St. Regis Influencer: Fashion and style consultant Lauren Santo Domingo
Lauren Santo Domingo is a contributing editor at Vogue and the co-founder of online fashion retailer Moda Operandi. Lauren and her incredible eye for fashion has made her one of the 100 most influential people in New Yorker’s of the past 25 years by the New York Observer. Her opinion matters in the fashion world, which includes expert advice on everything bridal. Exclusively for St. Regis, Lauren has answered some questions that arise in wedding planning.
Should a bride’s dress match the venue?
“Before one even begins looking for a dress, consider the tone of the event. At any event, the hostess sets the tone of the evening, and a bride and her dress even more so. I was once told that the wedding gown should fit the size of the room: a large cathedral or ballroom requires a large, full dress. And vice versa. Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey is a great example of one. Carolyn Bessette’s wisp of a dress in a quiet, rural ceremony was a great example of the other.”
How can I ensure that logistics don’t compromise my dream wedding?
“It wasn’t realistic to fly peonies, my favorite flower, to the wedding venue in Cartagena, Colombia, so I asked my designer to individually sew them onto the 60 meters of jacquard silk that made up my gown. There are ways to work around every bride’s vision, while keeping a playful tone.”
What if something goes wrong on the day?
“A friend, designer Olivier Theyskens, made my dress, and we had some confusion about the climate in Cartagena, where I was getting married – possibly a simple mix-up between Celsius and Fahrenheit, or perhaps he didn’t believe my pleas about the temperature, but both of my dresses were better suited for cooler weather. The heat became too much to bear, so we cut my feathered after-party dress just above the knee for the reception. There will always be a solution to any glitch, so enjoy your big day.”