News, Tips & Offers delivered to your inbox.

Wedding dress designer Tamara Kristen believes elaborate decorations should take a backseat to the countours of a wedding gown.

Tamara Kristen, who has designed dresses under the Marisa label for 13 years, has developed a reputation for her understated elegance. Focusing on structure and fit, Kristen says she is not a fan of long, flowy sleeves on a wedding gown, which she says can make a dress look overdone. Instead, Kristen favors an “accented” sleeve, such as a cap sleeve, or a three-quarter-length style.

Tamara Kristen’s Style Secrets:

• For a modern, glamorous look on your big day, forgo a huge headpiece and choose a tiara that’s on the daintier side.
• If you’re working with a hairstylist, it’s fine to refer to pictures of models you admire, but make sure their hair type and face shape are similar to your own. That way, you’ll come out looking just as you’d hoped.
• There are many dress styles designed specifically to flatter a woman’s body. For example, to look taller and slimmer, try an empire gown, which creates long, lean lines. Halter V-necks also add length to a bride’s torso, and give her shoulders sexy dimension.