Wedding Dress Spotlight: Carmela Sutera

Designer Carmela Sutera has confidence, experience and a sophisticated style which translates beautifully into all of her delicate bridal gowns.

We met her in New York, where she showed us her favorite dresses for Spring 2010 and shared some insights for brides-to-be!

Sutera has been designing bridal wear since the 1980s -- and admitted she actually fell into it by accident! At the time, she explained, most wedding dresses were "dowdy and drab," and the bride was almost always completely covered. Little by little, she changed all that, creating new looks that were fashionable and freeing. Thank goodness!

Sutera also famously designed the dress that Stephanie Seymour wore in the Guns N' Roses video, November Rain. The veteran designer says it is extremely important when shopping for dresses to "learn yourself!" Know what looks flatter your figure. "Study yourself," she revealed. "Brides may really think they are going to be someone else on their wedding day, but they aren't."

Here are some standouts from her Spring 2010 Line:

Another testament to Sutera's talent is the very long shelf life and "timeless" factor her dresses all share. "We can make the same dress for five years," she explained. "We never discontinue something that is doing well."

At the end of the day, Sutera says what is most important is that the dress looks pretty and fits perfectly. "If it doesn't fit properly, the dress has no value."