Mazal Tov!

     We worked a wedding in Baltimore, MD this past Sunday.  It was full of color-rich, and personality-rich details!  The day was peppered with surprises. The looks that were exchanged between the bride and groom were sugar sweet, and the location had a flavor all it's own.  

     Speaking of the location...  It was at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.  Cool huh?  (Remember the invitations that I blogged about?)  The planning was done by Plan It Perfect Events.  (Natalie was awesome!) The Photog was Kevin Dietch.  Very nice guy and clearly knew his stuff, (understatement of the yr ;).  He's a photojournalist from D.C.  Yes, go ahead and snoop out that link on his name, you'll be glad you did!  He and his assistant, Chris worked so well together- like they could read each other's minds! 

     Humm...  let's see, one other thing... one other- OH! Zee Bride and Groom of course! ;)  Deetza Benno married Bill Aronson!  

     As you know, I love Church Street Bridal.  She found her dream dress there.  (They sell designer donated dresses at 10% of retail, and all of their proceeds go to help victims of domestic violence).  She had her gown altered by, moi. Her veil, custom made by moi.  His suit was so spiffy and was custom made as well.  Christopher Schafer Clothier in Baltimore created the groom's suit and the custom shirts and ties.  Well done!  Both the bride and groom had personalities, plus!!  They were a joy to work for.  (I actually hugged this groom! lol- Oh, and I kissed the Maid of Honor.)  They were just fabulous.  I could go on and on.  I'll try to pop in a few details along with the pictures.  I know too much text doesn't get read.  

 

Deetza hugs her brother before the ceremony starts as her mother looks on.  

Beautiful, beautiful Deetza.  After I helped her into her gown, she turned to face her maids and her Maid of Honor's mother.  The elder woman spoke expressively in Hebrew.  Her maid of honor, Rosaline circled around Deetza translating for us all.  "Lights"... no. "Diamonds"... no.  Deetza,  She says you look "Radiant"!

The ceremony was held in a pavilion right on the inner harbor in Baltimore.  It was so peaceful and happy.  Brightly colored sailboats glided by throughout the ceremony.   

Deetza and Bill are united and dance a joyful dance down the aisle.  Deetza's name is Hebrew for "The joy that comes from dancing".   LOVE. IT.  

Onto that venue... 

Bill and Deetza are announced! "Mr. and Mrs. Bill Aronson!

Here's happy Deetza with her dance-able bustle.  And, boy did they ever dance!!!

Check out her arms! Bill and Deetza danced like pros. No, no, I'm for real. It was the stuff that viral reception videos are made of.  It was incredible.  And of course, they did The Horah, the traditional chair dance too.  

Flowers by, My Flower Box.  Very bright and pretty! 

The Hoagie-looking thing is actually a confectionery creation, as are the eggs.  You'll notice the Sesame Street theme popping up all over.  Everything they did was with a wink and a nudge.  

The wonderful dessert lady was Judy Wittmer, from Sweet Wedges in Bel Air, Maryland.  You can't go wrong with beauty and flavor in one little package.  

Whew!!  So, that's as much as I could edit down this action-packed day.  Many blessings to Bill and Deetza!

A Marie Antoinette Affair

This weekend's wedding was located in Roanoke, Virginia.  The bride dressed at Hotel Roanoke. The wedding Ceremony was at Greene Memorial United Methodist Church.  The reception venue was at the Corinthian Ballroom.  The wedding theme was Marie Antoinette.  

Ok, so the facts are aside.  Let me just say that I LOVE this family.  The Brier's family is very dear to me. So Sara and Logan's big day was something that I just couldn't miss.  (Of course, it helped that they booked me last year. ;) Please enjoy the photos, although they don't do the day justice.  

Sara and Logan had a dream team of vendors! The photographer was Crystal George with the lovely Rhiannon England by her side, second shooting.  Videographer was Brad of Shaking Hands Productions.  Flowers were absolutely unbelievable!  The petal show was put on by Rod Meek & Company. This was my first time working with him.  He's so nice to other vendors. It speaks volumes about the passion of a vendor-  that their heart is in the right place when they cooperate with other vendors- not just the Bride.  All three of the above mentioned vendors are stand-outs for that, and it comes through in how the day flows! 

Meet Sara and Logan. :)

Did you see the shoes!? So very Marie.  

There were a few snafus so I was glad I was there.  There was a lot of steaming to be done, but also a couple spot cleaning emergencies, a torn hem, tux button gave out, rope for the Celtic knot tying frayed and needed to be finished off, a bridesmaid's bodice needed a pinch, and of course, what wedding would be complete without at least one bridesmaid's dress zipper breaking?  Sooo... sew her up, I did! I also tacked the top of Sara's zipper flap to make it invisible.  All you see is the corset. 

Some of Sara's great team (From left to right Rhiannon, Brad, and Crystal.)  & Check out that bustle. ;) 

I had a little more spare time before the wedding and during the reception to snag some pics. Sara's dress actually required quite a bit of my assistance, so I didn't get a single picture of the entire wedding party! I was working it!  It turned out to be a very hot day, and of course, that's tough on a bride, so I also carried a parasol over Sara between pics and fanned her when necessary! lol  

So we'll leave those wedding party pics up to Crystal.  I know they were ahhhmazing.  I think they had a super model requirement for the bridesmaids. ;) I can't wait to see Crystal's visual interpretation of the day.  She's one of my top 5 photogs, people.  

Flowers by Rod Meek.  Love story video by Shaking Hands.  

Ooh La La... Let them eat cake!

Gorgeous details! There was a lovely fondant cameo that was on my slice.  I wrapped it in a napkin and took it home to my daughter.  ;) 

Their faces form a perfect heart as they enjoy their first dance.  

Happy forever, Sara and Logan!! I can't wait to see your new life unfold.  

Sarah's C-ville wedding

My hubby and I worked a wedding in Charlottesville this weekend.  It was held at the beautiful Christ Episcopal Church.  The Reception was just a few blocks away at the Old Metropolitan Hall on The Downtown Mall.

The wedding went so smoothly!  The bride was relaxed and kind all day.  You could tell that she and the bridal party were truly happy.  

I had received a text from the bride the day before her wedding.  She was giving me a heads-up that her sister couldn't zip the top half of her dress due to her new, ever changing body and a sweet little nursling.  She sent me a cell pic and let me know the color of the gown and I quickly constructed a rapid-corset back kit that I could install in minutes upon arriving to the wedding the next day.

The bride was sporting some custom changes that we made to her gown.  Her bodice was originally straight across and we made it a sweetheart neckline.  We also put in a grommet corset back for Sarah.     

Two random facts: The Church was beautiful.  And I had lots of navy blue bows to tack. ;) 

Sarah's corset back and sweetheart neckline, (and sweet smile to go with it!)  I loved this family!

Our rapid corset back allowed sister to confidently enjoy the wedding day!

Our rapid corset back allowed sister to confidently enjoy the wedding day!

The giving away of Sarah.

The giving away of Sarah.

Their photographer was Jim Carpenter.  (This is actually the second shooter in this pic.  But trust me, Jim's around ;)  I cannot say enough about him!  He was clearly the most professional, kind, experienced, photographers that I have had the pleasure to work with. And I've worked with many. Both photogs were geared out but worked the people with ease and humor.   A+++!! 

This is hilarious! I bustled her in an alley, behind the venue. ;) Hey.  It's hard to find a private moment!

The reception venue.  Old Metropolitan Hall.  So pretty! 

Fun, Epic-Cool Invitation from a Gilded Bride

Here's just another example of how cool Gilded Brides are!  My bride fashioned her invites after an IKEA catalog page.  Her RSVP is a Mad-lib.  The neatest thing about this is that the featured products really do share the namesakes of the Bride and Groom!  Stay tuned for our post about their amazing wedding that we will be attending at the Baltimore Museum of Industry!  (Details blocked to discourage wedding crashers. ;) 

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LOve LOve LOve!!

I Love Crystal George!  I love Jen! I love amazing photographs that capture a truly happy bride and the joy of the day. 

What more can I say?  Do yourself a favor and sit down for a minute.  Click on this link and be prepared to ache for the beauty and love that you will see.  

(All of the following photos were by Crystal George.)

Just click the link.  I'm telling you.  Click the link ;) 

Chapman Gallagher Wedding in Richmond

We had a beautiful wedding weekend in Richmond, this weekend.  Could there have been more perfect weather!?  It was amazing.  The wedding was held at Hermitage Country Club just outside of the Short Pump area.  The family was so sweet and so were all of the lovely bridesmaids.  The bride was very specific and clear throughout the day, yet maintained a sweet, beautiful composure.  Well done! :) Enjoy the photos of her amazing, silk, Pnina Tornai gown from Church Street Bridal.  

The Hermitage Country Club 

The Hermitage Country Club

 

Our first wedding of the spring!

We did our first wedding of the spring today!!  Congrats Emily! It was at Hotel Roanoke.  The Planners were from Ode to Joy and the Photog was Rabiah Gohar.  Everything was so beautiful!  Stayed tuned for Emily's before and afters as well.  Cause, boy, did her dress come a long way! :) 

And what's that hanging in the window, framing the MIll Mountain Star?  They are their rings! 

How do they bead prom dresses?

It looks like a million beads are randomly scattered on a prom gown.  Did someone just sit down with the gown and randomly attach all of those beads?   No.  Not exactly.  If that was the manufacturing process, they would have no continuity of quality or design.  The beading pattern is printed on the dress.  (I'm posting a picture of a prom gown that we altered this year.)

In order to take up the bodice, I have to remove all of the beads that are in the way of my new seam.  This exposes the beading pattern. Each circle represents a bead, and has a symbol in the center of it.  The symbol is a code for which size bead should be stitched there.  Pretty nifty, huh?

After I clear the beads away, I must take up the dress and then re-bead it where it is bare along the seam.  No wonder it takes a while and costs more than casual wear alterations!   

Bridesmaids lineup

Here's 4 pretty maids all in a row.  This was in my shop last Saturday.  The girls are lined up to have their hem markings compared.  (I've pinned individual notes to their bodices.)  From time to time we schedule a fitting party for the bridesmaids and bride to all come at once to have their hems marked at the same time.  Just one more little detail that makes the Gilded difference!

No more Prom...

As of March 4th, 2014, we will no longer be accepting Prom dresses for alterations.  We also will not be able to do MOB or MOG dresses.  We may open those back up after June?  We'll see how the calendar goes. If you are already in the books, you are all set.  If you haven't sent in appointment request form yet, we're sorry, but we won't be able to get the dresses done in time for your event.   Best wishes!  Look beautiful and be safe!!   

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Super Sale at CSB

Today was a whirlwind! I'm wiped out!  Amy, (one of my assistants), Thomasina of Elvisdog Productions, and I volunteered at the Prom Dress Super Sale and Church Street Bridal today. As usual, the lines were crazy this morning- many girls were eager to get in right as we opened, but CSB was armed with a large group of energetic volunteers.  Many brides said Yes! to the dress today, and many HIgh Schoolers grabbed up sparkly good deals on prom dresses.  Bridal gowns were a mind-blowing 25 bucks each on the mezanine! Bridal shoes were only 5 dollars a pair!  All of the proceeds benefit women and children, victims of domestic violence, and the SARP program in Lynchburg, VA.  

Prom

Prom.  Do we do it?  We get asked that a lot this time of year.  Yes we do alter Prom gowns!  The catch to it is... we don't block off a large amount of space in our planner for it- in fact we don't block off any space for it.  It's first-come, first-served. So that means, when we are booked beyond the Prom date with fittings, etc, then we no longer accept Prom gowns.  To give you an idea, last year we stopped accepting appointments for Prom gown alts in mid/late February.  ((Chaos ensued! High-schoolers were very sad indeed!))  Sorry 'bout that.  We love our cute little prom girls, but Brides are our priority. We just do what we can do.  :)

Big Shocker!

So was reading a bridal magazine at Barnes and Noble, (of course).  And I flipped to a page that pictured a bride and groom, (of course).   And I was like, "Oh my goodness! That's a Gilded Bride!!"  Then I read the article and there was a paragraph about The Gilded Thimble and the work that I did on her dress.  Freaky Cool Moment!!!  :@  :D

 (Photo Credit for the dipped bride, Chelsea Yoder Photography.)

Elvisdog Productions

Here's some pics from Thomasina's view at Saturday's shot.  She's so awesome, and they have great wedding packages!  Give Elvisdog Productions a call! 434.238.2176

So ya wanna be a model?

We had a promo shoot Saturday in The Jefferson National Forest and it was freezing!!!  Christy Chichester, our model, was a champ.  Her husband was the proverbial pack mule.  He toted stuff, was a gopher, and a nearby jacket holder for his wife, and also discovered his natural gift for reflector holding, (Go Stephen!!)  I was accompanied by the stupendously amazing Thomasina of Elvisdog Productions. Our goals were to shoot a dress for Church Street Bridal, and also to get some rights-free images for all of us to use.  Lurvly gown, isn't it?   

Here's some behind the scenes shots, as well as a sneak peek of an ad you may see CSB running.  Enjoy! (And keep warm!!)