It’s Mosquito Season

Its time again for beautiful weather and that means outdoor weddings. Are you expecting some uninvited guests? I have recommended for as long as I have been writing about weddings that you consider some kind of bug control at any outdoor event.

As a gracious host it falls to you to see to the comfort of your guests. Let’s face it, how much fun are they going to have if they are being eaten alive by bugs. I can picture it now: just as you are about to say I Do, your loving fiancé reaches over and kills the mosquito on your arm. Lovely.

If the venue you are using doesn’t already treat for mosquitoes or if you are having it at a private home there is an answer. Last night I met the “mosquito guy”. Ken Melnick is the local franchisee for Mosquito Squad. Ken tell me that they come out the day before your event and treat with a barrier spray. By the time of your event you have a location that is free from the disease carrying critters.

I don’t know if it’s the greenest thing you can do but sometime you have to weigh the benefits. West Nile virus or have your property sprayed the day before.

If they aren’t in your area yet they will be soon.

“we should have PARTIES for ALL our leaps of faith!”

the above headline is shamelessly stolen from a post on this blog which was pointed out to me by the wonderful blog Offbeat Bride.

Summer, the original poster was lamenting how she felt she had to feel guilty about wanting to have a beautiful wedding with all the bells and whistles. All the negativity and admonitions not to “Go Bridezilla” had her hiding her excitement at marrying the man she was so obviously head over heels in love with. How sad.

If you read the entire post you can see that Summer sums up exactly why we celebrate weddings with the people we love around us: Marriage is the ultimate leap of faith.

Sometimes I think that the media has so flooded our conscience with the stunning, the spectacular, the amazing wedding vision that much of our culture has lost sight of why we have wedding celebrations in the first place. Today brides are pressured to choose between hosting a spectacle or turning their back on everything ‘weddingish’ and going indie. That is making the entire process about the appearance, not the reason behind it.

Ultimately a wedding is a chance to celebrate your leap of faith; a time for your family and friend to gather around you and support your choice. In some small way your guests are pledging to help you both stand strong in your leap and to cheer your courage. Now if that isn’t a reason to get excited about throwing a party, I don’t know what is.

Alterations

I had an interesting discussion with a client today about alterations. In trying to figure out how to present some copy on alterations we began to wonder just what brides think really goes into altering a wedding gown. How much work does it take? How much skill does it require?

I do know what goes into it; on both the high end and the low end and I will be happy to share that with anyone. That is- anyone that first tells me what they think it takes.

Help me out. If you would pass this along to your friends I would really appreciate it. Newlyweds are welcome to join the discussion. Respond by leaving a comment here or by emailing me through my website,
Think Like a Bride

Thanks so much and wait until you hear the truth on this one. It will boggle your mind.

Ah Yes. And Then There was Disney.

Sunday night had several hundred buyers and members of the press waiting an hour for this much anticipated show to start. The Disney Princess Collection by Kirstie Kelly has been being buzzed about for months. The premise is to have an established designer create for Disney a line of Bridal gowns inspired by the Disney princesses. So what was the verdict? They were wedding gowns, nothing to shout about. It wasn’t that they weren’t beautiful, they were; but they did not begin to approach the hype. What did stand out in my mind was the taste they gave us of the yet to be released Maidens line. These were unique, beautiful social occasion gowns. The short ones would easily go for weddings or a cocktail party. The long one would certainly stand for a formal event. I look forward to seeing the rest of the collection.

St Pucchi and Romona Keveza

After a quick lunch to catch up with some friends from the UK its up to do an informal viewing of the St. Pucchi collection. I am never sure which I look forward to more getting to see Rani and Tarsame or getting to Ohh and Ah over the gowns. It is proper etiquette to remain the passive observer at these things. There is just something about St. Pucchi that leaves me with all the self restraint of a child; I gush like a kid watching fireworks on the 4th of July. If you are a bride that is not afraid of being the center of attention, not undone by sheer exuberant opulence then this is the only collection you need to see. From ethereal a-lines to jubilant ball gowns everyone is more stunning than the next. The fabrics are luxe and the beading beyond compare.

Another trip up the elevator and we were at Romona Keveza’s suite. True to her style the gowns were studies in simple elegance with just the right touch to make them pop. There is one gown that was simple and chic with only a thin black velvet ribbon to set it off; until you saw the back! From the top to the hem was a perfect row of tiny black velvet buttons. Perfect. The fabrics are always a hallmark of couture and this line is no different. There were beautiful French silk taffetas, French alencon lace and Italian silk satins that would feel amazing on.

Be sure to check Enchanted Brides to see what Tony has posted today.

The Beginning of a Very Busy Day

I guess the only way to report on all the doings from yesterday is to just take them in order.

The day started of with Justina McCaffrey’s new collection, Angelica Paradisium. True to her signature, the collection was all about the lines and the fabric; each gown more exquisite than the next.. The highlight of the show was the last model to hit the runway: Justina herself, on point in her gown, Sistina. That’s her in the image above. She is as beautiful as her gowns. My favorite was Cassia; deep v neck with spaghetti straps with a wonderful sheer shimmery overlay on the billowy skirt. Quite the eye catcher.

A quick dash from the Flatotel in the pouring rain to the new 5th Avenue digs of Reem Acra. Lots of silk taffeta and silk satin. Not as much emphasis on embroidery as in years past. Color was brought in velvet ribbon detail and silk and velvet flowers. Silhouettes ranged from sheaths to ballgowns with billowy overflowing hems.

Another quick dash through the rain to the Milk Gallery (thank you Bruce) for the Monique Lhuiller show. Monique’s collection was all about lightness and air. Lots of twisted frayed silk tulles and organza. Tiered shirts, a recurring theme this market, were very well done in this collection. Missing was her usually abundance of lace.

Then it was back to the Waldorf to take in a seminar and visit old friends. I had to laugh when I went to visit TigerLilly. I was raving about how all their pieces did double duty: tiaras turn into necklaces, bun covers convert to bracelets and NOW jeweled headbands become purse handles. I was saying what a great value that makes and they just looked at me and said” That’s because we Think Like A Bride! No wonder I love these girls.

That puts us up to lunch!

Sunday In The Rain

We had breakfast with Justina and Bruce was at the curb…it must be Sunday.

If you have been reading the Dish for a while you know that for the press, Sunday morning always starts with a very tony buffet at the Justina McCaffery Runway and because of the days schedule, we make sure that we hire a car and driver. I have seen seven collections today. I am going to have to wait until the exhaustion induced fog in my brain clears to really tell you about it.

I did want to post a link for you though. My traveling companion, Tony Williams, publisher of Enchanted Brides is posting the photos EB’s photographer has taken to his website. He, like I, is running on exhaustion, so he is only posting a couple of teasers while we are on the road. Look for a more complete posting later next week.

I promise a full report tomorrow morning, schedule allowing. And all the Dish..teehee!

New York Market is, well, New York Market

I have been here for just over four hours and have already seen three wonderful, very different collections. We hit the ground running, literally. The first show of the day was Badgley Mischka. All the usually suspects were there; the Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings and Grace Ormond. The real story is the gowns, the hallmark of this collection was the beautiful delicate beading. Every bit of embroidery, beading and crystal work was as delicate as a whisper. One of the few gowns that wasn’t embellished with this stunning beadwork was a slip dress of Morocain silk crepe with a matching bolero. The two pieces together were a triumph of understated sophistication.

We dashed across town to Amsale’s flagship salon to see the press only show for the Kenneth Poole line. Austin Scarlett (yes from Project Runway) has come of age as a designer. This collection also uses a good bit of beading, but here it was notable for it’s contrast. Scarlet used a lot of subtle color variation to great success. The absolute stunner of the collection is “Bottecelli” a strapless ball gown in tulle with beautifully embroidered scallops each perfectly graduated from the row above. Too gorgeous! Even with all that embroidery it still had the feeling of being light as a feather.

At Michelle Roth we were treated to the witty antics of her brother Henry Weinreich. What I wouldn’t give for his energy! The collection was beautiful and very traditional. The slender tiered gowns were the best of the lot. Delicate crystal pleats were everywhere.

I’ll get a report on the Amsale show for you a bit later.

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