This dress is certainly saying something about marriage,” D’Ambrosio says during a June 17 media tour of the exhibit, “and this is wedding dresses what this exhibition is about—how wedding dresses have evolved over time.”

Imparting a human touch to the dresses is a wall of wedding photographs—brides in their gown or couples after the nuptials—both color and black-and-white.

“You could sponsor a dress for $250,” Schmidt explains, “and submit a wedding photo of your choice.” Schmidt made sure his parents’ wedding photo made the cut: “Having these photos here really gives validity to the exhibition.” Stroll along the corridor for a happy intermission from the couture in the surrounding studios.

But you won’t linger long, as these dresses will call to you. wedding dresses In the “I could never afford that!” category stand designer gowns from the likes of Vera Wang, Geof frey Beene, Christian Dior and the man considered the father of haute couture, Charles Frederick Worth, who is credited with inventing the oh-so-flattering bustle. “Worth very much considered himself an artist,” says Amneus of the designer who worked in Paris in the mid-19th century. “This is a very important piece because it was worn by a Cincinnati woman and we know from that piece that women from Cincinnati were going to Paris as early as the 1860s to have dresses made there.”

Sharon said: 'The model first communion dresses goes through a lot during a project like this. First, she's wearing nothing but a wedding dress so her body temperature rapidly decreases, making it difficult for her to keep a natural look and to hold her breath during the shots.

'Secondly, she isn't wearing a mask and so her communication with the divers around her is very limited.

'In fact, the only diver she can really communicate with is her air provider, who is the only one close enough for her to see.

'The model has to hold her breath for quite long periods, which becomes more difficult the more time she spends underwater and the lower her body temperature gets.

'And, as if that's not enough, she's also tied with weights to the maternity wedding dresses bottom of the sea, which doesn't add much to her sense of confidence. Great trust and magnificent water skills are required in order for a model to remain calm in such a setting.'

Underwater shoots pose a significant danger to the models and the divers so each stage had to be meticulously planned with people on standby with emergency tanks of air at all times.

Whilst I am quite happy to have a go at inserting myself into a tube of eye-poppingly tight industrial-strength elastic in order to slink my way into a room, there is a cynical side of me that feels that all the excess flesh that has mysteriously appeared over the last 20 years can't just vanish and will no doubt reappear, possibly in a type of flesh frill round my cleavage and knees.

I have come to the conclusion that perhaps the answer to the '90s wedding dilemma is an exuberant hat; after all, I can be discount flower girl dresses pretty certain that my head is the same circumference as it was in 1991 without recourse to breath-inhibiting undergarments.