Your Perfect Dress
Canadian designs are a perfect fit for your Caribbean beach wedding
By Anne Brodie
A special bride forgoes the traditional wedding and opts for the sensual delights of the Caribbean. Just family and a few close friends to sip champagne with and enjoy the freshest flowers, fruits and air imaginable, while inhaling the tropical island scents, far from the responsibilities of the workaday world.
The weather’ always perfect, and relaxation is key. Bliss!
The beach bride has an independent spirit; she relishes the delights of the unexpected. She likes to express her unconventional flair, especially in the gown she chooses. Naturally, she hankers after a non-traditional gown, maybe a colour reminiscent of Caribbean sunsets, water, sand, and light. It should be breezy and light and make her look her gorgeous best and feel like a gentle breeze.
Freda Iordanous, a former private couturier known simply as Freda, is famous for her spirited and glamorous designs. Her private line of bridal dresses is manufactured right in her eponymous Toronto store. She knows glamour, cut and colour and has a strong sense of occasion. And she knows what a beach bride wants.
“My bride is someone who is confident. She prefers to wear color instead of white or ivory. She loves something fun and flowing. Brides want looser dresses, funkier styles and floating fabrics. When someone decides to get married on a beach, they’re looking to express their personalities. They don’t want to be so serious,” says Freda.
Many women are going non-traditional and finding a casual wedding by the beach more intimate. Once popular for second or third weddings, now more women are getting married for the first time on the beach.
So why not go totally for broke and wear a string bikini?
“A woman always wants to feel like a bride, whether it's a formal church service or by the beach. It's her special day and she wants to feel special!”
Freda understands the allure of the tropical ocean. She grew up on the sundrenched coast of Greece and returns there several times a year.
“The beach has always been something I love and cherish’, she enthuses. “Growing up in Cyprus and being surrounded by water holds a special memory for me. It's calming and brings me back home. I understand why someone would want to get married by the beach. It's simply romantic, and so beautiful. The azure water and contrasting white sand are absolutely stunning!”
Freda personally visits fabric manufacturers in Europe twice yearly to hand pick her fabrics and observe trends. Together with her daughters Paulina and Elaine, Freda designs each collection with an organic tie to her ‘eye’.
“Picking the right dress is the most important element of your wedding”, says Freda. You want to feel comfortable and look great. It's your day to shine and if you’re not happy with what you are wearing, it will show. The color and style that compliments you and your personality make all the difference.”
For an evening Caribbean wedding, the azure blue wrap flatters the figure and reflects the moonlight, a sophisticated and elegant choice. It provides beautiful protection against chilly shore breezes, but shimmers and floats with them. It’s the colour of the ocean at night.
This gorgeous champagne gossamer one-shouldered gown is sexy, sensual and utterly appropriate. It mirrors the flow of water and the reflective properties of the undulating ocean fish, as it clings to the body and gusts away with each step. A matching shoe elongates the leg, and a matching scarf adds elegance.
Freda’s muted grey pink silk chiffon creation is the ultimate romantic showstopper; the colour is magnificent, echoing the Caribbean’s sunset skies and seashells. A sheer, full skirt and barely there bodice lend innocent sexuality and shoes are a no-no. No jewelry except The Ring to detract from the gown’s delicacy.
This form fitting, spaghetti strapped confection in teal blue is a knockout, bringing heavy-duty oomph to the proceedings. The colour flatters bronzed skin and feminine curves get the spotlight through clever, body conscious cutting.
Freda does indeed have a white gown, but it is laced with black for extra pizzazz and sophisticated evening elegance. It’s a touch more formal but it’s easy enough to envision the bride dancing on the sand, living out one of the greatest, most joyous moments of her life. She looks great and she knows it!
Freda has an uncanny ability to identify trends based on her experience and travels. And it’s good news for brides looking for nature inspired colours for a spring beach wedding.
Freda concludes, “Spring 2009 is all about color, especially purple. Purple short and long gowns are important for next season. Play with color and don't be afraid to go non-traditional for your wedding. If you still want to look like a bride and wear off-white then have your bridal party in purple! It's the hot colour next season. Gold's tones are still strong, in deep tones paired with black as well as rich tones of blue.”