The Perfect Dress(es)

Are you still struggling with finding the spot on perfect dress for your girls? You know, a style that looks great on all their body types, is fun and flirty enough to really be worn again and that each and every one of your lovely ladies will fall in love with as much as your did. Fat chance and keep dreaming; or…

Look closely at that picture. Each dress is different with a couple of distinct common denominators: color, length, skin on top and dark hose. At first I thought that there wasn’t enough variation to make a difference but look closely at the skirt shapes. They range from really full and poofy to that sleek little number on the girl in the middle. The same goes for the necklines; they are all completely different to suit different figures. It is the flash of skin at the top and the dark hose under the shorter length that does the magic. Brilliant! Now tell me which one of your bridesmaid couldn’t use another flirty little black dress just suited to her style.

These are all from Bill Blass but I have every faith that you can take this concept and run with it across a multitude of price points. Hmmmmm, I think I may forward this to a few of the manufacturers I know.

Is This a Foreshadowing?

Friend of the Dish, Courtney Hammon has started sending her report on bridezilla’s wedding in Michigan. You may remember, this is the bride that insisted that her bridesmaids have hair extensions for their matching updos. I can’t wait to see the next installment. If this wedding saga begins with a bomb scare I just can’t imagine where it will go from here. I wait as anxiously as you for all the little details.

Thursday the 13^th My Big Travel Day

Since there are so many friends and family coming from across the country my husband and I had decided to arrive into the Detroit area a day before the big festivities were to kick off. My parents were already there and so was my sister and her family. The flight on Northwest was great and we landed in Detroit shortly after 10:00am. Now this is where the real story begins: the flight attendant tells us that there has been a security breech in the airport so we may come across some barricades on our way out. Being the good daughter I call my dad and tell him to not wait at our usual spot until I call but instead come all the way to the terminal as he may have some challenges with the “security breech” and all. Once we are off the plane we immediately notice the airport is not right!!! There is not a soul to be found?? They have evacuated the terminal. If you look out at the gates all you see are police cars and fire trucks. We make our way to the luggage escalator and we are greeted with 10 – 15 police officers who politely inform us we cannot leave! My father is now calling telling me he cannot get to the terminal as it is blocked off by police and news crews! (Some security breech!) After 30 minutes we are allowed to go and claim our luggage – it is than we find out it was a bomb threat. Dad has successfully made it to the terminal and we are on our way to the hotel!!! Only once we get a mile from the hotel traffic is in a dead stop??? It seems the bank across the street from the hotel is being robbed! Wow my brother and future sister in law sure know how to welcome their guests to the Detroit area.

Friday the 14^th Manicures Pedicures and Rehearsal

So the boys are all off golfing and I am to get my mom, sister, family neighbor and niece all to the salon in our matching pink shirts that the bride sent us to the spa. We make it there with little challenges other than learning what a Michigan left turn is! Upon arrival we see 15 ladies in their matching pink shirts sipping mimosa’s and enjoying the day together. The bride has gone from a size 10 to a size 2 and looks fabulous!! Leave it to my family that my 2 year old niece get’s her first manicure and pedicure! But she sure was cute!! I have one word to describe the rehearsal LONG maybe it’s because I see weddings every week or maybe it’s because it was my family and friends but just over a hour and a half was way to long for a 20 minute ceremony. The rehearsal dinner was lovely with all 80 people but it was great to have some time with the out of town family that we see so rarely.

Brides n’ Bumps

Well it is about time! It’s not that you necessarily planned on walking down the aisle with a bump behind your bouquet but, girl, these things do happen.

I have listened to my friends in the bridal fashion industry complain for years about how to size a gown for a bride with a rapidly growing tum. I have finally found a line of both wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses designed specifically for the mum-to-be.

Today’s women want to celebrate their pregnancy not hide it. The rest of the fashion industry learned this a few years back and began creating wonderful maternity wear and just now is bridal catching up. I say about time! This isn’t the 1950’s anymore.

Take a look at the beautiful looks available from Madeline Isaac-James Maternity Bridal.

Bridal Bling

Now you did not really think that I was going to be able to go to market and NOT check out a little bling did you? Especially not when there is Halo & Co to ohh over.

Once again I stood slack jawed gazing at all the shiny,sparkly pretties. As much as I love the tiaras and fascinator in the UK they just don’t seem to have a following in the states. As much as we love bling, we seem to draw the line at really amazing hair jewelry. That’s a shame. If you are going to do it…do it all the way!

The young lady modeling for me was just another shopper in love with Halo. She was trying to decide which one she wanted for her own wedding

The Halo & Company range is available through Kleinfeld in New York

Enzoani

Oh this collection just blew me away! If you love
cutting edge styles and wonderful fabrics then you
have to give Enzoani a look.As you can see from the images, the bead work in this collection is not your basic “beads on embroidery ; it ranges from beautiful flowers to large stones to light tracings on tulle over a layer of lace. Ahhhhhhh. The pictures say more than words ever could. Just wait until this collection hits the salons.

And Then There is Ian

I can not go to Harrogate with out checking out the always fab Ian Stuart. Named Bridal Designer of the year 4 years in a row, twice winner of the Debi Awards and a handful of various other awards, Ian is the darling of the UK bridal scene.

The biggest trend I saw this season is that it seems Ian has fallen head over heel for shark taffeta. A truly luxe Italian silk, it has an almost mat finish. He has paired it with sheers like organza and chiffon for some interesting textural effects.

As I did with all the designers I am showcasing this year, I asked Ian to pose with his favorite gown in the collection. This sexy little number is just gorgeous and I have to agree with his choice. I'd wear it in a heartbeat.

Available in the States at Kleinfelds in Manhattan, The Montclair Collection in Santa Monica, CA and the just arrived at Roma Sposa in Birmingham, MI

Cheers Ian.

J. Jennings Bridal Collection

I stumbled upon the fabulous designer Jason Jennings, J. Jennings Bridal Collection on Monday. Jason’s range is full of interesting lines and gorgeous fabrics. One of the hallmarks of his Spring/Summer 08 collection is bead encrusted cutwork lace. The gown Jason is holding is a good example, you get a taste of it in the straps but those straps fan out across the shoulders accentuating the cowl draped back. His gowns are not for the faint of heart, but if you have the figure to pull them of they are truly stunning. Oh, and Jason is a darling.

J. Jenning Bridal Collection is available in the U.S. at Kleinfelds.

Ritva Westenius

Ritva Westenius is the Grande Dame of British wedding couture. Celebrating 30 years of dressing the likes of Jane Seymour, Faye Dunaway and Jacklyn Smith she is not even slowing down. This year marks the launch of a new collection, Capital Bride which is being designed in conjunction with her amazing daughter Chenca.

Chenca, a former principal ballet dancer is the real story here. Her glamorously bubbly, high energy personality absolutely shines through every one of the pieces. From a stunning short gown with a bit of fifties inspiration to the Jane Austin inspired “Sense and Sensibility” each one is more red carpet worthy than the next. What really knocked me out are the gowns in the Capital Collection that whisper Hollywood. The gown Chenca is holding is named Fabulous, and rightly so, don’t you think? The gown on the hanger is “Bronte”.

Gowns from Ritva Westenius are available in the states at Pure English Couture Bridal House in Virginia Beach, VA.

Trend Watch/ Harrogate

The first trend to really pop out at me for Spring/ Summer 2008 is about the fabrics. There is an abundance of sheer fabric overlays done over a soft satin base. On some the base color is white or ivory with the overlay adding a bit of color but mostly it is the other way around. There are gowns with spun gold under and sheer white lace over, or a rosewood base with a sheer chiffon overlay. Quite often the overlays are embroidered or lightly beaded.

The other trend has to do with the hem lines. I saw several gowns yesterday with fuller A-line skirts that had outer layers getting progressively shorter revealing either beautiful laces underneath or heavier satins and taffetas in a tiered effect.

Big on the runway were pleats. Any thing pinch pleats was in. Used in the beautifully soft sheer fabrics being employed it was adding a very flowing fullness over a touch more fitted gown on up to the other extreme of fullness. All in all a soft romantic look.

Day One at Harrogate: Friends Moving Up

Today was about connecting with old friends.

Friend of the Dish, Leanne Stoiche has taken the leap of launching her own line, Tsarina Couture.Quiet sophistication says it all in a phrase. I know she is launching for Spring/Summer in the UK market but I don’t have any word on when she will hit the US. If you are interested drop me a line and I will let her know.

Another dear friend, Rani Totman and St Pucchi are showing for the first time at Harrogate. Lucky me! I got a sneak peek of the line almost two months before it launches in the US. All I can say is WOW! Of course if you have been reading the dish for a while you know that this is one line I just can’t be objective about, I love Rani’s work. End of story. I will have a full picture editorial after couture week in New York.

I also saw several new designers that I will get you more details and images for tomorrow. I also say the new range from Sophia Tolli, again, full details tomorrow.

Greetings from Harrogate.

Here I am taking the Dish on the road again. This time to the British Bridal Exhibition/Harrogate.
I'll get you some images of all the yummy new things I see. As always can't wait to see what pretty baubles Halo has come out with for next season. I'll also check out the new collections from Ian Stuart and the fab Jenny Packham.

If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss anything from this upcoming round of markets.

Tagged. I’m It.

In cleaning up some stuff to get ready to hit the road I realized that I still hadn’t responded to being tagged by Lara at A Softer Image. Sorry ‘bout that, Lara.

OK, in the spirit of the game here are eight random facts about your Wedding Diva.

1. I sailed competitively for 13 years and I would do it again in heartbeat if I had the time.
2. I’m a mint freak. At any given time you can find at least three different kinds of mints in my purse.
3. I collect coffee mugs. My current fav’s are the city specific ones from Starbucks.
4. I have had 2 weddings: one was a country club affair with all the trimmings and the other was in a city park in a Laura Ashley sun dress. (My mother and I fought over the right shoes both times. Grrrrr)
5. My bachelor’s degree is in Plant and Soil Science with a minor in design.

As Lara said I think everyone has already been tagged but I’ll give it a go.

David Wright

Heather Levine at the Knot

Rebecca at Weddex

Alice Hendry

Just testing the system before I hit the road

How to Alienate Your Vendors in Five Easy Steps

1. Only communicate with them through a third party: ie your mother. This ensures that the vendor is never really quite sure if she is doing what the bride actually wants or just what she has been told she wants,
2. Tell one vendor that your planner is ‘really’ uncomfortable working with them in hopes of cutting a better deal behind your planners back. I bet it didn’t occur to you that they had been working together for years before you showed and would be for years after you have gone.
3. Pop in unannounced on your cake designer in the middle of a Saturday, even though you have been told that your designer would be happy to schedule a tasting for you any day BUT Saturday. I am sure the brides expecting their wedding cake that day won’t mind if it’s late so the designer can take the time to meet with you and produce a tasting platter out of thin air. Wait, even better maybe you were hoping she could just cut up a couple of those wedding cakes so you could taste the real thing.
4. Spend four hours with a consultant and your planner going over every possible combination of linen, china and chair only to call up the next day and tell them you are going to use the standard hotel linen and china. I am sure your planner had nothing better to do than load half of the rental company’s showroom into her car and drag it to the hotel so you could see what it looks like in the ballroom.
5. Ignore the fact that the reason you make your final payment a week before the event is because there won’t be any changes past that point. I’m sure the catering staff won’t mind changing the menu the night before your event and why would they have a problem getting something from the wholesaler on the Saturday night of a three day weekend? I mean come on, grocery stores are open.

Can you tell I just got the rundown on the wedding from hell from a planner friend of mine? Considering the above he/she has asked to remain anonymous. I don’t blame him/her a bit.

What Not To Do

~sigh~ every now and then I wonder what planet some brides really live on.

I met my friend Courtney for lunch last week. Courtney has lovely shoulder length blond hair, or I should say did have. What she had on Friday were four hours worth of hair extensions. When I asked her about it she laughed and then almost cried at the general absurdity of the situation.

Courtney is in a wedding in 2 weeks and the bride has insisted that her bridesmaids have hair extensions put in so that they can all have the same updo! Excuse me, that’s excessive. My question was why so early? “So we have time to learn how to take care of them before the wedding” was Courtney’s dead panned response.

OK, come on. Can we all not clearly see the insanity in this? Is this bride even cognizant of what she is doing at this point? The bridesmaids were also required to have their gowns at the MoB’s house in Michigan 3 weeks before the wedding so that mom could make sure that the bustles were all identical and the bride could be reassured that they were there on the wedding day. Wonder if identical panties are required. They were allowed to choose their own shoes…as long as they were black strappy sandals with 3’’ heel. Hmmmmmm.

At what point do you just have to say enough is enough? Is it a wedding or a Busby Berkeley musical?

To add further insanity to the madness; Courtney is a first class wedding and event planner. She has worked all over the world for a client list that reads like a who’s who.

Her offer of coordinating the wedding as her gift was turned down.

Courtney has promised a full review upon her return, assuming she survives.