannot do alone."

Thanks to so many being touched by their story, the couple far-exceeded their goal, and have now received more than $80,000 in donations. The couple is beyond grateful, and say that they will use the extra funds to help offset the cost of Keane's hospital visits. This past week, the couple was married, and are hopefully heading to Disney soon. We wish them all the best.

––Julie Gerstein