photograph by my friend wedding guest, Robin Dini

I came across bonzie and instantly fell in love with their style. I knew I wanted something to change my look from ceremony to reception and their rococco antique stained tulle wrap was perfect! bonzie is an independant fashion designer located in Ireland. They often using “upcycled clothing, thrifted trinkets and vintage inspired fabric in an artful blend of tattered chic neo-victorian, steampunk and deconstructed elements!” bonzie is best known for their bridal and fashion bolero’s, wraps, jackets, corsets, and skirts (yes, skirts!!)

Here are some of my new favorites from their collection… they are definitely for the bride who wants to bring a fun fashion element to her bridal look. Be daring!

Today I discovered some new beautiful pieces at jcrew while looking for a new dress to wear to an upcoming wedding that I am a guest at.

Silk gazar Channing gown… I love the black ribbon! Although I think it could be accentuated even better with something by Emerson made.

Silk dupioni rosette gown

Gwen dress… has jcrew heeded my call for a short wedding dress? Kind of, but not really. This will have to do! I love this. It’s very winter to me with the layers of chiffon, organza and soft French tulle, and a hand-stitched collage of glass beads, sequins and feathers. But for $2,000 you’d have to bury me in it.

strapless silk taffeta Gracen dress, slub silk Betty dress, and confetti flapper dress…. I love these options for your maids!

and last but not least, my favorite accessories! Love the shoes, but love the jewels more. I don’t really like a heavy shoe with a bridal gown so there wasn’t much to choose from with fall on the horizon.

Happy shopping!

The other day I was cruising etsy.com to be inspired or find something we might need for our wedding. I love etsy because it supports local and national small businesses, artists, and craftsman and in my book, those are the best businesses to buy from!

I realized that I didn’t have a hankie to carry with me down the aisle. Neither of my grandmothers had hankies to loan and my mother didn’t have anything either, so I decided to purchase my own heirloom. I came across this really beautiful hankie from Brass Paper Clip which specialized in vintage items for brides. They have so many cute vintage purses, gloves, hankies, flowers…. heaven! I purchased a beautiful Schiffli Lace hankie and received it yesterday. The one thing that I absolutely love about most etsy.com‘s shops is how personable and detail-minded the owners are — just look at how she packaged the hankie that I bought!

One of my favorite fashion icons, Dita Von Teese, has launched a new 40’s & 50’s inspired lingerie line through Wonder Bra. Can you say Old Hollywood Glamour? I can’t wait to see the rest of the line — no doubt they are going to be nothing short of sexy and sassy. You can purchase them soon through ASOS.com

I’m sure no one is surprised that I have a long love affair with the Crew. The fact that I couldn’t even do this post without tossing some items into my shopping cart is pretty bad! Their bridal line is one of my absolute favorites — everything from the gowns to the party dresses — I love them all! I was really excited to hear that the company is tossing around the idea of opening up their first bridal boutique in Manhattan. Dreamy!

Here are some of my favorite J. Crew bridal gowns. Even if you are going for a more traditional gown, these would make fabulous after party dresses (but I happen to think they should be center stage)

 
 
 

A gown post is long overdue here on the blog and I thought I’d lead with some romantic and whimsical gowns. We are definitely seeing a prominent nod to romantic weddings this year in color, style, and fabric. Are you planning a romantic / whimsically inspired wedding? My interpretation of a romantic / whimsical dress is a bit of blush color to the fabric, ruffles, chiffon, organza, lace, flowers and bows.

Lela Rose Wedding Collection
Style: The Rose Garden

Claire Pettibone
Style: Kaelyn

Claire Pettibone
Style: Alexandra

La Fleur by Anne Barge
Style: LF 183

Melissa Sweet
Style: Katya

Melissa Sweet
Style: Dora

Claire Pettibone Exclusively for Kleinfeld
Style: Contact Designer

A few months back I stumbled upon a fabulous wedding gown in Wedding Gowns Magazine. It was form fitting, draped with amazing lace and super romantic — my kinda gown! I went to the designers website and was then introduced to the incredibly talented Heidi Elnora Standridge, a true Southern lady with a rich, gorgeous style and a load of talent. She is based out of her home state of Alabama in Birmingham, creating amazing couture gowns for brides all over the country. I didn’t know it at the time, but she was on a little show called Project Runway (season two), which must have provided her with a ton of opportunities. She took those opportunities and really followed her dream, which leads us to where we are today! Not only are her gowns amazing, but her story is too, which really inspires me as a young female entrepreneur.

I had to find out where a bride in Connecticut could try on a heidi elnora dress, so I decided to email the designer. Much to my delight she and I struck up a great conversation and I invited her to do a Q&A session for the Connecticut Wedding Blog. She also just recently launched a beautiful new website which features her new 2009 line. It is simply amazing and I have a few highlights after the Q&A. If I hadn’t already fallen in love with my own gown, I would have easily flown down to her studio to meet with her about one of these. They are exquisite. I feel like a Connecticut boutique simply must carry her gowns! In addition to the new website, she is also opening a new bridal gallery in Atlanta, scheduled to debut in the Spring of 2009.

As a fashion designer, what led you to designing bridal gowns?
Love.

Prior to Project Runway, I designed children’s clothing for Carter’s in Atlanta. As I was driving back to Carter’s one afternoon, I was struck by a drunk driver. My mom, a nurse, came to my rescue and brought me home to Alabama to take care of me. While I was recovering, I met a young man. Eight months later, I put in my 2 weeks’ notice and moved back to Alabama. This is where heidi elnora was conceived. I wanted to be a bride. I wanted to design something a client would never forget– something that would be cherished, something that could be passed down from generation to generation, something that would always be special. What is more special than a wedding gown?

Where do you draw inspiration for your designs?
Inspiration comes from everything and anything. My family and friends inspire me. Noticeably each dress has a first and middle name. Each dress is named after a special woman in my life. When designing, I will take certain aspects from my inspiration’s life, her story, and use that to create her gown.

What is the process of creating a heidi elnora gown, whether couture or a ready-made design?
The couture process starts with an initial consultation. At the consultation, I ask the bride questions about her wedding, about how she has always envisioned herself, and about her overall theme or feel. From there I begin sketching. I usually sketch out the final gown at the first consultation. After the initial sketch, we take detailed measurements. The detailed measurements are used to create her custom patterns. The custom patterns are then used to create a muslin gown. The muslin gown is used for the basic dress fitting and then the final dress fitting follows.

A ready-made design can be bought off the rack. We will make small changes to the design by request. A ready-made gown can be ordered over the phone and does not require an initial consultation; yet consultations are encouraged to ensure the perfect dress for the bride.

How would you classify the style of a heidi elnora gown and what adjectives would you use to describe them?
The adjective would be timeless. I would classify the style of the gowns as “timeless gowns with classic lines and fine attention to detail.”

Besides the gown, what do you feel is the second most important “piece” to a bride’s look?
The second most important piece to a bride’s look would be a tie between her veil/headpiece and her flowers. They both are needed to finish the look. They are just as important as shoes and handbags are to the perfect little black dress.

What piece of advice do you give to a bride on shopping for her wedding gown?
Take your time and don’t settle. This is the most important gown you will ever wear. It should be PERFECT. It should be everything you imagined it to be and more.

What do you think is one of the biggest mistakes brides make when shopping or choosing a gown?
The biggest mistake a bride can make is choosing “the look” over “the fit.” A model in a magazine is going to look amazing in the ad. That is why the model was chosen. Sometimes brides think they will look the same. Not all styles are good for all brides. The bride should find a gown that flatters her body type and then create the look from there by adding lace or other details that reflect the initial look.

How can Connecticut and New England brides purchase a heidi elnora gown?
Brides from all over the country fly to Alabama to have a custom gown created exclusively for them.

Brides can also visit our site www.heidielnora.com to view the collection. If there is a gown that they are interested in, we can work with a local bridal salon to have the gown shipped to the salon for the bride to try on.

When a bride leaves after her emotional final fitting, taking your creation with her, it must be an incredible feeling knowing that you are such an intimate element in her wedding day. What is that like for you?
It’s AMAZING. By the time the dress is finished, the bride and I have become friends. I usually end up attending the wedding and crying with the Mom. It’s truly a proud moment for all of us.

heidi elnora Spring 2009

Are they not amazing? I am in love with every square inch of each of them. I love all the detailing and the ultra feminine, vintage feeling that they exude. Be sure to visit Heidi’s fabulous new website! She has also started a journal which I will be an avid reader of indefinitely. A thousand thank yous to Heidi for being so generous with her time to answer our questions. We are so inspired by her story!

On Wednesday I attended The Wedding Salon in Manhattan and while there, I met the lovely ladies behind Adorn Brides. I hadn’t heard of the company before our meet and greet, but the concept behind the company has been around for awhile. Adorn Brides lends fabulous jewels to brides for their wedding day and they are the only company I know of that deals exclusively in wedding jewelry rental. Their collection is gorgeous and I got to try on one of their $20,000 vintage diamond bracelets! The representatives of Adorn also mentioned that they do buy specialty pieces for brides and are not limited to their current inventory. Isn’t that fabulous? They do carry a wide variety of styles but I love that they will purchase jewelry on a brides behalf.

There has been so much press and buzz surrounding them, too. They’ve been in Grace Ormonde’s Wedding Style Magazine, InStyle Weddings, Inside Weddings, and on The View!

They offer a generous program for Jubilee brides where they can receive very special promotional offers.

In case you don’t know: the planner is planning a wedding! Yes, it is a bit unusual and not the way things tend to work in my industry. I am a planner turned bride and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I haven’t divulged any details of my own nuptials yet and will probably refrain from posting a lot of them. This blog isn’t about me it is about you, the reader, but I simply had to share the impetus for my wedding design. As every designer knows all it takes is one singular thought, object, color, or emotion to start the ball rolling on a design scheme. For me, it was this shoe. It was love at first shoe.

Originally I had big plans for me feet. And in big I mean Christian Louboutin. I had conceded that I would wear a ridiculously overpriced shoe and spend a month’s mortgage payment just to wear it. I didn’t need much convincing but I can assure you that my fiancée was not swayed by the beauty or prestige of a red sole! I was determined, that is, until I met Plath by Natalie Portman. Never in all my days have I met a shoe so very me. But as I said, I had already started to court another pair, and my love for Natalie and her beautiful purple shoe would be mulled over and over for weeks and weeks.

Finally, I was ready for a commitment. The shoe had a life of its own and it had started to dictate my color scheme, centerpiece design, linen choice, and the direction I wanted to go with my gown. The shoe had become my muse! I signed on to Te Casan, the website where my limited edition beauty lived. And to my horror: SOLD OUT. Not just in my size, but EVERY size. Apparently when they say limited edition they mean limited edition! How could I have let this happen? How could I design a wedding around a shoe and NOT wear it on my wedding day! I really became very upset. That is, until I emailed the staff at Te Casan and inquired about the availability of the shoe. Did they have any left, just one pair, in my very popular size of 8 ½? I figured it was a lost cause and in the meantime, cruised ebay for any sign of Natalie and her beautiful shoe. Nothing – and why should there be? Who in their right mind would sell this shoe!

The very next day I got an email on my blackberry while I was meeting with a client. They just so happened to have a pair in my size! I couldn’t dial the number fast enough (after my client meeting was over, of course). They were such a pleasure to work with and I want to thank Bernadette for her help in getting this shoe. It really meant a lot to me to be able to wear it and I received it just in time for my appointment at The White Dress by the Shore!

And now, I present to you, my wedding shoe: