It was a warm breezy day, Saturday. Lauren's wedding took place across three different locations. We started at *her* apartment ;) ;) on the downtown mall, (inside joke). We moved via a 300 limo to The Chapel at UVA, and then according to C-ville culture, we rode in a chartered shuttle bus to the reception venue at the Abbott Center at Darden.
Like most of my brides, my story with Lauren started long before her May wedding date. We had quite a journey together with her dress! She found her dream dress at Church Street Bridal. It was an Augusta Jones gown, (swoon). And, it was the perfect blank slate for Lauren's design. According to her vision, we fashioned her dress.
Her dress was a silk organza that originally had pick-ups. Lauren was not digging the pick-ups! We removed them and for design details, we had triangular shaped gussets that echoed the A-line of the bridal satin under layer. Check out the train in the second picture! It was unruly and did not compliment her figure at all. We obviously corrected the fit of the dress to accentuate her waist, but as we repaired the zipper, we added another gusset that would flair out from under her bow. That bow... it is a sash from BHLDN, (aka, Beholden.) Good purchase choice, Lauren!! The fourth picture leads me to a whole different convo...
Why was I there? Every bride has a different reason. Lauren's dress had an inner corset that her mom was more comfortable with me managing. I was also there if her zipper were to break. But, the main reason was the nature of the train of Lauren's dress. It made her dress very difficult to move around in. See the illustration? Most gowns have tulle under layers that extend to the floor. This gown actually had a tulle train. Those tulle trains cause the train of the dress to look much more graceful. The purple bow in the sketch shows how the train is attached to the tulle so that the layers stay together. The train doesn't just crash flat to the ground. The problem is that when we lift to the train to help her maneuver, the sides of the train still stayed on the ground and posed a trip hazard, (see chaos with pink arrows). Lauren could not walk freely in this dress, except for when she was going straight forward. So, basically, I played Pippa. lol. I didn't assist her during the ceremony, of course. But, I assisted her maneuvering from when she got into the gown, until she entered the chapel. And also for pictures, until I bustled her.
Let's move away from the technical stuff... Ready for some beauty!!??
Meet beautiful Lauren on left. Her gown after I steamed it. Her gawjus mom, Diane, looking on at her sister Rachel getting her make-up done.
Lauren's veil hanging after I steamed it. Her veil also required a lot of my assistance. It was a true cathedral length. It was silk tulle and originally 1200 bucks!! Lauren got it for less than 200 because of a tear in the veil. Betcha can't find it!! ;) A few moments of Gilded TLC and the veil was better than new. The freshly steamed gowns are hanging. The flower girl's dress was a dream and was from Nellystella and looked like this. So sorry that I can't share a picture of the dress! The flowers girl's eyes were amazing and would have been so pretty to share! My wedding day services include a blog post, but the bride is my priority and I was busy with her gown. I also didn't get any cake or reception pics. Stay tuned for all the details by A Muse Photography!
Here comes the bride!
Lauren is a crafty girl! She made the sign for their ceremony.
Here's Rachel Crouch from A Muse Photography hard at work. The black and white pic shows sis Rachel in her flats. We stitched pick ups into her bridesmaid's dress so that she could have happy feet during the reception.
Lauren is freshly bustled and can now move about freely. The new couple look up to say goodbye.
May your life be full of joy, Peter and Lauren!!
Loved ones, feel free to leave comments to them below.
Vendors:
Florist: Kristin Watson
Gown: Church Street Bridal
Photographer: A Muse Photography
Videography: Beyond Creativity, Tawaan Brown
Cake: Pearl's Bake Shoppe
Pies: Paradox Pastry
Catering: The Abbott Center at Darden
Wedding Coordinator: Ann Nelson
Musicians: Tori Leche, Patrick Worley
Officiant: Fr. Stephen Alcott
Cantor: Joanna Sivley
Organist: Alice Layman