Jenna Bush’s Wedding

I don’t know if it’s all the politics I have been watching lately or the fact that the wedding is less than two weeks away, but I decided to pull together as many of the details of the up coming event in Crawford.

Yes, that’s right Crawford, TX is the site chosen by the couple. The First couple will be hosting an outdoor tented wedding at their home in Crawford. “I was raised in Texas and it just felt right,” Bush, 26, said of holding the festivities in the Lone Star State rather than the White House, according to The Washington Post, citing the upcoming issue of Vogue.

The 200 guests will attend an outdoor ceremony at 7:30 to avoid the Texas heat, then will retire to a seated dinner and dancing under the tent.

“It means a lot to Henry and me to be outdoors,” she’s quoted as saying. “We wanted something organic and low key.”

In keeping with the outdoor, Texas, organic theme, hotter than hot designer Lela Rose is creating knee length crinkle silk chiffon dresses. The 14 “house party” dresses are dotted with a hand done rosette and an antique silver sash. Each of the dresses will be a different color inspired by Texas wild flowers ranging from bluebonnet blue to a shade of Indian Paint Brush red. For Jenna’s twin, maid of honor Barbara, Rose has designed a moonstone blue silk shimmer soft long gown with a fluted open back. It will have the same sash as the “house party” to tie it all together.

The bride will wear a custom gown by Oscar de la Renta, long a favorite of not just Jenna but a slew of White House residents before her. Miss Bush describes the gown as a very structured organza gown with embroidery and a bit of matte beading and a bit of a train.

No news of what Mrs. Bush will wear. It is said that she and Jenna have done all the planning on the wedding themselves rather than hire a wedding planner.

The engagement ring features a round diamond, an heirloom of her fiancé Henry Hager’s family, and two sapphires.

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Terri Hilferty and 2 Be Brides

What a weekend! Dear, dear friend of the Dish Terri Hilferty was in town this weekend and what fun we had. Terri is the designer behind the 2Be Brides line and was in town to showcase her designs at a Trunk Show at Arzelle’s.

On Friday night after a long afternoon of finding just the right gown for the brides at Arzelle’s, Courtney Hammon and I showed off Nashville to Terri and her hubs David. Terri is such a big fan of Nashville that she is having the national meeting of her 2Be Salons here this summer.

Saturday I headed down to see the samples for the Fall 2008 collection myself. Oh my! Such pretty lace and stunning embroidery. One gown in particular just blew me away, in oyster and ivory with triple bands of ribbon and the most beautiful beaded sheer fabric layered over the top. It won my heart; not that I will need a wedding gown in the foreseeable future but still it was so yummy. Even Arzelle’s owner Bonnie Boone tried to get me to try it on. Another favorite is the all lace gown that Terri is helping a bride with in the collage below. I wish you could see the back, the dress itself is cut a bit low in back but the lace goes to the neck making a very pretty look.

For those that don’t know, 2Be is a private line that is only sold through a select group of some of the best salons in the country. Terri gets together with her salons twice a year to find out exactly what their brides are looking for and designs accordingly. So you see, this line really is designed with the bride in mind. To take a look at the full collection or find the salon nearest you check out the 2Be website. While your there sign up for their newsletter; you may just find the writing familiar. Wink.

edited to add: For my UK readers I believe the line is called Serafina over there. It is handled through Mon Cheri.

World Heaviest Wedding Gown

In another installment of the “What Planet Are These People Living On” thread I bring you this from the UK courtesy of Bridal Wave. (Is it just me or does this stuff always come from the UK?)

At 425 pounds, this is thought to be the heaviest wedding gown on record. My question is why would you? According to the original story in The Daily Mail the dress had 30 layers of fabric, a 60ft train and 30,000 crystals. Created by Nico’s Dressmakers, in Liverpool, England it tipped that other scale at just over $31,000.! Again I ask, on what planet are these people living?

The diminutive 16 year old bride topped out at 5’3” and according to published reports spent most of her reception seated due the weight of this monstrosity. Because of the weight of the train it reportedly took 10 of her friends to PUSH her up the aisle.

Ok, why? Why not get a gown you could actually move in? How I would love to see the video of this. You devotees of YouTube please keep your eyes peeled and let me know if it turns up. I want to see them push this up the aisle.

Shout Out to Modern Bride

I want to give a very public shout out to the folks at Conde Nast.

I just received the December 2007 issue of Modern Bride and I was blown away by the photo editorial on page 76; “Four Dresses Under $900”. I have been saying for practically forever that there are gorgeous gowns at all price points but you wouldn’t know it to read the bridal magazines. If the only information you have is what you see in these books you are left to believe that wedding gowns start at around $2000. That is so not true! There really is a gown for every budget, just go to the salons and look. Well finally somebody gets it. Thank you Conde Nast for listening

What you don’t know is the part that the Dish may or may not have played in this. Last July your Wedding Diva had a rather public discussion with a representative from Conde Nast at a conference in Philadelphia. As he stood there presenting the survey of the American Bridal market that the publisher produces every year I just couldn’t hold my tongue any longer. When the slide stating that the mean purchase price of a wedding gown in America is $1296 I asked why that was NEVER reflected in the gowns chosen for editorial. Suffice it to say that by the time this little discussion was over I had the microphone and everyone at the conference knew where I and the salons in attendance stood.

Every now and then when you protest loudly enough somebody hears you.

If Its Sunday Then It Must Be Nuts

Of course it was. Sunday was a blur.

We started with the Gala show at the Waldorf, them Reem Acra, Monique Lhuillier, Pricilla of Boston then Claire Pettibone and finally Junko Yoshioka. In between I took time to visit with friends at Tigerlilly, Veil Trends, Kelly Chase and Mon Cheri.

Let me start by giving you two trends that have carried through all three markets. First and most important is a return to soft romantic gowns in soft sheer fabrics layered one over another to add texture and dimension. You can still find heavily structured bodices in some of the collection, notably Pricilla of Boston and Reem Acra but even they had some soft lovely layered gowns.

Look for shoes to take on greater importance as the gowns lose structure. Quite a few gowns with shortened hems, anywhere from the ankle to the knee, showed up in the collection. If this catches on it may become a real option for the bride not bent on being a princess for the day.

The one thing that I notice when I come to couture market is the fabrics. Brides always ask me why some gowns are so much more expensive than others. The answer is the fabrics. You can almost always find a gown in a similar style in another lower priced line than the top designers. What set these gowns apart is the sumptuous fabrics. These fabrics scream out to be touched; they drape better and hang more beautifully. When you go gown shopping look at some of the high end gowns in person; photos don’t tell the whole story. Go to the salons and touch them, look at the way they reflect light differently, take note of the way they fall. Our Grandmothers knew the difference; I think it is high time that this generation learned.

Another mark of a top end gown is the quality of the beading and embroidery. The patterns are matched perfectly, the beads are fully attached and the appliquéd lace is not just left hanging on the edges. All of these things take time and attention to detail not found in a less expensive imitation. They may sound like little details that you can live with out but they are the things that take a gown from nice to exquisite. Take the time to look at the difference before you do something silly like order a designer gown for $200 over the internet. Discover the differences the real thing has.

Wedding Channel Couture Show

Yes my friends, it is that time of year again. Your wedding diva is off to New York to feel the buzz and see all the pretty things.

I didn’t get in until late yesterday and only had time for one show, Carmela Sutera. Gorgeous! It was feminine and soft and romantic. Bits of little girl ruffles and bows done in a very grown up way. Oh and the fabrics!!! If you have never seen a cotton pique used in a wedding gown then you have to see these gowns.

Then it was off for dinner and fun with dear friends. Susi Rogol and Tracey Llewelyn with Bridal Buyer Magazine are in from London. We were joined by the fabulous Rani Totman, her sweet hubs and Tarsame her right hand. All together an even dozen feasted the night away.

Today is Sunday and if you have been following the Dish for a while then you already know…it is insane. I can’t even remember where all we are going. I know Reem Acra, Claire Pettibone and a new Japanese designer that Susi has just raved about. There is also a launch party for the launch of Get Married on Lifetime. I’ll have a full report by tomorrow.

Market Wrap-up From Head to Toe

These are the last of my pictures from the National Bridal Market Chicago. The mosaic below showcases the crowing glory of wedding regalia for either the bride or her guests.

The lovely lady in the center image is Jolene Picone, designer for Veil Trends out of Denver. As is my warped habit, I asked Jolene to model her favorite piece out of her collection. Although I am not sure it shows up well in the image, the veil she is wearing is called Neapolitan, the three layers are pink, white and light brown; how very fun.

Also showcased are Mandy Greenan designer for Tiger Lilly in the white veiled fascinator and Brenda Waites Bolling in the stunning pink hat. Oh how I wish hats were in fashion for wedding guests in the states. The beautiful jeweled combs are courtesy of Erica Koesler. The feather fascinators on the black velvet pillows are from Sara Gabriel and the tree display of feather fascinator in the third position are from Veil trends.

There were lots of gorgeous shoes to be seen but these two are the ones worth talking about. From Saugus Shoes the platforms on these are made out of memory foam.

Nothing can compare to a shoe this sexy AND comfy. WooHoo. These are shown in white silk but also come in black or can be dyed to match your look.

Dresses That Heal

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and even while you are shopping for your bridal finery you can help. Just look for the Compassion Collection hang tag.

Bridal designers are banding together to help support Dresses That Heal, Inc by doing what comes naturally, creating beautiful things. Dresses That Heal was started as a charity that auctioned off donated gowns to aid the Breast Cancer Recovery Fund. Rachael Rivard, founder of Dresses That Heal, Inc has taken it a step further and asked all her friends in the bridal industry to design a piece for their collection to be included in the Compassion Collection. The designers will then donate a portion of the proceed to Dresses That Heal, Inc
Breast Cancer Recovery Fund is all about helping those with breast cancer to become breast cancer survivors. This is a charity dedicated to recovery through the Infinite Boundaries program which hosts retreats created by survivors for survivors. Healing the mind and the spirit as the body heals.

Now you don’t have to wait for an auction date. Just look for the tag. To see a list of designers participating check out the DTH website.

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