Wedding Planning For Pregnant Brides
Traditionally, the wedding comes before the baby, but these days, many people do things in the reverse order.
Being a pregnant bride does not carry anywhere near the stigma that it once did, but at the same time not every woman is comfortable walking down the aisle in her third trimester.
This is a look at all the wedding options for pregnant brides, from elopement to shotgun wedding to traditional wedding and more.
It used to be that if a woman "turned up pregnant", the next stop after the doctor was City Hall for a shotgun wedding.
A generation or two ago, pre-marital pregnancy was a major scandal, and couples took pains to make their little bundle of joy look like a honeymoon baby.
Even if people were not entirely fooled, they played along.
Today, couples have a broader range of socially acceptable options when they are pregnant and engaged, but for some, the quick trip to the justice of the peace is still the right choice.
If a shotgun wedding does not feel right, another option is an elopement.
This can work when the bride and groom want to take a couple months to plan their wedding, but the bride does not want to walk down the aisle in front of her family with a baby bump showing.
Go ahead and plan a romantic getaway for just the two of you, and tie the knot while on vacation.
The bride should treat herself to a pretty dress and some great accessories like Swarovski crystal earrings even if she does not go for the full bridal regalia.
Extend the trip as long as possible, since once the baby comes, there will be no time for things like romantic vacations! More and more couples these days are deciding that a traditional wedding is right for them, even if the bride is in a family way, so to speak.
Since traditional weddings take time to plan, the bride will likely be showing by the time of the ceremony.
There are a few options when it comes to the bride's wedding attire.
Generally a soft ivory gown will be deemed more appropriate by your guests than pure white.
Many pregnant brides may decide to wear a veil, despite its associations with purity.
Certainly every bride can have fun picking out fabulous headpieces, Swarovski crystal earrings, and pretty necklaces, since these have no cultural associations with virginity.
An empire waist wedding gown can be worn to attempt to minimize the appearance of the bump (although you do run the risk of looking much larger overall in this style of gown).
A drop waist wedding gown which is fairly fitted through the bodice (minus any stiff boning) and has a generous A-line skirt is often the most flattering silhouette, especially when the tummy is too large to be hidden anyway (at least you will look pregnant instead of just overweight).
A third option, and the least popular, is to wear a form fitting gown that hugs every curve and really shows off the round belly of the bride.
This is a style chosen mostly only by celebrities! A final possibility for pregnant brides is to delay the ceremony until after the baby is born.
This is the choice made by women who cannot stand the idea of being a big pregnant bride and who have no moral concerns about having a baby out of wedlock.
A variation on this is to have the quick marriage at City Hall to make things official pre-baby, and then to have a big party to renew your vows sometime after the baby comes and your figure is back where it started.
They are personal choices that have to be made by the bride and groom about what is best for them and their growing family.
Being a pregnant bride does not carry anywhere near the stigma that it once did, but at the same time not every woman is comfortable walking down the aisle in her third trimester.
This is a look at all the wedding options for pregnant brides, from elopement to shotgun wedding to traditional wedding and more.
It used to be that if a woman "turned up pregnant", the next stop after the doctor was City Hall for a shotgun wedding.
A generation or two ago, pre-marital pregnancy was a major scandal, and couples took pains to make their little bundle of joy look like a honeymoon baby.
Even if people were not entirely fooled, they played along.
Today, couples have a broader range of socially acceptable options when they are pregnant and engaged, but for some, the quick trip to the justice of the peace is still the right choice.
If a shotgun wedding does not feel right, another option is an elopement.
This can work when the bride and groom want to take a couple months to plan their wedding, but the bride does not want to walk down the aisle in front of her family with a baby bump showing.
Go ahead and plan a romantic getaway for just the two of you, and tie the knot while on vacation.
The bride should treat herself to a pretty dress and some great accessories like Swarovski crystal earrings even if she does not go for the full bridal regalia.
Extend the trip as long as possible, since once the baby comes, there will be no time for things like romantic vacations! More and more couples these days are deciding that a traditional wedding is right for them, even if the bride is in a family way, so to speak.
Since traditional weddings take time to plan, the bride will likely be showing by the time of the ceremony.
There are a few options when it comes to the bride's wedding attire.
Generally a soft ivory gown will be deemed more appropriate by your guests than pure white.
Many pregnant brides may decide to wear a veil, despite its associations with purity.
Certainly every bride can have fun picking out fabulous headpieces, Swarovski crystal earrings, and pretty necklaces, since these have no cultural associations with virginity.
An empire waist wedding gown can be worn to attempt to minimize the appearance of the bump (although you do run the risk of looking much larger overall in this style of gown).
A drop waist wedding gown which is fairly fitted through the bodice (minus any stiff boning) and has a generous A-line skirt is often the most flattering silhouette, especially when the tummy is too large to be hidden anyway (at least you will look pregnant instead of just overweight).
A third option, and the least popular, is to wear a form fitting gown that hugs every curve and really shows off the round belly of the bride.
This is a style chosen mostly only by celebrities! A final possibility for pregnant brides is to delay the ceremony until after the baby is born.
This is the choice made by women who cannot stand the idea of being a big pregnant bride and who have no moral concerns about having a baby out of wedlock.
A variation on this is to have the quick marriage at City Hall to make things official pre-baby, and then to have a big party to renew your vows sometime after the baby comes and your figure is back where it started.
They are personal choices that have to be made by the bride and groom about what is best for them and their growing family.
