Marian Kihogo is a UK based celebrity personal stylist, fashion writer and fashion stylist. She is also the editor of eponymously named comprehensive fashion, beauty and culture weblog, mariankihogo.com. The site has sections on fashion & trends, catwalk, parties & industry events, features and interviews on the best in emerging and established creative talent, beauty, shopping and more.

When it comes to styling tips and techniques, brides can use all the help they can get! While many women focus mainly on finding the perfect dress, in reality it is more about the complete ensemble from head to toe as well as an overall coordinated look for the entire bridal party, and if anyone understands the importance of this it's fashion stylist Marian Kihogo. Marian has remarkable experience assisting brides, their bridal parties, respective families and guests to look amazing on their big day, and she took time from her busy schedule to answer a few questions for us!

Q: In  a sentence or two what advice would you give to brides-to-be

Marian: Your wedding is going to be the biggest production of your adult life. Darling if you’re going to do it at all, whatever the theme, make it fabulously stylish
 

Q: For all the modern brides out there, how would you interpret contemporary bridal wear
 

Marian: A modern non-traditional look; bridal wear with effortless relaxed lines. It is usually not custom made, fluid, more restrained in comparison to its traditional counterparts but no less stylish! A contemporary gown is perfect for the bride who wants a modern, refined, young and slightly more impulsive feel to her wedding. Times have changed and so have weddings! Women are more independent and individual. They want elegant restrained and chic weddings with minimal fuss. If you want to skip all the convention and the traditional bridal route, a contemporary wedding and gown that echoes this feel would be perfect for you.

Q: Which bridal designers would make it to your top five list and why?
 

Marian: Lanvin – These gowns are for the fashion forward bride.
Vera Wang – Utterly divine, utterly feminine but modern. No one gets that balance quite like Wang. Does she ever get it wrong bridal wise?
Vivienne Westwood –  She designed the gown Carrie Bradshaw wore to the 'never to be' wedding to Mr Big in SATC movie. Westwood's gowns make for a dramatic unapologetic bride.
Collette Dinnigan – This Australian designer just makes the most special and chic gowns.
Temperley – Stunning, effortless with gorgeous unexpected details
 
Q: Do brides really need a stylist?

 Marian: Well this is my take on it. Just because we all like fashion does not make us all experts at it ! A stylist much like a wedding planner, fine tunes every detail upgrading it from good to outstanding and since everyone comes to a wedding to see what the bride wore there is absolutely no excuse to look anything less than perfection.
A stylist ensures that the outfit works with the bride's personality, flatters her unique body proportions making her a stunning and memorable bride. Stylists also work on the bridal party too, this is such an important area that most brides get so wrong. They either leave their bridesmaids looking like horrors or the ‘maids end up looking better than the bride. I have been to a million weddings like this and most of the time the brides don’t feel their best as they don’t look it. Many of them result to having portrait studio shots done at a later date in a different gown. We hire the best in everything for the varying aspects for our weddings (from couture cake makers to the best in entertainment) but we forget the most important part, hiring an expert to make sure we look our very stylish best!
 

Below are some of gowns by Marian's favourite gown designers, to read more about her visit her site at mariankihogo.com  

Collette Dinnigan, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Lanvin, Temperley London

For more bridal articles by Abigail visit her page,read her blog or follow her on twitter