The 35 Best Wedding Dresses of 2019

The 35 Best Wedding Dresses of 2019 - Brides.com

The 35 Best Wedding Dresses of 2019 - Brides.com
‘Christmas I Remember Best’: The lesson a mother taught with 7 dresses - Deseret News
10 Vintage Style Wedding Dresses For A Completely Unique Occasion - elle.com
Volunteers make dresses from scratch to distribute to girls in need, beautifying their wardrobes. - Monterey County Weekly

The 35 Best Wedding Dresses of 2019 - Brides.com

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 03:33 PM PST

Channeling Meghan Markle in Emilia Wickstead

Photo by Wild Whim

"When I was looking for wedding dresses, Emilia Wickstead had just launched her first bridal collection in London, and I was blown away by the simplicity of the designs," Justine says. In fact, the gown she chose was inspired by Lady Charlotte Wellesley's dress, which Emilia had designed a few years prior. "I wanted to look back in 10, 20, or 30 years and still admire the dress I'd chosen," explains the bride. And you can imagine Justine's surprise when, just a month later, Meghan Markle walked down the aisle in a similarly simple gown with a boat neckline and sleeves.

‘Christmas I Remember Best’: The lesson a mother taught with 7 dresses - Deseret News

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 01:22 PM PST

By Randy Skeen

For the Deseret News

This is the third of 10 winners in the Deseret News annual Christmas writing contest, "Christmas I Remember Best."

I was born into a family of Christmas people. Our family Christmas preparation usually began in early November and culminated in a Christmas celebration lasting until Dec. 26.

Around Nov. 15, my dad would drag the Christmas lights out of the garage, stumbling, tripping and calling for help. In those days, the lights consisted of large bulbs that required each bulb to fire up before the entire chain of lights would illuminate. Once the lights were hung, dad moved to the yard decorations.

As a carpenter, my dad built a nearly full sized plywood and painted Santa train. The wind elves would frequently appear and blow the Santa train over, requiring numerous repairs and strong language.

As with all other years, this is how Christmas in 1962 began for me. As a 9-year old boy, Christmas was a mixture of unmitigated joy, greed, hope and confusion. I wanted to be in the Christmas spirit of giving, but somehow always fell back into the dark side of Christmas receiving. I guess I was old enough to understand the Christmas season, but young enough to focus on the presents I wanted.

My mother was a seamstress of some renown. She specialized in making heirloom-type handmade dresses with elaborate embroidery. Her dresses were acquired by such varied individuals and entities as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Gerald Ford and rocker Alice Cooper. The dresses were highly prized and sought after and each dress represented an extension of my mother's love.

As Christmas rapidly approached, my younger sister and I discussed the probability of receiving every item on our respective Christmas lists and the fun we would have playing with new toys. I was fairly certain that my sister would wind up getting a dress or two while I would receive the equivalent number of toys. All looked good for us this year.

On Dec. 20, we noticed our mother barricading herself in her sewing room. For four long days, we saw little of our mother as she worked away feverishly in her locked sewing room. Except for meals, she was in her sewing room from before we got out of bed until long after we had retired for the evening.

In the early evening of Dec. 24, our parents asked my sister and me to accompany them for a ride in the car.

"Oh no", I thought. "Not a sub for Santa run." While I appreciate sub for Santa runs, they had a way of diverting our attention from the real meaning of Christmas — presents, gifts and fun. As we loaded the car, I noticed that my mom packed seven girls' dresses which she had wrapped in Christmas paper.

I remember looking at all the Christmas lights and the fresh snow and thinking, "Why can't we just go home and have Christmas dinner?"

We soon arrived at a home located in Salt Lake City. My father, my mother, my sister and I carried the seven dresses to the front door. The door was answered by a girl approximately my age who quickly summoned her mother to the door. We passed the dresses to a shocked woman, said, "Merry Christmas" and quickly left.

Why had we only delivered dresses to this home and not a sub for Santa family? Did we know these people? An unspoken message was exchanged between the two mothers, accompanied by tears.

On the way home, my mother answered the questions.

On Dec. 19, 1962, a young father was killed in an automobile accident while traveling home from work. In those days, the newspaper would print the name of the decedent, his family's address and the names and ages of his wife and children.

My mother saw the newspaper article and decided to help. She made the dresses, delivered the dresses, and hopefully helped raise the spirits of this poor family.

Why was this Christmas so memorable to a 9-year old boy? I learned first and foremost that Christmas is not about me. Christmas is about everyone else and, particularly, about the baby who brought peace to our world.

My best Christmases have been the ones where I have given the most and received the least. I think that's the way it is supposed to be.

Randy Skeen lives in Sandy.

10 Vintage Style Wedding Dresses For A Completely Unique Occasion - elle.com

Posted: 19 Dec 2019 03:12 AM PST

Fashion is constantly re-cycling old ideas and renewing the most loved (and questioned) styles from the past and it's no different for bridal wear trends. Look to the past and take inspiration from vintage styles without the hefty price tag, or the strenuous hunt through thrift stores. Now with an array of brands from ASOS to Carolina Herrera looking back for bridal inspiration, you can have a dress that will last a lifetime and do full circle as did its vintage inspiration. Whether you dream of regal lace or renaissance puff sleeves - we've got the dress for you.

Volunteers make dresses from scratch to distribute to girls in need, beautifying their wardrobes. - Monterey County Weekly

Posted: 19 Dec 2019 12:00 AM PST

Walk into the brightly lit event room of Shoreline Community Church in Monterey on a Saturday, and instead of their usual Christian rock music, you'll hear the whir of sewing machines and lively chatter. Two dozen volunteers are arranged according to their skills, with seamstresses at one cluster of tables, while others prepare sewing kits by ironing fabric, cutting strips of lace and ribbon, and separating tags that read "Made with love by ___."

Those tags will go into colorful sundresses made here on a Saturday every other month by Dress a Girl volunteers. Dress a Girl, a project of the nonprofit Hope 4 Women International, provides a dress kit in a clear plastic bag that each volunteer chooses. Each package contains simple instructions with steps numbered 1 to 5, an array of solid-colored fabrics for the bodice, and accent pieces – floral, checkered, polka dot or animal print – that correspond to the pockets and other sections of the dress, so they match. There's an assortment of buttons, bows, scalloped lace and satin ribbons to embellish. Dressmakers need only bring their sewing machines and thread.

On this Saturday, they're making tiny dresses for newborns. Volunteer Marie Gieszelmann is on dress number 173. Gieszelmann began sewing at age 12, when her sister was born, and learned to make all her dresses. Now, volunteering by making handmade dresses – which will be distributed everywhere from Pueblo Del Mar, transitional housing for families in Marina, to locations in Central America, Africa and elsewhere – Gieszelmann feels like she's using her skill to help girls in need have something nice and new.

"For girls who have been dressed in rags, getting a pretty new dress means so much," she says. "I am sharing the love of God by showing these dresses to others."

Nearby, a sewing machine is churning rapidly as Kerry Conner sews millimeter running stitches. Conner has made 150 dresses through Dress a Girl events like this one, or by bringing the kits home and sewing on her own – sometimes, with a helper.

"I bring my 3-year-old granddaughter and let her pick out the dress to be sewn at home," Conner says.

Across the table, another sewer's machine is being adjusted to make zig-zag stitches. Today is Stephanie Phillips-Jackson's fourth time at one of these gatherings, and she is all about creativity. Like her fellow volunteers, she talks about creative expression, and also the Christian meaning behind her inspiration. "I like doing crafts and creative arts. Crochet, knitting, baking, jewelry making, etc.," she says. "I enjoy the time spent here doing artwork, and I send [the dresses] off with a blessing."

The volunteers range in age from their 30s to their 70s, and those who can't sew do other tasks like iron, wrap and cut lace. Everything – including sewing machines for those who don't have their own to bring – is donated.

These volunteers in Monterey are among many across the U.S., Canada, Uganda, the U.K., the Philippines, Australia, Sweden, Japan, Hong Kong and elsewhere who have collectively made and delivered more than 1 million dresses to girls in 81 countries.

Locally, the person overseeing it all is Lori Rae Anderson, who brought the Dress a Girl project to Shoreline three years ago. Anderson also sews dresses herself, but today she is stationed with the volunteers who are responsible for assembling more kits. Anderson makes rounds around the room, offering sewing tips and reminding volunteers that no buttons are allowed on today's size-zero dresses, because of the choking hazard.

In between her walks through the room to provide guidance, she cuts more "Made with love by ___" tags. The tags are not meant for the future recipients of the dresses. Instead, they are entered into a raffle for volunteers to win small prizes like journals or See's candy. And, Anderson adds, the tags are evidence of the organization's eco-conscious efforts to be resourceful when it comes to assembling supplies for these dresses: "The 'made with love by' tags are the only consumable supply we have. Everything else, from rubber bands and ribbon to the fabrics, are repurposed so nothing goes to waste."

On this day, the volunteers make a total of 10 colorful baby dresses. They're designed for warm weather, but can be worn with a shirt or leggings underneath on cooler days.

Anderson notes that volunteers are encouraged to add their personal touches to the dresses. When she sews, she likes to give the dresses some flair and change up where embellishments are placed: "I like to put a polka-dotted or bright pink bow on the hem to make the dress a little sassy," she says.