Your flower girl will feel like a princess

Flower girls are adorable, there’s no doubt about it. But it can be hard deciding what they should wear on your wedding day. Smitherman & Barnwell dresses are the perfect choice. No only are they beautiful, but they are made with lush fabrics imported from Italy that the designer selects herself. They come in a multitude of styles and colors and are sure to have something that fits with your wedding.

For more information check out their website at www.smithermanandbarnwell.com or contact Vo in Client Services directly at 212.201.1309.

Best,

Julie

Trick of the Trade: Cure for a Wilted Veil

Hi Ladies,

One of my clients recently asked me what to do if her veil was a little wilted on the day of her wedding. A great tip that I learned over the years is using a hairdryer if you need to fluff up or take a few wrinkles out. Just put the dryer on warm, hold it a good distance away from the veil (so it doesn’t burn), and give it a quick blow. That should bring the shape back. If it still looks a little wrinkled, use a steamer and that will take care of it in a flash!

Best,

Julie

Fall Collection Preview: Carolina Herrera

Next up on the fall previews is Carolina Herrera. Her collection always exudes classic elegance and grace, and this season was no exception. I thought this was one of her best collections ever, as she incorporated details such as detachable skirts and hand painted fabrics. My favorite pieces from the collection are these two:

I love this dress because it is so classic and yet so different at the same time. I think it is brilliant the way she interchanges taffeta and organza to give a light-as-air striped effect. This would be great on a petite bride as it would elongate her. And the strapless fan bodice is accented with a ribbon and detail that give it just the right finishing touch. Just beautiful!

This dress was an instant favorite with me because of the unusual pattern in the taffeta. The blush and ivory pattern gives the impression of a very subtle leopard print which is striking. And the beading and embroidery on this dress is drop-dead gorgeous in a delicate flower pattern.

Both of these dresses, and the rest of the collection, are absolutely stunning, and unbelievably original!!!

Best,

Julie

Trick of the Trade: Buttoning your Dress

Hi Ladies,

If your dress has buttons and loops down the back covering the zipper, be forewarned…they can be very hard to button. On my own wedding day, six years ago, I didn’t know that and it took us 20 minutes (and a junior bridesmaid with very small fingers) to button three sparkly buttons. This can be frustrating and stressful on your wedding day. Since then, I’ve learned a trick to avoid the problem completely…use a crochet needle to secure the loop around the button. It works like a charm. And on a day when every moment counts, it will save you a ton of time!

Best,

Julie

Tip of the Week: Breaking in your Shoes

There are few things I hate more than breaking in a new pair of shoes. I just bought the cutest pair of heels on an end of season sale, and yesterday I wore them for the first time. Oh the agony! When am I going to learn to not wear a pair of new shoes when I will be out all day?!?!

Let this be a lesson to all of you…break in your wedding shoes before you wear them! They obviously require some special handling since they are more easily stained and scuffed, but you can take these steps to a pain free wedding day!

1) Before you begin, put masking tape on the bottom of the shoe to avoid scuffing the sole incase you decide to return them.

2) Walk around the house in them for at least an hour at a time, and make sure you wear them the same way as on your wedding day (stockings, barefoot etc.) so you can get a true sense for how they feel.

3) Remember, you’ll be on your feet all day and they will swell. In anticipation, you may want to stretch your shoes a little wearing a medium weight sock with them around the house.

4) Include in your wedding day emergency kit moleskin, baby powder, and extra foot cushioning (see Foot petals).

Good luck and happy stepping!

Best,

Julie

Fall Collections Preview: Amsale

As the fall collections are arriving in stores, I thought I would go through some of the highlights from them for you.

The first up is Amsale. I have to admit, I’ve always been a fan of her clean and classic designs. I love how Amsale brides look modern and sophisticated without being over done. The fall 2007 collection continued these traditions and did not disappoint.

My two favorite dresses from the collection are:

I love this dress because it’s chic, modern and vintage all at the same time. I feel like we could have seen Jackie Kennedy attending a black tie event in this dress. The shape is great, and as long as you’re not very busty, it will most likely be flattering on your figure.

This one I love because it has clean lines and simplicity in the design while still being feminine. This dress is a great canvas for many different types of accessories which can transform it into different looks. I can see being beautiful it on a beach in Nantucket, and also in a ballroom in New York.

Best,

Julie

Steaming vs. ironing: which is better?

Ladies, hopefully you won’t have to deal with this on your wedding day. But just in case we posed the question of steaming vs. ironing your dress to our expert Sally Lorensen Conant, who owns the larges gown preservation service in New England. Here is her response:

It all depends upon the fabric. In general, the best way to remove wrinkles is a combination of heat, steam, and pressure. This is why crisp weaves such as mikado and taffeta look better when they are pressed with an iron. Soft weaves such as chiffon and crepe, on the other hand, respond well to steam only and do not require the weight of an iron to smooth the fabric.

However, sometimes the style of the gown prevents the use of an iron. For example, an ordinary iron does not fit into the “pickups” or “poufs” that are currently so popular, and steaming is very nearly the only way to work with this fashion.

Thanks for the tip Sally! We appreciate the advice!

For more information on gown treatment and preservation, please visit Sally’s website at www.gownrestoration.com

Best,

Julie

Renting Jewels for your Big Day

As I was catching up on last week’s papers, I came across a great article in The Wall Street Journal on renting jewelry: http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118661263001392292.html. The article outlines four companies that rent real and costume jewelry, much of which can be worn for your wedding day.

I’ve been a longtime fan of the idea of renting jewels for your wedding day. In fact, I tried to do it 6 years ago when I was getting married, but these companies weren’t around yet. After putting so much time and money into my dress, I didn’t want to wear costume jewelry. I wanted something real. (I ended up wearing my mother’s pearls as my something borrowed.)

Over the years, many of my clients have rented jewelry through local companies in New York, but I didn’t know that there are online companies doing it, until I read this article.

Check it out…it might be just the thing for you.

Best,

Julie

Would you wear a colored wedding dress?

I’ve been thinking lately about color…and that if I could do it over again (to the same man, of course!) I just might wear a blush pink gown instead of ivory. And the truth is that I’m pretty traditional type of girl, so this surprises me.

In the last few years many designers have sprinkled their collections with a dress or two in full color. I never really grabbed onto it, until now. The more I think about it, there is something that I love in the idea of breaking with the tradition of white; of selecting a shade that really flatters your complexion; of looking different than most brides.

The gown featured above was one of my favorites from the April collections. It’s by Melissa Sweet and is made out of silk satin in the palest shade of green. It’s absolutely stunning and shimmered as she walked down the runway. I used it in a photo shoot I recently did, and it looked gorgeous. I’ve come to the conclusion that the ivory dress does not make the bride a bride. Sometimes a little color can be just the right thing.

What do you think about wearing a colored wedding dress? Have you already purchased one? Tell me your thoughts on the topic.

Best,

Julie

Photo by Meagan Camp

Orient Expressed for the Kids

If you’re having a casual wedding, and are looking for really cute outfits for your flower girl and ring bearers, look no further than Orient Expressed. They are known for their traditional look, and many of their pieces can be monogrammed. These little outfits will have the kids in your wedding going down the aisle in style!

For more information, check out their website: www.orientexpressed.com. And if you are in the NY/NJ area you can view the collection at a trunk show Aug 14th to 18th in Ocean NJ. Contact Lindsay at lindsay@lindsaymann.com or (732) 775-6136.

Best,

Julie

Tips for wearing real flowers in your hair

Lately, many of my clients are opting to wear real flowers in their hair instead of a more formal headpiece. I have to admit that I love this look. I think there are few things more beautiful than a warm weather bride with an orchid in her hair. But this isn’t the easiest thing to pull off, so I thought I would give you a few tips to make sure it works for you.

The first tip is to have the florist attach a little vial of water to the end of the stem that will keep the flower looking fresh. If you don’t have that, the flower will definitely wilt and brown in the heat.

The second tip is to make sure that you have two or three extra flowers on hand. Have them kept in a cool place (a refrigerator is possible), so you can replace them through out the night. Even flowers that have a vial of water will start to look less than perfect if it’s been bumped into (think about all of those hugs of congratulations you will be getting!).

And the last tip is to make sure that one of your bridesmaids watches the hairdresser as they place it in your hair the first time. Have them explain how to replace it without messing up the entire hairdo.

Do you have any questions about how to wear this look? Let me know, I want to hear from you!

Best,

Julie

A Trick for a HOT Wedding Day

I’m sitting here at the beach, on a 95 degree day in New York, and I’m thinking about all the brides getting married during the dog days of summer. There is a trick that I’ve learned after doing many photo shoots in hot climates that will help prevent your wedding dress from sticking to you when it’s hot and humid out.

Before you put on your dress, sprinkle baby powder in your hands and rub in anywhere your that dress will come into direct contact with your skin. It will allow the fabric glide over rather than stick to you. And keep it with you in your handbag, as you may have to reapply as the night wears on.

Have you found any great tricks for combating the heat? Let us know, we want to hear!

Best,

Julie

How to treat a wrinkled dress, Part I

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, wrinkles happen. It’s not a big deal if its your work suit…you pull out the iron and get them out. But what happens if it’s your wedding day? How do you treat your wedding dress so that the wrinkles are gone, but you don’t damage it?

To answer this for you, I called in the best, Sally Lorensen Conant. Sally, who owns the larges gown preservation service in New England and is a textile consultant to museums and historical societies, is an expert in how to treat a wedding dress.

What advice do you give to your brides if their dress is wrinkled on the wedding day before they put it on?
I hope they have looked at their dresses before the day of the wedding as that is a little late to solve the wrinkle problem without making themselves completely crazy! If there is time, a bride can always try hanging the dress in the bathroom, turning the shower to hot, closing the door, and letting the room fill with steam. Using a clothes steamer is quicker and more reliable, but she should be careful to cover the head of the steamer with a towel or a SteamerSock to absorb any splatters that might make spots on water-sensitive fabrics such as silk or rayon. Still another option is professional pressing. There are cleaners who specialize in gowns, and many will deliver the gown the day of the wedding.

How do you prevent the wrinkles in the first place?
Most bridal shops stuff the gown with tissue to minimize wrinkling before it goes into the garment bag—the larger the bag the better. For really large gowns, two fitted double-bed-size sheets are useful because they can be pinned together to make a very loose cover that will not wrinkle the gown. If a bride is traveling with a gown, it may have to be put into a box, and tissue should be used to buffer every fold. Again, the more tissue the better.

Thanks so much Sally! We appreciate your great tips that will help our brides stay wrinkle-free and calm on their wedding day!

For more information, please visit Sally’s website at www.gownrestoration.com

Do you have a specific question on how to care for your dress? I want to hear from you!

Best,

Julie