Why I Didn’t Wear a Strapless Wedding Dress

[crisipicada]

Why I Didn’t Wear a Strapless Wedding Dress
By: Kristen Clark

“I think I might cry,” I said to my mom as we exited yet another wedding dress store. “I thought this was supposed to be fun. We’ve been to every store in the city and I haven’t found anything close to what I need.”

“Hang there in honey,” my mom replied with a sympathetic smile. “It’s out there somewhere.”

The day was coming to an end and my dream dress was nowhere in sight. I felt completely exhausted from trying on dozens of dresses and re-explaining my “strange” modesty standards to skeptical sales ladies.

My heart sank into discouragement.
I felt a twinge of annoyance at my modesty convictions and, for a moment, wished they weren’t so “convicting.”

Some of you might be wondering why I would enforce such burdensome standards upon myself? I mean, seriously…your wedding is a special and unique day, right? Couldn’t I just loosen up a little and wear an elegant strapless dress like everyone else? Everyone wears them and it’s not a big deal, right?

Those are some really great questions, and ones I had to personally wrestle with. Was it really necessary to be so “modest?”

My grueling wedding dress hunt really put my modesty convictions to the test. I had to be pretty convinced that it was worth the hunt.

The truth is, deep down in my heart, I knew it was worth it.
As I thought back on all the reasons I had committed to dressing modestly, my heart became peaceful again and I felt a new wave of energy rush over me.

For me, dressing modestly was already a normal part of my everyday life. My reasons for choosing modesty over convenience were something I had come to understand and embrace years before my wedding day was ever in sight.

For me, as a Christian woman, dressing modestly went hand in hand with my understand of God. The more I learned about God the more I discovered how passionate He is about His name being honored (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

God is passionate about His children honoring Him with every area of our lives.
The Bible makes it clear that everything we do should be for the purpose of bringing God glory. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

For me, dressing modestly is rooted in that very purpose. I desire to bring God glory with my body and point others to Him. And because of that, I am intentional about my wardrobe.

When others look at me, I want them to be directed to my smiling face, my words, and my Savior – not my curves, thighs, and cleavage.

Modest clothing should be a reflection of a humble heart committed to honoring God.
I love how John MacArthur puts it:

“How does a woman discern the sometimes fine line between proper dress and dressing to be the center of attention? The answer starts in the intent of her heart. A woman should examine her motives and goals for the way she dresses. Is her intent to show the grace and beauty of womanhood?

Is it to reveal a humble heart devoted to worshipping God? Or is it to call attention to herself, and flaunt her…beauty? Or worse, to attempt to allure men sexually? A woman who focuses on worshipping God will consider carefully how she is dressed, because her heart will dictate her wardrobe and appearance.”

As the biggest day of my life was approaching (my wedding), I wanted God to be glorified and honored in every way. Zack and I both wanted our wedding ceremony to reflect the purity, holiness and splendor of Christ.

That is the biggest reason I was on the hunt for a modest wedding dress.
Sadly, in our American culture, weddings have become more like entertaining shows. The focus is becoming less and less about glorifying God, and more and more about the “Pinterest-to-die-for” display.

Even amongst Christians, the main focus isn’t so much about reflecting Christ as it is about showcasing the event.

However, as Albert Mohler points out, a wedding should be so much more:

“What we are aiming for in the worship service of a wedding is to demonstrate the glory of God in the coming together of a man and a woman in purity, in monogamy, and in faithfulness before Him; to be obedient to His commands and to receive all the good and the gifts that are involved in the covenant of marriage.”

Since a wedding ceremony is such a precious and sacred day, the focus to glorify God should be heightened, not diminished. Every aspect of the ceremony and reception should be thoughtfully planned – with Christ at the forefront of our minds.

This included the bridal gown and the bridesmaid dresses.
For me, a strapless wedding dress was too revealing and didn’t portray a modest appearance. I didn’t want my wedding dress (or my bridesmaid dresses) to be a distraction from the main focus of the ceremony. I wanted the attention on Christ.

On a side note, I have also heard from many Christian guys that low cut dresses, strapless dresses, etc. can be a temptation for them, so I wanted to dress in a way that would bless my brothers in Christ.

For me, dressing modestly on my wedding day was simply another way to glorify God.

Thankfully, my dress hunting story has a happy ending.
Right as I was about to call it a day, I decided to do one more google search for wedding stores. To my surprise, a bridal store popped up on my phone that I had never seen or heard of before. And it was only 5 minutes away from where I was!

My mom and I quickly drove over there and zoomed inside. The sales lady was so sweet and friendly and quickly showed me to their “gown room.” And guess what happened? The second dress I tried on was the most perfect dress I had ever worn! I FOUND MY DRESS.

It was modest, elegant, classy and gorgeous – and it fit me perfectly.
With excitement bursting from my heart, I ordered the dress, and praise God for His faithfulness (I’m wearing it in the picture above).

God blessed my desire to honor him with my clothing and He provided for all of my needs. As 1 Samuel 2:30 says, …”those who honor Me I will honor…”

Choose to bring glory to God in every area of life regardless of the cost.
For those of you haven’t walked the aisle yet, I challenge you to start thinking about how you can honor God with your special day. How can you dress in a way that is beautiful and elegant, yet also brings glory to God? How can you take purity and modesty into your wedding day?

For those of you who have already walked the aisle, this post is not intended to bash your wedding dress, it is to simply share my personal convictions and encourage future brides to think ahead.

For some inspiration on modest wedding dress ideas, check out our “Modest Wedding Dressing” Pinterest board here.

What do you think?

Have you dreamed about your future wedding? How much thought have you given to “glorifying God” with that special day?
Do you think it’s important to dress modestly on your wedding day? Why or why not?
When dreaming about a future wedding dress, keep these questions in mind: Will this dress appear “out of place” in a holy and worshipful wedding ceremony? Can I imagine myself standing before a pastor in this dress? Would I wear a dress this revealing to church on a normal Sunday?

[lyrehc]

Last year when my daughter is studying near our church..i and my fellow parent stayed in the church for past time..then one day there is a wedding and the bride wear this tube style wedding dress will it match the bride but when the wedding is about to start the priest lol at the bride and said find something to cover your body it is not appropriate to enter the church that way it is not allowed..all of us was shock then someone lend a blazer to the bride and it ruins her attire.

[angel]

Maybe some of the bride want it to be dress like tube wedding dress, spaghetti strap wedding dress whatever they like. maybe some conservative and maybe some are not but for me if you respect God you must dress properly and formal. For some actresses ive seen in television why some church allow it? like one of famous actress in showbiz here in philippines like toni gonzaga she wore a dress tube but no one notice it or even the priest question about the way she dress? Maybe because one of reason is fame? sometimes church must tell about do's and dont's for the ceremony.