Brides these days may be looking for ways to trim their wedding budgets, but you would not know it based on the popularity of having two wedding gowns. The number of brides who opt to wear one bridal gown for the wedding ceremony and then change into a different dress for the reception has skyrocketed. If this trend appeals to you, here are some suggestions on how to pick the perfect second gown for your wedding reception.

The general idea of having two wedding gowns is that the one for the ceremony will be more traditional and formal and the reception gown will be more of a fun party style wedding dress. This can be a great idea for many reasons. It can be a nice way for a bride to compromise between the gown her mother envisions and the style that she prefers, especially for a church ceremony. The bride’s mom can have the classic bridal gown she imagines, but the bride can also have a fun and modern dress for her reception.

The really neat thing about having a second reception gown is that it can be anything that you want. It could be a continuation of the general style of your ceremony gown, or the polar opposite. Often times, the second dress will be sexier than the first one. For instance, if you wore a traditional strapless ballgown with silver embroidery for your wedding ceremony, a nice reception dress could be one which also features silver embroidery, but in a much more form fitting silhouette. Crystal wedding jewelry would complement both gowns, so you could use the same set for both the ceremony and reception, or change into more dramatic crystal jewelry after the wedding ceremony.

Many brides take the idea of wearing two gowns as an opportunity to express two sides of their personalities. Let’s say you are torn between a 1950s inspired lace bridal gown with a frothy tulle skirt and a trendy one shoulder gown. Having two dresses would give you the chance to wear both. The classic style would make an ideal ceremony gown, and the trendy and modern gown would be just the thing for the reception. What a great way to have your cake and eat it too, so to speak.

One of the main reasons to select a different gown for the reception is to be comfortable for dancing. Be sure to keep that in mind when shopping for a reception gown. After all, if your second dress is no more comfortable than your first, your wardrobe change, while stylish, won’t be especially practical in terms of enhancing your enjoyment of your reception. The second gown should have either a short train or no train to reduce the weight and a more manageable skirt fullness to make dancing the night away fun and easy.

Short dresses are also very popular for wedding receptions. Choose a white dress that still looks very bridal so that you don’t end up blending in with the guests once you have made your change. There are some really adorable shorter wedding gowns available, and although they may feel too informal for your wedding ceremony, they would be amazing as the second dress. Some of the cutest styles are ’50s style party dresses with strapless or bateau necklines, or modern chiffon babydoll dresses with spaghetti straps. These short wedding gowns will look so beautiful and feel so comfy that you will wish your reception would go on forever!

Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about weddings, trends, and fashion. The most spectacular crystal wedding jewelry is handcrafted at http://silverlandjewelry.com/, which offers free crystal samples for color matching.

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