Brides in glasses
Fashion Advice
By
on January 08, 2008
70
Photo by Melissa Doyle of Casting Memories
Any suggestions for how to "dress up" a bride with eyeglasses?I wear wire rimmed glasses that are a subtle cat-eye shape (can't be too crazy since I work in a hospital) and I can't wear contacts b/c of a medical condition.
However, I find that glasses tend to "dress down" any fancy outfit I wear and I never see wedding photos where the bride has glasses.
Any experience out there? -Kerith
Seems like there are two strategies you could use for wearing glasses at your wedding:
1. "My frames are a part of my face!" (ie, stick with the glasses you've got)
If you love your frames and feel like they're really part of your face and identity, or are planning a low-key, mellow wedding, stick with the glasses you've got. If you're a make-uppy type, you could go for extra dramatic eye make-up under your usual specs to add some flair. Dude: when was the last time you tried quality fake eyelashes? Bridget Bardot in spectacles anyone?
2. "My frames are part of my wedding outfit!" (ie, get new ones)
Wearing a pair of one-of-a-kind frames that aren't your usuals would make a great visual impact on your wedding — I say go for frames that coordinate with your dress. To be even more daring and dramatic, go for frames that coordinate with your flowers. Let your glasses be an extension of your bouquet: a visual splash! You could also go super light and understated — ie frameless lenses that barely show.
I realize that dramatic eyewear isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you're worried about feeling like your everyday glasses make your fancy outfit feel too casual then a pair of fabulous frames could help. If you were in Seattle, I'd send you straight to Eyes on Fremont, my favorite eyeglass boutique. (Caveat: as we all know, designer frames are expensive as hell. You could almost spend almost as much on glasses as you do on a dress.)
Another thing to consider is having your photographer take some of your wedding shots angled slightly from above. Everyone who wears glasses knows the infamous "over the lenses" shot (alternately called "Bloggerface" or "MySpace pose"), and it's common for a reason: It's a great way to keep your glasses on, but let your eyes show.
Now, here are a few brides with glasses to inspire you…
Want to see tons more brides in glasses?
Click here to see my whole collection of posts about bespectacled brides!
About Ariel Meadow Stallings
Author of Offbeat Bride: Creative Alternatives for Independent Brides, Ariel acts as the publisher of all the Offbeat Empire websites. She lives, loves, and dorks out hard in Seattle, WA.
Emily said
here is my beautiful wife in her glasses at the wedding. these are just her regular glasses. (i skipped mine, because i see relatively well without them and wanted a more dramatic look than my glasses could provide.)
scunshine said
I got married last wednesday and wore glasses. I'm so glad I didn't try to fiddle with contacts, and it was a good excuse to replace my 3 year old beat up frames with some nice new ones
Ariel said
Pictures, Scunshine! PICTURES!
scunshine said
I'm working hard on them, my mom's pressuring me to get announcements out by the end of this week! sheesh! that means pictures online by the end of the day
kate said
i'm a little offended at the thought that the devices i need to see properly might be seen (hah) as making me look less dressed up. i don't wear contacts, i'm not getting Lasik before the wedding – i'll be wearing my glasses because I WEAR GLASSES. How is this about looking dressed down?
(kerith, by all means, if you're not happy with how it looks, adjust. but i don't think you should feel pressured into it by someone else saying it looks "wrong" in any way.)
Ariel said
Kate, I'm not sure Kerith was saying anyone was telling her glasses didn't look right — she was saying she felt like they "dressed down" her outfit, which I understand. If you wear the same frames every day, they start to feel like daily wear — like your favorite jeans. I don't think this is about anyone pressuring Kerith not to wear her glasses, but her trying to figure out how to make something she wears every day feel a little more fancy on her wedding day.
Joyful2 said
I have rather plain wire rims as well. I say wear them and do dramatic eyes – the nice thing about thin wire rims is that they allow for my eye makeup to take center stage.
Sarah said
Thank you for this post! I go with option number 1. I've had more people than I'd like asking me "are you going to wear your glasses?" I reply with, "of course–I have to see where I'm walking!" I think that if I wasn't wearing glasses specifically for the purpose of the wedding I'd feel like it wasn't *me* who was getting married. (besides, mine have dragonflies on them, which I love.)
Cate said
Emily,
What an incrediably lovely shot of the two of you. You are both so beutiful
scunshine said
here's one more for you
Chrissie said
Wow! You look incredible. If anything, I think your glasses help to make your eyes stand out even more.
amyrose said
I also wore my glasses for our September wedding. I did the white dress thing and was more worried about the veil or no-veil question than the wearing of my glasses… I know the glasses work, but how often do I sport a freakin' veil???
I'll admit that I had to get over the same feeling of "will I look too everyday?" and spent some time trying on each of my pairs of frames with the dress.
It came down to wanting to look like ME on my wedding day.
The other thing that made a difference is the eye makeup…. go big and bust out the false lashes! I told my make-up person I was wearing glasses and she amped it up accordingly… a little more intense color and some lashes made it all come together.
bardot said
i say option number 1 as well – it's definitely cheaper to just go with dramatic eye make up than to get new glasses! though option number 2 is a good way to get those crazy cat eyes you always wanted!!
i felt the same way as kerith – everyday glasses can feel dress down. so i had fake lashes put on for my wedding, and i felt totally fancy! the same goes with my bespectacled sisters / bridesmaids – nice make-up "dressed up" their glasses with their outfits.
Lily said
I think I'm going to rock option 2 as a good excuse to get some "fun" frames. My work glasses are nice and professionally understated, but I'd like a pair that are a little more flirty (for both the wedding and for when I'm not at work). My dress is going to be cream and gold colors so I think I'm going to look for some light tortoise shell cat eye frames
.
Liana said
Awesome post! Now all I have to worry about is how to dress up my prosthetic leg. Talk about daily wear… Ha!
Tammy said
I have to say I've been surprised by the amount of people that think wearing glasses to your wedding is unfashionable. In fact, when I showed one of my favorite pictures (of my best friend and her husband on the day of their handfasting), she made the comment "next time, tell them to take off their glasses."
The picture I showed her is the one on the front page of my site: http://tammyparneyphoto.googlepages.com
Personally, I love that they have their glasses on. It's a part of them and I think it certainly makes the picture more interesting. I love seeing photos of brides with glasses on.
)
Cara said
and another one….
(hope that works!)
I think she looks super cute and when glasses have become part of your look it can look really really odd if you don't wear them, I'm always slightly freaked out when my best friend wears contacts as I've know her with glasses since we were 12. She just doesn't look like her without them!
I love the idea of getting 'wedding' glasses, I would if I could afford them!
Jan said
Ok, mega-old comment, but I just have to reply: I think that is the most beautiful wedding dress I've ever seen! I don't know why, I'm just in love with it. And yes, they both look cute with the glasses. Lovely.
Leslie said
I wore glasses for my wedding in July. Can't see without them! I had a few people tell me how brave I was for doing that.
kerith said
hi! i am the original poster and am so happy to see so many people putting in their two cents! thank you for the photos!! to clarify, i don't think my concern about my glasses is related to fashion or pressure to look more like a conventional bride. i am considering wearing a flower behind my ear or a cute little flower net veil and don't want my (small) head to look cluttered. in the past, i've felt like my bespectacled face is too busy even with the addition of non-stud earrings.
i totally agree though, about being freaked out when i see people who usually wear glasses go without…it's like when i was little and my dad shaved his mustache! scary.
thanks for all the ideas — and thank you ariel for such a great site!
Tammy said
Cara — that picture is super cute! I love her dress too! It's absolutely stunning and elegant. I love the neckline and the way it drapes. Absolutely gorgeous.
Moonspun said
What a great variety of pictures. I wear glasses and just got new ones out of necessity after losing a pair. It never occured to me to worry about wearing them or not. I have to wear them and one thing that my fiance is adamant about it me looking like I look everyday. So no make up, which I never wear and no change in glasses. That's fine with me, it's easier!
Kat said
You know what- and this may sound funny- but I'm just so used to my glasses that I forget I even wear them. This issue had never even come up in my mind before this post! I'm fortunate enough that I can go without my glasses. I certainly wouldn't drive sans specs; or read for that matter; but I can walk around and be more than fine. I imagine I'll take them off for the ceremony, if only for the kiss shot, and wear them the rest of the day. But all I needed was one excuse to get 'dress up' frames and I'm off and running!
Lindsay said
I'll recommend Optical4Less.com, for those that want to buy eyeglasses for cheap, and don't mind that they're made in Hong Kong. I needed to get new glasses this year, and on my grad student stipend, I couldn't afford to get them from Lenscrafters or Walmart, etc. $48 for two pairs, including shipping, worked for me! I got one pair of boring frames and a second pair that's more stylish (I wear the stylish ones everyday!).
One Love photo said
I love all the photos people sent in! I think if you wear glasses EVERDAY of your life you should probably wear them on your wedding day. But I must say from a photographers point of view…there is that glare issue to deal with. Some glass is worse than others. I would test that out. If yo aways have glare in candid photos with your current glasses you may want to pick something else out for your wedding. Something with less glare!
Mary T said
I love the jek-in-the-box photos (the cat-eye lady); they invited friends to a surprise wedding, too! Before I got married I was 50/50 glasses and contacts, but decided to get Lasik since by the end of the day contacts made my eyes feel like dried-out grapes, and I didn't want to deal with it. I actually love not having to wear glasses, but I miss the *look* of wearing them! Especially now that I see these photos; they look so cool. Oh well…soon enough I'm going to need reading glasses! : )
Emily said
So happy about this post! I too have that little voice in my head that's all "you can't wear your GLASSES to an event with formal wear and professional photography!!" But, honestly, I think I look a hell of a lot better with my minimalist wire frames. If I went out and got contacts just for my wedding, I'd feel weird all day and be paranoid about my nose looking too big or the wrinkles under my eyes showing or whatever else that my glasses normally camouflage. No thanks!