Gone are the days when women who found themselves ?in a family? way had shotgun weddings or lied about their child's birthdate to conceal the date of his conception. There are plenty of pregnant brides now who do not feel like they have to rush the wedding or hide their condition. In fact, brides who are expecting are so common that some designers even offer maternity bridal gowns in their collections. Never the less, it is challenging for a pregnant woman to find well-fitting clothing under any circumstances, and the pressure is so much greater when you will be the center of attention.

The first thing that any pregnant bride must do is accept the reality of her situation. Unlike other brides, you will not be able to starve yourself or wear binding undergarments to squeeze into slinky gowns, so put the idea out of your head. And no matter how slim a woman may be, she is fooling herself if she thinks that her figure won't dramatically change. This means forget about a strapless dress, because before too long, your waist will be larger than your bust, and the gown will slip down. The good news is that a pregnant bride can still find styles that will be comfortable without giving up on style.

Many women think that empire waist dresses are the only option for maternity bridal gowns, but this is not the case. In fact, having a long, full dress dropping from a seam above the belly tends to make a pregnant bride look as big as a house. Surprisingly, drop waist gowns are often the most flattering cut to the ?bump?. Because they are fitted through the torso, they are actually more slimming without being restrictive. The key is to find a bridal shop with a very skilled seamstress who can customize the gown to fit an ever changing figure.

And for goodness sake, be honest with the bridal salon when you are ordering your gown. I have seen brides who were uncomfortable telling a stranger about their pregnancy, but if the shop is not informed, there is no chance that your gown will fit by the time that it arrives. Besides shape and size, embellishments are something to consider carefully in a maternity gown. Having some special detail makes a bride feel prettier, but be sure to avoid embroidery or beadwork that wraps over seams on the bodice ? by the time the gown has been altered to fit a pregnant tummy, those seams will no loner line up.

The great thing about bridal jewelry, veils, and headpieces is that they always fit. Women who are pregnant during the wedding planning process tend to feel self-conscious about their changing figures, so choosing fabulous accessories can be very uplifting. Today, it is considered fine for a pregnant bride to wear white if she wants to, and she should also feel free to wear a bridal veil. Since it will be most practical to keep the gown simple, the accessories are the place for a bride to be as elaborate as she wants. For instance, it would be fabulous to have custom bridal jewelry handcrafted to coordinate with the wedding gown. Jewelry can be made to flatter the woman just like a gown can. If your face has gotten puffy, choose long Swarovski crystal drop earrings for their lengthening effect. A drop necklace is a great idea to accent the lovely cleavage that all pregnant women seem to acquire. The idea is to design custom bridal jewelry to highlight your best features, just any any bride would.

Some of the sweetest brides I have known have been the pregnant ones. Although their major life events were not in the sequence that they would have planned, they still made beautiful, radiant brides. The combination of the glow of an expectant mother with the radiance that all engaged women exude made for some very lovely brides.