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Archive for the ‘Bridesmaids’ Category

A Conversation with Chris Kole of The Cotton Bride

Categories: Beauty & Fashion, Bride, Bridesmaids February 3, 2010 / Emily Machernis

THE DRESS. Where do I even start? Well, let me first say that whether you have imagined every aspect of your dress since you were little, or if you are simply waiting for inspiration to hit, you have to check out dresses by The Cotton Bride. Feminine and romantic, The Cotton Bride takes natural fabrics and creates couture dresses that made any bride look absolutely fabulous. Here is a lovely conversation I had with Chris Kole, designer and creative director, of The Cotton Bride. Be sure to feast your eyes on all of the beautiful dresses at the DC CWC Bridal Show!

Brides look into all sorts of styles and materials to find the dress that is perfect for them- So… why cotton??

My original intention was to create a collection of airy, easy-to-wear, comfortable bridal gowns which I felt was missing in the market. As I started researching fabrics, I kept finding all kinds of different cotton fabrics that felt amazing and looked incredible.

By the time I was actually ready to start designing the collection, the vast majority of the fabrics I had chosen were either 100% cotton or cotton blends. Even though the collection includes silk and linen dresses, I thought it was only appropriate to name the collection by its most featured fabric.

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How does The Cotton Bride distinguish itself from other couture bridal collections?

On an obvious level, it distinguishes itself through its choice of fabrics, laces and even beadwork. On a less obvious level, most other couture bridal collections are named after the designer him/herself whereas I decided against. It was very important to me that the name itself be part of the collections image.

In a few words, how would you describe the essence of Cotton Bride bridal gowns? Where can our readers find them?

Unassuming, unaffected, natural, down to earth but always very feminine, very fluid and very romantic.

Starting this month, the collection will be available exclusively through the LIC Bridal Studio in New York City. The Studio is part of our design and production facility and it allows us the opportunity to house every gown in the collection under one roof. It also allows us to work directly with the brides themselves and offer them near-wholesale prices.

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Indulge our readers- what are a few new styles, fabrics, or silhouettes that you will amaze us with at the DCCWC Bridal Show?

This is the first season we showed gowns which have zip-off skirts that allow the dress to be worn as a long gown or a short cocktail. We also used many new laces that we had not used in prior seasons including a French Strip Cotton lace and a Rosebush Cotton Lace both of which are exquisite.

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Zip-off skirts to convert your dress from gown to cocktail style??? Amazing!! I cannot wait to see this! And in case you need another reason to attend the DC Couture Wedding Consortium Event at the Decatur House this Saturday, you might win a gorgeous $2,500 gown by The Cotton Bride!

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Robin Fisher of Polished Image and Style

Categories: Beauty & Fashion, Bride, Bridesmaids February 1, 2010 / Emily Machernis

As promised, our DC Couture Wedding Consortium (DC CWC) vendor interview series starts today! We are off to an amazing and EXTREMELY fashionable start with Robin Fisher of Polished Image and Style.  A fashionista from a young age, Robin takes her skills and your tastes to reinvent your image…

When did you discover that you had such a talent for style and personal transformation? How did you create your business and become a successful style consultant?

It all actually started very early. My grandmother owned a high end vintage store in San Francisco, and this began my exposure to fashion and styles all over the country where I began developing my own eye for fashion and individual expression.

Seven years ago a close friend told me they wanted to pay me to shop for them because they loved my personal style and when we shopped together she was always more happy with what I selected for her then what she did. I took her up on her offer and within six months others started to hear about me and the next thing I knew I had clients!

At that point I had been working in the fashion industry for fifteen years in numerous positions that spanned from technical designer, international production manager, department store buyer, and product planning and marketing manager.  I always knew I would start my own company, and when I was ready I went to London to train with the best and then started my company.

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Read the rest of this entry.

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Bridesmaids Bouquet Creation

Categories: Bridesmaids, Flowers, Planning & Ideas September 29, 2009 / Devon Pearce

Although I always prefer to highlight the amazing talents of DC vendors, the gorgeous DC venues, and all of the District’s most creative real weddings, after being on the “other side” as a bride myself, there are a few things I learned along the way.  

This first idea tops my list of recommendations…

I’m not sure how to begin, as I really don’t remember where this idea originated.  But I have to say, this was one of the most memorable parts of the weekend.  

One day it just hit me.  I wanted to do something special with my bridesmaids before my wedding.  Most of the girls are creative, and all of them like to have a good time.  I personally love flowers and have always wanted to learn more about arranging them.  Why not have a little bouquet creation class, so the girls can hand-pick and design their bridesmaid bouquets?

So that’s what we did.  We had a bridesmaids bouquet outing on Friday morning, the day before the wedding.  It was a surprise for all of the girls — they had no idea where we were going or what was planned until we arrived at the florist’s studio.  Which, by the way, was in the middle of the Virginia countryside.  It was simply beautiful.

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Each of the girls was given a large vase of flowers from which to create their bouquet.  Shawn Cossette, the amazing talent behind Beehive Events (and the florist extraordinaire behind our Rehearsal Dinner and Wedding), lead our bouquet class.

She first taught us how to shape roses — how to open up the petals so they become “fluffier.”  Then we learned how to wrap orchids around a wire stem.

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Photographer Sarah Cramer was on hand to capture the careful pruning, pulling, wrapping, and arranging…

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Oh, how I love these women.  The finished products were simply perfect. 

And my, what flower-arranging skills they have!

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Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

Categories: Bridesmaids May 15, 2009 / Lyndsay Smoak

Your bridesmaids are your closest friends and family… your sister, your college roommate, your childhood playmate and your sorority sister. 

Because you could not imagine getting married without them by your side, you want to ask them to be a bridesmaid in your wedding.  If you can, it is thoughtful to ask your friends and family to be a bridesmaid in a special and creative way.  They will all love the fact that you took the time to ask them to be a bridesmaid! 

 bridesmaids-whitebox-weddings1Photo: Whitebox Weddings

 

Here are some of my favorite “Will you be my Bridesmaid?” ideas…

A photo book is a wonderful way to ask a friend to be your bridesmaid.  On websites such as Shutterfly, you can easily create a small photo book and fill the pages with pictures of the two of you.  On the last page of the book, simply write “Will you be my Bridesmaid?”.  (Small photobooks on Shutterfly are only $16.99!)

Photo books are an amazing way to let your friends know how much you value their friendship!  Additionally, they are wonderful and memorable keepsakes for your friends! 

 bridesmaids-whitebox-weddings-3Photo: Whitebox Weddings

 

If you and your bridesmaids live in different states or different countries, it is a lovely gesture to send them a card asking them to be your bridesmaid.  A card is a great way to express the significance of your friendship, to share special memories and to let them know that you would be honored for them to stand by your side on your wedding day.  Look at these cute cards…

 bridesmaids-cardsPhoto: The Knot; WeddingStand

 

Another great idea for out of town bridesmaids is to create a care package filled with exciting goodies.  Who doesn’t love getting a package in the mail?!?  The theme of the package could be …He popped the question, now it is my turn… “Will you be my Bridesmaid?”.  In the package, you could include a ring pop, a “Will you be my Bridesmaid?” cookie, photos of the two of you, etc.  Look at these cute cookies… 

 

 bridesmaids-cookiesPhotos: Weddingish

 

If your bridesmaids are in town, you could host a dinner to ask them all to be your bridesmaids!  Pop the bubbly and celebrate the fun that you will all share!

There are so many other creative ways to ask your bridesmaids to be in your wedding… What are your favorites? 

 

bridesmaid-card-2Photo: Etsy 

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Insight & Advice from Leigh Ann of Hitched

Categories: Bridesmaids April 29, 2009 / Devon Pearce

Oh, the bridesmaid dress dilemma.  Should each lady wear the same dress, shoes, and jewelry?  Do you choose a color and let your girls pick the dress?  Today, we welcome Leigh Ann, one of the most knowledgeable (and friendly!) bridal consultants in D.C.  Leigh Ann is one of the lovely ladies at Hitched, one of our favorite bridal salons.  She’s here to offer her insight and advice on finding the perfect bridesmaid dress.  Welcome, Leigh Ann!

We were so excited when our good friend, Devon, asked us to guest blog about bridesmaid dresses! Picking out frocks for your bridesmaids can seem like a bit of a daunting task. Luckily, gone are the trends of poufy sleeves and frilly lace collars! Nowadays, there are tons of chic, fashion-friendly options out there that will compliment the personalities of you and your best gals, as well as your overall wedding vision.


simple-silhouettes-2Dresses: Simple Silhouettes; Dresses available at Hitched

 

One of the first things that you should consider is whether or not all of your girls will be wearing matching dresses, or if there will be a variety of styles or colors among them. Keeping the dresses consistent between your maids may be the simplest option (and a great option if you’re in a time crunch!), but these days many companies make it easy to maintain a cohesive look while giving the girls different style choices. At Hitched, we love the idea of having a little bit of variation between the dresses that each bridesmaid will wear on your big day!

 

ae-clarissa-silhouettes Dresses: AE Clarissa silhouettes: Anna Elyse dresses; Collection available to purchase at Hitched

 

If you decide to head in that direction, you’ll still need to do a little bit of decision making on the front end. A good place to start is to focus in on a company that carries styles and fabrics that you like. Once you’ve chosen a color (or range of colors), decide how free you’re going to let your ladies be with their choices. For instance, are there only certain styles that you want to allow the girls to choose from? Sometimes it’s helpful to narrow it down to 2 or 3 options that you find pretty (and figure flattering), just so that your girls don’t feel overwhelmed. 


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Dresses: Lela Rose; Available at Hitched

Keep in mind that if you’re letting your girls choose their dresses with little or no guidance from you, you’ll need to be a bit open minded about the end result. For instance, if 5 of your 6 girls choose to wear strapless, will it bother you that the 6th gal will stand out from the bunch? If not, great! Letting each girl’s personality shine through will ensure that she’s happy and comfortable. But don’t forget– these gals are your bridesmaids for a reason, and they truly want you to be happy with the end result. So, if the idea of such asymmetry makes your head spin, then let your girls know that ahead of time and help steer them towards the styles that you think compliment each other best.

 

threadDresses: Thread; Available to order at Hitched for a limited time

 

Nervous about ordering dresses for girls who are not at all centrally located? Don’t stress! Since many DC brides have bridesmaids all over the country, most of our orders at Hitched include gals who never end up coming into the store. The main reason that it’s important to order all of the dresses in one place is because it ensures that all of the dresses will be cut from the same dye lot of fabric. It’s also comforting to know that all of your dresses will be coming to the same location, making it easier for you to keep track of your order status. At Hitched, it’s pretty simple– we email you forms and size charts for your non-local ladies to use (giving them the option to have the dress shipped to them directly), and then they fax everything back into us. It’s often helpful to give your girls a deadline for ordering, but other than that, the work is pretty much out of your hands at this point!

Just remember that selecting your bridesmaid dresses should be as fun and stress-free as possible. Happy shopping!

Hitched is located at 1523 Wisconsin Ave. NW in historic Georgetown. For information on our bridal or bridesmaid designers, please visit our website at www.hitchedsalon.com. To make an appointment, please contact us at 202-333-6162 or info@hitchedsalon.com.

 

Thanks, Leigh Ann!  She is so fabulous…and very popular!  On Monday, Leigh Ann shared her bridal gown shopping tips on Ritzy Bee!  For more of Leigh Ann’s oh-so-helpful advice, check out her guest blog on Ritzy Bee!  

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