A Truly Southern Wedding Lunch

Saturday proved to be a lovely event, the Nashville Lifestyles Wedding Luncheon at the Hermitage Hotel. I work at the Hermitage Hotel so often that the place, unbelievably beautiful as it is, has become somewhat old hat to yours truly. What joy to be a guest this time! Nashville’s beautiful brides were mixing and mingling over champagne in the grand lobby. I was there with friends Courtney Hammons and Patti Corn. Courtney was kind enough to get me a seat at the very last minute and what a seat it was.

I was privileged to spend lunch chatting over chicken and white wine with the speaker, nationally know wedding planner Tara Guerard. If you are not familiar with Tara, check out her book Southern Weddings. She is the undisputed queen of Southern charm and style when it comes to weddings. A stickler for details her slide show was a delight showing all the tiny bits and pieces it takes to take a wedding from pretty to stunning. Tara has promised me a one on one interview
once she gets back to Charleston.

B. Hughes Bridal and Formal was one of the sponsors. Karen Kaforey had some of her gorgeous couture gown adoring models that graced the lobby. They just floated about and decorated the space. I must confess that I kept having the urge to run after them and bustle their gowns since that job inevitably falls to me when I stage with a wedding planner.

As far as the vendors go, there were only a few and nothing really stood out in my mind. The day really was all about Tara Guerard and the pure splendor that is the Hermitage Hotel.

Southern Weddings

Hide the Bride

There just are not words...

Oh wait, didn't someone say something about tulleolopes?

See the complete story here.

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.

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.

Getting the Gown

I had to post a bit about the bride’s look from last weekend. Andrea wore a strapless Romona Keveza gown with a sweetheart neckline and a ruched bodice. Karen Kaforey over at b.Hughes Bridal and Formal tells me that Andrea chose her gown at a past trunk show which had Keveza herself in attendance. Apparently the designer was so taken with our bride that she personally recommended some changes to the gown to enhance the bride’s already lovely figure. Now how cool is that! I told you trunk shows were a must do on your list.

On another note, I love the bouquet Vicki designed.

Images courtesy of David Wright Photography; you can view more from Andrea’s portrait session on his blog.

Is The Strapless Gown Finally Fading?

What joy! How refreshing! Finally a collection that had a variety of necklines. The designs for next season from 2Be Brides are all over the board on necklines. There are halter tops and Sabrina necklines, High necks with beading and deep plunging V’s. There are cap sleeves and long sleeves.

Then there is the beading! I spent a day at market this spring with Leanne Stoiche the wonderful woman that designed most of the beadwork for this line. She then went to the factories in China to make sure that what she envisioned was want was produced. It is beautiful and her efforts show. One of the new gowns has over 18,000 beads. If you look closely at the gown with the green beading you will see a perfectly executed claddagh at the neckline.

And then of course you know me, if there was bling to be found I would find it. Nora from Erica Koesler brought her line into town to garnish the models with veils, jewelry and headpieces. True to form, yours truly looked smashing in a borrowed pearl and Swarovski headband for last night’s dinner. Thank you Nora.

Glamour, What Glamour?

So you had the misbegotten notion that everything to do with the bridal industry was glamorous, did you? It’s not. The work that goes on just to get gowns to this point is a ton of work. The designers stand back stage having done all they could. Now it is up to whether or not the buyers like it. If they don’t you will never get to see it and all their labors of love will have been for nothing. Its amazing the power the buyers have when you think about it. I’ll have shots of the gowns for you tomorrow. They are beautiful.

Wedding Dish Goes To The Bridal Market

I’m taking the Dish on the road again. First I’m going to National Bridal Market in Chicago. I love this event. This is when the designers and manufacturers do their launch for the Fall 07. High on my “To Do” list is the launch of the Sophia Tolli range. The preview pictures I have seen are stunning. I will have as much information for you as I can get. Sadly, since I’m ‘new media’ and don’t carry a press pass from one of the heavy hitter print mags some of the big designers can be a little stingy about letting me photograph. Sigh.

Next up will be tracking the trends in jewelry and accessories. Friend of the Wedding Dish, Amanda Jaron still has her hands full following the recent launch of her sterling silver line on HSN so she won’t be there. I do plan on connecting with both Tiger Lilly and Haute Bride. Their designs are always cutting edge.

As always I’ll be on the look out for anything new and interesting on the bridal front. Of course I will be blogging from the road so be sure and add Wedding Dish to you blog reader. I just love market season!

Trunk Shows

I see a lot of chatter on the forums about Trunk Shows. I thought it was time to give you the inside story on this.

Trunk Shows are a marketing tool that is used by both the designer and the bridal salons. A bridal salon will contact a designer to come to their salon with their entire collection. In some cases the designer themselves will come but most likely their sales rep will do it. It is usually a one-day event that requires an appointment. Think of it as your personal private showing.

What’s in it for you, the bride? For on thing you get to see all the gowns in that line for the current season, which isn’t true any other time. Bridal salons have to buy their sample gowns and there are not any that can afford to buy an entire line. Most only buy the minimum required to stock the line. So if you like a specific designer this is a great opportunity to see what all they have.

The other cool thing about a trunk show is having someone there from the company that knows the line and it’s policies inside and out. I wrote a while back about being able to make changes on gowns when you order then; these are the people that can answer your questions. So if you love the cut of a particular gown but want less beading, now is the time to find out if that is a possibility. Designers and their reps love seeing happy brides and will sometimes bend the rules a little to make that that happen.

There are some salons that also offer a discount or throw in some freebies like slip or veil if you order at a trunk show. Not all of them do it, so please don’t go in and say something silly like “But the Wedding Diva said so.” Still it is worth inquiring.

The best way to find a trunk show for a specific line is to visit their website. There should be a listing of all upcoming trunk shows. They are pretty well publicized; no point in taking the show on the road if no one shows up! It is worth your while to drive a little to see a trunk show for a designer you really like. When I go to market I see some gorgeous gowns that you will never see in the magazines and that the shops don’t want to bet on. There was one Reem that I fell in love with last spring that I still haven’t seen anywhere. It would be at a trunk show.

If you haven’t really found a line you love yet then check with all the local salons in your area to see what shows they have coming up. They are only going to go to the trouble and expense to bring in a line that is hot in their area. No one knows the taste of your local market better than the local salons.

Check out at least one trunk show before you buy a your gown. You will have your eyes opened to the possibilities. Besides, it’s fun.