Wedding Dress

No matter where you are in the world, February will most likely see you experiencing extreme weather conditions. In the northern hemisphere, you may be battling blizzards or avoiding artic air blasts. Down under it's a different story, with heat so hot it can melt even the coolest of facades. For all of you extremists planning to marry in the coming month, we share our expert tips on how to keep it cosy or beat the heat and survive extreme weather on your wedding day.

Source: Thinkstock

Summer shockwaves - playing it cool

If your ideal beach wedding isn't exactly going according to plan due to exceedingly high temperatures forecast, don't panic: help is at hand. Save guests from burning their toes

As the world holds its collective wedding breath for what will undoubtedly be the nuptial event of the new year - the much-anticipated marriage of Prince Harry to his all-American princess-in-the-making, Meghan Markle - we forecast the top wedding trends for 2018.

In the meantime, we'll continue to speculate on which of these trends will be included in the royal wedding celebrations, which no doubt will set a few trends of its own.

Increased customisation

Industry insiders predict weddings will become increasingly personalised and more intimate. Gone are the days of the mass-produced, one-size-fits-all, assembly line, standard wedding. In 2018, couples will be looking at increased localisation including unique locally-sourced produce,

As we inch toward 2018, we revisit some of the top wedding dress trends predicted to lead next year's bridal couture. What is taking off and what has been a flop? If you're planning on tying the knot in the near future, stay ahead of the style pack with the latest wedding dress trends for 2018.

Big Bows

Old Hollywood style is back, with big, billowy, oversized bows a staple of the 2018 chic set. Extra-large bows add a feminine touch to the most simple of silhouettes, espousing playfulness and beauty for every bride.

Bridal Body Jewellery

Inspired by the exquisite body jewellery of brides across the globe, bridal body jewellery features heavily in 2018. No body parts are off limits – choose your bridal statement piece to best reflect your own individual style and flair.

From the fashion-fearless to the trend-benders, wedding dress code can cause angst and confusion for many a wedding guest. Included on your wedding invitation as a seemingly innocent reference, wedding dress code can be a hard nut to crack. Here we share with you some cryptic clues to help you decipher the code and get it right every time:

Casual

Good news for the guys if it's a mid-summer celebration is that no suit and tie is necessary at this nuptial celebration. However, the question remains; how casual is too casual? Acceptable attire for gents includes dress pants and a button-down shirt or polo. Sorry boys, jeans and t-shirts are still out of the question unless specifically mentioned on the invitation. For the ladies, skirts and dress pants teamed with billowing blouses, or a summery sundress would pass the wedding dress code test.

Just like finding the perfect partner, finding the perfect wedding dress can sometimes take a little time, and for some brides can prove a major source of stress before their big day. We offer the following four top tips for picking the perfect wedding dress, to help take the strain out of shopping and put the fun back into fittings.

Trash the dress is a style of wedding photography where the bride creatively destructs her wedding dress (generally with water or mud) to achieve an artistic photo.

"Trashing the Dress" shoots are becoming more popular, with brides jumping at the opportunity to put their wedding dress back on after the wedding and let loose.
Some brides may choose to have their photos taken in locations such as beaches, waterfalls or farms however some have also been known to choose locations such as busy city streets, rooftops or old abandoned buildings - the opportunities are as creative as you allow yourself to be.

FIRE BALL BRIDE

This bride married a fire fighter so she decided to light her dress on fire to achieve this amazing "joan of arc" shot. I hope her husband was standing by with a fire hose after the shoot!

Image by John Michael Cooper

WATER MAGIC

I really love the trashing of the dress in water. You can achieve beautiful water reflections and textures in the photo.
Here are a few of my favourites!

Image by Debbie Daanen

Image by Gonzalo Nuñez