So you're engaged to be married! There are so many plans to make, details to think of and the excitement of your coming marriage, it's enough to make your head spin! One essential ingredient of your wedding plans is your wedding dress. After all, it's likely there will be a lot of photos taken of you and your husband, both at the wedding and at your reception party. You'll of course want to look your most beautiful on this most beautiful day of your life.

Maybe you didn't see your beloved's proposal coming and are still in a state of shock. Nonetheless, you'll need to decide on the style of wedding dress you want and finally make a decision on “the” dress. With the bounty of wedding dresses to choose from, this can be an agonizing choice!

If you're the romantic type and adventurous of spirit, you should take a look at vintage wedding dresses. These days, the term “vintage” is applied to every decade more than thirty years old.

Look through the decades of fashion styles and see which you find most appealing. Each period has its own charm and grace, and vintage wedding dresses are available for each period of fashion. For example, the late 1930's and 1940's were days of elegance, with superior lines and embellishments that are still classics today. Bead work, satins, embroideries and elegance describe this period perfectly.

Grace Kelly embodied the chic of the 1950's, while Jacqueline Kennedy made fashion news with her unique Chanel-inspired style. Wedding dresses were part of each fashion period, and there is a vintage wedding dress to be found in each.

You can find vintage wedding dresses of the Victorian era in your local antique shop, as well as in online specialty shops. These vintage wedding dresses are typically in pristine condition, having only been worn once! Antique shops, both on and offline, are quite particular about their offerings, selling perfectly beautiful dresses in top condition.

Some of the oldest vintage wedding dresses may have faded from a pure white to a creamy color. If you find your dream vintage wedding dress has lost it's original brightness, ask the seller if the dress can be whitened without damaging the fabric. As a backup measure, consult with your dry cleaner before finalizing your purchase. Be prepared to give him the scoop on the fabric of the dress and embellishments.

A vintage wedding dress can be the most romantic of all wedding dress choices. Choose the fashion period you find most attractive, and take a look at what you'll find. You'll be the most beautiful bride on this, your most beautiful day.