ALTAR EGOS

It’s still newsworthy when a couple exchanges vows in a I hot air balloon or a bride traipses down the aisle in a | topless gown, but most local wedding consultants will tell you that old traditions are still a part of today’s weddings.

“The Fifties were bananas,” says Terry Inman, a Dallas florist and thirty-year veteran of the city’s wedding scene. “Back then, everybody was doing something crazy for their wed dings. But these days, most are very traditional and romantic.”

Even though a majority of to day’s brides are already living with their fiances before the | wedding, says Sherry Reid, owner of Panache, a bridal boutique in Las Colinas, most still want big, traditional wed dings. Hot items are long, white Victorian gowns with lacy trains; most of Reid’s brides prefer “the Princess Di look” with lots of ruffles, beading, and sequins.

But not all brides want to walk down the aisle in typical fashion. Spanish designer Rigo Miranda of Designs Unlimited is seeing a new wave of brides. “They want strapless gowns, low backs, and real tight-fitting skirts. And a lot of them want to look sexy rather than demure or virginal at their weddings,” Miranda says his bridal designs have run the gamut, including a re- cent gown that had a voluminous, elaborately styled dress with a de- tachable train and removable outer layers that transformed into a straight-cut white evening gown for the reception. And he’s even done a few “semi-topless, se-quined things” for brides who wanted all eyes on them.

Couples who are more interested in things ethnic than eclectic might look up Alvina M. Renteria. Operating out of her husband’s tailor shop. Cliff Tailors and Re-Weaving, Renteria can create any type of ethnic wedding outfit as well as coordinate a couple’s wedding plans. She’s also an ordained interdenominational minister.