FIRST PERSON
Why I’m Not
Wearing White BY ZOË RUDERM AN
was love at first sight—with my dress, that is. (For the record, it was “like” at first sight with my fiancé, Kris; love came a few months later.) When I first spotted the gown, it was about 1 a.m. on Oscars night and I was hard at work, sitting at my desk at People. The after-party photos were starting to come in and that's when I saw it: a gold gown with a flowing pleated skirt, thighgrazing slit and sculpted bodice. The dress was by Maria Lucia Hohan and the star wearing it was Kate Hudson. Everyone who’s ever covered red carpet fashion has an all-time favorite gown, and this metallic stunner immediately became mine. But love at first sight didn't mean I knew right away it would be the dress I wanted to wear down the aisle. That realization came years later, after getting engaged and going to a dozen bridal boutiques around New York City, leaving each one underwhelmed and disappointed. The sea of ivory dresses felt a little “one size fits all.” I wanted something different, something that felt like me. After what felt like my gazillionth Saturday spent staring at varying shades of white, I sent an email to Maria Lucia Hohan’s team mentioning Kate Hudson's dress, and soon I was emailing directly with Maria herself. During a trip to LA, I stopped by the showroom and put on the gown. I'd already tried on probably 50 or so wedding dresses, but this was the first time I had the urge to take photos. My friend Molly snapped a few and I spent much of the flight back to New York staring at them. Ultimately, Maria and I decided to make a few minor tweaks: a slightly less high-cut slit (I envisioned a gust of wind in the middle of the ceremony and all the guests getting a look at my “something-new-and-blue” underwear), no sheer panels at the sides, and a rose-gold-meets-copper color rather than straight-up gold. Some of our wedding guests know to expect a nontraditional dress, but like the saleswomen at the bridal shops I visited, I have a feeling their idea of nontraditional doesn't involve a metallic red carpet dress that a fashion-risk-taking celeb once wore. Though I can't imagine they’ll be shocked considering nearly every
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The bride, shopping for a headpiece in her custom Maria Lucia Hohan dress.
KATE’S DRESS VS. ZOË’S Kate Hudson’s 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party dress featured cutouts and high slits. Zoë made the gown her own, skipping the panels and side slits and swapping Kate’s gold-silvery hue for something more romantic.
other aspect of our Italy nuptials bucks convention: no bridal party (or shower or bachelorette) and dinner followed by dancing at, not a restaurant or catering hall, but the town’s sole discoteca. While Kris doesn't know any details about the dress, I did tell him the color—mostly because I was so excited, I couldn't keep it to myself. (He was into it, especially after I eased his concerns of, “How will people know you're the bride?”) I recently tried on the gown again during a visit to Jennifer Behr's studio where I test-drove headpieces for the walk down the aisle. I couldn't stop beaming. Instinctively, I hummed the “Wedding March” to myself. “Here comes the bride, all dressed in white” may have a better ring to it, but “Here comes the bride, all dressed in rose gold meets copper” feels much more me. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Zoë Ruderman is the executive director of content strategy at People. She was married on June 23, 2017, in Positano, Italy.
FROM TOP: COURTESY OF RUDERMAN; GETTY IMAGES
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6/19/17 12:28 PM