Formal or informal: which style is right for you?

Much of the rigid rules of weddings have been relaxed. Brides can pick the style of their gown without worrying about committing a major faux pas. But there are still a few guidelines. Weddings come in three styles: formal, whether daytime or evening, semi –formal and informal.

Picture a sit down dinner, heavy silver, crystal, classic floral centerpieces and you're probably picturing a formal wedding. A formal wedding gown can be elaborately beaded with seed pearls and crystals, have a long train and intricate embroidery. The veil is flowing and reaches the ground and trails beyond the train of the gown.

The men's attire differs whether the formal wedding takes place during the day or after 6:00 PM. Before 6:00 PM the groom and ushers wear a cutaway coat with tails, sometimes called a morning suit, gray pinstripe trousers, gray vest, black ascot or tie. After 6:00 PM the men wear black tailcoats, matching black pants, white shirt, white vest, and white tie, this is also known as full dress.

It has become acceptable that men can now wear a tuxedo in lieu of a morning suit or full dress for a formal wedding.

Semi-formal wedding gowns are less intricate, have a shorter train or none at all. The fabrics can be lighter as well. The wedding veil for a semi formal wedding can reach the floor but doesn’t extend much beyond that.

Informal wedding gowns are short with no train. If there is a veil it only reaches to the fingertips. Some brides select a headpiece of fresh flowers and forgo the veil completely.

Veils come in many lengths, materials and styles. They can be plain, embroidered with lace, embellished with seed pearls, crystals or silk flowers. The veil should match the color of the gown. If the gown is pure white, the veil should be pure white. If the gown is ivory, the veil should be ivory.

A blusher veil floats just above the shoulders and is appropriate for an informal or semi-formal wedding and short dress. It can also be combined with a longer veil for a formal wedding and brought forward to cover the brides' face, then lifted by the groom after the couple are married.

Elbow length comes to the elbows and is used with shorter informal or semi formal dresses.

Fingertip length reaches the fingers when the arm is held straight down by the side and is usually worn with a long gown with a short train or no train at all.

Waltz length barely skims the floor.

Mantilla is a veil trimmed with lace or all lace worn over the head usually without a head piece.

Cathedral Length is the most formal of the veil styles and extends at least six inches past the train of the dress. The train should be at least three feet long.

Elegant Silk, Taffeta or Velvet?

Wedding gowns come in many different fabrics but what exactly is a brocade and how is velvet made? Does silk really come from a worm?

Silk is made from the threads spun by silk caterpillars (not worms) as they pupate. The pupate is made from one long thread extruded by the glands of the caterpillar, and wrapped around and around to form the pod. When the caterpillar is finished spinning, their job is done. The pods are dipped in hot water to loosen the thread and kill the caterpillar. The threads are unwound from the pod and rewound on wheels.

The silk strands are wound differently to make different fabrics. For example crepe is produced by multiple strands of silk twisted together in different directions. Orangzine is made by twisting multiple strands of silk together then changing the direction and repeating.

Silk is prized for its suppleness, softness and strength and is the basis for a number of other fabrics.

Satin can be made from silk or rayon. The two sides of the cloth vary dramatically, one side is glossy and smooth and the other flat and dull.

Rayon is a man made fabric produced from natural cellulouse which comes from wood pulp, or other plant matter. It was originally marketed as artificial silk. It has similar draping qualities and is used as an inexpensive substitute for silk.

Velvet has been around for 4000 years. It can be made with silk, cotton or synthetic threads. Two pieces of fabric are placed on a special loom and the threads woven between them piercing both fabrics and looping back and forth. The threads are then cut apart resulting in a napped surface on each of the original fabric pieces. Velvet can be crushed, cut, or designs burned in the fabrics to product patterns.

Brocade is a fabric usually woven from silk that incorporates a design that is raised on some parts of the fabric. Gold and silver threads can be woven into the design as well.

Taffeta fabric's unique characteristic is that it changes color when viewed from different directions. It can be woven from silk or synthetics.

Chiffon is the French word for rag. It can be woven from silk or synthetic materials. The material is transparent and has a floating characteristic. On close examination one can see the threads in the weave as a mesh pattern.

Lace isn't really a type of fabric such as brocade or satin, but a method of weaving designs using thread. The threads can be silk, cotton or synthetic. The designs can be intricate or simple. The lace is woven in an open work pattern. The holes in the open work can be the result of threads removed or can be woven into the design by twisting, braiding or looping other threads in the design.