Your wedding dress: white? white? or white?

Okay, so, we all know that white is not a colour right?  We all know that it's a shade.  Well, did you also know that there are about 392 different shades of the shade white?  And did you also know that you can get a wedding dress in all of those different shades?  Yes, my mind is also boggling with the revelation that there is a shade of white for every day of the calendar year.  But what are those shades?  How are they described?  And if you see a wedding dress that is blue white, exactly how is the mother-of-the-bride going to be able to picture it?

This a just a small sampling of the endless list of shades of white, but these are the most common and if you're doing hardcore dress shopping, you're sure to run into at least some of them.

Champagne or Oyster

Off-White, w/ pink undertones and suits the bride who has olive complexion, or other darker skin tones.

Diamond White/Natural White

Found only in more expensive fabrics, such as silk, this colour will suit brides with a light complexion.

Latte

This colour of dress is slightly darker than the Champagne/Oyster dress, but will still suit the bride with darker skin complexion.

Ivory/Eggshell

This shade of white has golden or yellow undertones and will suit the bride with fair complexion.

Stark White/Blue White

DO NOT wear this shade of white if you are have a fair complexion.  Step. Away. From. This. Dress. And. No one. Will. Get. Hurt. This shade is only suited for brides w/ a darker complexion.

Add some colour

It's 2010 and brides are increasingly getting more and more daring with their choice of bridal attire.  From White, to pink, or both {thanks Gwen Stefani}, to Scarlet red, and even black, brides are making the choice based on their personalities and what they would feel most comfortable in. C'mon now, you don't see a rocker-chic-glam-bride dressed in an Ivory ruffled number do you?  No.

Even if you want to go the white {or various shades of it} route, but you still want to add a splash of colour to better define your personality..add a sash in a coordinating wedding colour...choose shoes that give your attire a pop of colour, or, instead of a veil, choose a colourful hair accessory.  Go on.  Take the best of both worlds!  Wear white to make your mom happy, but make yourself happy by adding some colour.

For my wedding, I chose a champagne coloured dress and mantilla, and apple green sandals with rhinestone butterflies.  Those, were my pop of colour!  What will yours be?

Thank you to i-do.com.au for providing the definitions of these shades of white.