When it comes to everyday fashion, I’m a huge fan of understated elegance. But when it comes to your wedding day, a little bit of pizzazz is called for. That’s why I love bridal couture—with it’s bold shapes, fanciful charm and divine details, it’s hard not to feel inspired by such gorgeous gowns!

I love how these Colleen Quen gowns use a blend of classic silhouettes with details that grab your attention without upstaging the bride.

According to an article posted this morning in the Wall Street Journal’s style section, the rocky economy has increasing numbers of brides throwing sentiment to the wind and selling their wedding gowns online at sites like Once Wed, Wore it Once and Encore Bridal.

This new craze means that there’s a plethora of used wedding gowns out there to choose from, including dresses from top-end designers like Vera Wang, Melissa Sweet and Nicole Miller—all for a price that’s almost too good to be true. You could snag this stunning Melissa Sweet dress for a mere $900 on OnceWed!

Would you consider buying a preowned dress to free up some wiggle room in your budget? Are you planning to sell your dress after your big day? What do you think about the used wedding dress craze?

As many fashionistas already know, New York’s fashion week just wrapped up on Friday, leaving fashion writers and style bloggers in a tizzy over the latest trends for Fall 2009. Wish you could have been there for all the glitz and glamour? Here’s a clip from the Claire Pettibone bridal couture show to make you feel like a part of the action. What do you think of the playful rock ‘n’ roll theme?