Planning on having kids? Pay attention during the reception: The

Choosing The Right Prom Dress For You - 4 Top Tips

Your prom dress is likely to be the single most important dress decision you have ever made, so it pays to take the time to get it right.

Fashion moves fast, so be sure to keep an eye on tight short homecoming dresses for tips on the latest styles. Here we'll focus on the practical things to bear in mind that will never go out of fashion.

How to know what you're looking for.

If you go to a formal gown shop with absolutely no idea of what to get, then you'll be in there for a long time! In the months leading up to buying your prom dress, make some

notes on gowns you love. Top tip: Watch the Oscar night arrivals for an insight

into formal gown fashions for prom season. If you can, cut out pictures of styles you love and work out what it is you like about them. Do they all have a similar cut? Are they all bold colours? Do they have the same kinds of neckline or hemline? If you can find a theme

in the prom dresses you like the most, you'll be able to narrow down your choices.

Get the underwear right.

Whatever you do, decide upon your underwear before you have the final dress fitting - a change in bra can alter your shape so much that a dress that looked great with the old one could suddenly look awful. So decide which kinds of underwear will hold you in and push you up, out - whatever - in the right places before that final gown decision!

If you are planning to have a strapless prom gown, make sure you get measured and fitted for a good quality strapless bra as this will make all the difference to your shape and comfort on the night.

Colour.

Certain colours look great on certain skins, there's no getting away from it. A dusky pink can make one girl look like an English rose and her friend look like a dishrag. You probably already have an idea of colours that suit you; look in your wardrobe and in photos to see what looks best on you, and ask close friends too - they may have a better idea than you do. Don't forget which colours suit you when you go to try on the gowns - it doesn't matter how beautiful the prom dress is - if the colour is wrong, it could make you look awful.

The cut of the gown.

Again, you are likely to know what kinds of things suit you, but be truthful to yourself about your shape. alfred angelo 6471 What are you happy to show off and keen to hide about your body? If you have a tiny waist, or are proud of your endowments, show them off by all means - but above all else, wear a style that not only flatters your shape, but makes you feel fabulous. There's nothing worse than a girl being worn by her dress rather than the other way around.

Follow these 4 tips and you will be on your way to a great look when prom time comes around.

Wedding Dress Superstitions

Before you launch into this article, please remember that superstitions are just for fun. Thirteen is the unluckiest number in some parts of the globe, the luckiest in others, and of no importance of all in still others. Weddings can add a lot to worry about to your life you dont need to top that black bridesmaid dresses off with a fear of meeting a lizard on the way to the ceremony.

My friend Annes policy on superstitions is one of the best Ive heard: If she thinks something will bring her some extra good luck, she adopts it. And if she thinks it will bring her bad luck, she ignores it as though its the silliest thing shes ever heard of. After all, if youre going to choose to believe in fall wedding dresses luck, why not stack the deck in your favor?

Making the dress

The one unlucky superstition Im in full favor of is the one that says its bad luck for a bride to make her own dress. Why not let someone else do it while you stay tasked on looking lovely? Some traditions elaborate on the idea by saying that the number of stitches you make in your own wedding dress will be the same as the number of tears you shed during your marriage, so it seems like a clever superstitious bride might be able to rig things in her favor by contributing a manageable four or five stitches to the process.

While youre supervising the dressmaking process, the luckiest fabric is supposed to be silk. English tradition says that you shouldnt wear a patterned wedding gown, and should especially avoid patterns showing birds, but some Asian traditions recommend wedding dresses with cranes on them to ensure a faithful husband.

If you decide to forego having a wedding dress made entirely, think hard about whom you borrow one from a borrowed wedding dress is supposed to bring good luck to the bride who borrows it, but bad luck to the wife who lends it out.

Wearing your dress

Youve probably heard that the groom isnt supposed to see you in your dress before the wedding, but did you know that you arent supposed to see you in it either? You can get around that little trick of luck by fitting your dress in sections, or by leaving a little bit of the hem undone. Some brides even wait and have a bridesmaid put in the last few stitches right before the trip down the aisle.

Planning on having kids? Pay attention during the reception: The first child who tugs on your skirt will be the same sex as your first child.

Things on or in your dress (other than you)

If you want a sweet marriage, you should hide a lump of sugar in your glove or sleeve. (Whats that? You want a rich marriage? Talk to your shoes. Or better yet, put coins in them.) For a lucky marriage, sew a few hairs into your dress, and for lots of children, sew cowry shells onto or into your dress.

If you happen to find a spider in your wedding dress, do a little happy dance once youre done yelling Ick! It means very good luck and a happy home life.

Above all, dont forget that as a bride, you yourself are a lucky charm to everyone around you. Save the pins from your wedding dress (and bouquet, if there are any) to give to your friends theyre supposed to bring your pals luck in everything from love to gambling! You might also consider sewing love knots to your dress. These are little figure eights of ribbon that you can give out as good luck charms later.

Congratulations on your engagement!

And good luck!