You do know we do spot cleaning, right?
See the grid below for before/afters. Foundation, lipstick, & even ink are easy peasy for us to remove. ;)
Snow!
It's our first snow of the season here at The Thimble. Here's a view from my machine. :) Hot Cocoa, anyone?
Molli and Kyle...
When you dreamed of something ever since you were a little girl, how hard do you hold onto that dream? Do you chose to believe in it or do you cave?
Molli believed...
Molli believed that she would have an outdoor wedding. Even though she selected a venue that has a beautiful interior, she chose a garden appropriate dress and a venue with a gorgeous vista. Her every image that she painted in her mind during all of these months of planning had her located outside, surrounded by nature.
December held other plans. I checked the forecast the night before. 90% chance of rain... all day...
I arrived early as I usually do. I set up the steamer. I snapped a few pics of the venue before my time officially began. We dressed the maids. I stitched the backs of each of their gowns so that their undergarments wouldn't show.
Look below at how beautiful her dress is! It's from the Blue line. She purchased it from Celebration Bridal in Lynchburg, VA. We fully altered the gown to Molli's form and delivered it, freshly steamed. We custom made Molli's veil as well.
Have you ever been to the Bedford Columns before? This was our first holiday wedding there. It's was decorated so beautifully! The mansion in general is very stunning, but the lights and glitter really took it to an even higher level.
We helped Molli into her gown, and prepared her shoes for their walk down an aisle. But what aisle would they walk down? 2 o' clock was fast approaching. The ballroom was filling with guests. There were seats arranged in both the ballroom and outside in the Bridal Courtyard.
Above, the applique that Molli chose and had us attach to her gown. Her Betsy Johnson shoes. Flowers were arranged by the bride's grandmother, Loretta Flowers.
The snazzy little tutu wearing poodle, and a sleeping beauty, flower girl.
Molli postponed the wedding for a very brief time before making her final call. We checked and rechecked the Doppler. See that little break in the clouds? It was Molli's answer to prayer heading our way. In a matter of minutes, the sky should clear right?
"Let's do it!" Molli decided to take the "plunge"- lol, hopefully not in literal water. We want it to dry up!
She made the right call! Even though some chose to keep their umbrellas up, they really weren't badly needed. The rain let up in perfect time with Molli's ceremony!
I need to take a pause here to mention Molli's photographer, PG Photography. Paula, the photographer was super nice, but wait there's so much more! Check out the shots she worked that day and how quickly she posted a huge sneak peek! Wowzzaas!!
Molli's cake glittered with "snow". I wish I could truly capture how it looked! It's was crafted by Geri's Confections.
Look below at some of their personal details from their reception. Some other vendors I should mention are, Barry Tosh, DJ. And the Amazing Katie Lester as coordinator, A Little Party, Events.
You know how you feel a little itchy and grumpy when you're all dressed up? You know how you feel a little bit happier when you're in your comfy clothes and have your favorite blanket to hug? ... This is too cute! The ring-bearer had a total change, here folks! lol
Check that "Gilded" waist!
I helped the bride out of her heels and into her glittery Toms. I hooked up the 5 bustles that my assistant, Yael had put into Molli's gown, and even tacked the front of her dress, so she wouldn't tear it since her shoes were lower now. I watched the first dance to make sure her bustles would hold. After their dance, Kyle and Molli sat down at the sweetheart table. I made eye contact with her from across the ballroom and offered a little wave goodbye. She formed a heart with her hands, and we shared a knowing smile. I could leave knowing that all her dreams came true, December 6th, 2014.
Many happy years, Kyle and Molli! <3
Awww...
I just received the sweetest little thank you email from a mother of the bride. They hired us a couple of months ago for our Wedding Day Services, and look at what she had to say...
We can’t thank you enough for all you did to help us out so much- you have a very special touch and quiet way of doing so many things without drawing attention to yourself. I’ve seen a few minutes of the video we picked up today and I kept saying- I didn’t know Carissa did this or that!
Between your saving stitches, incredible photos and quiet fixes, you really brought out the best in so many areas!
Thank you, thank you , thank you!
That was full of so many high compliments. It's exactly what we strive for at every wedding we work.
I read the letter aloud to my husband, and he said, "That makes it all worth it, doesn't it?"
~sigh~ Why, yes it does.
Promo Shoot for Church Street Bridal
Yesterday, a model and I trudged around in the frosty grass get some pictures for Church Street Bridal. The model is wearing an Alencon lace gown that Church Street gave to us to use. This dress was donated by a dress shop in New York called Lovely Bride. I love that shop! They are faithful donors to Church Street and a source of many lovely, lace gowns. Don't forget that every dress purchase from Church Street is a donation to domestic violence prevention and women's and children's services in Lynchburg. Head over there to find more lace gowns such as this, and then book an appointment with us to have it custom fit for your form. Thanks to model, Jess Gulasti for donating her time and her beautiful 6 ft frame for this shoot!
A Maggie Sneak Peek...
We just got a sneak peek portrait from the photogs of Maggie's wedding. Don't you love the way they work the light!? I love Sean's suit. I had the privilege of steaming it. It was a Hugo Boss.
Woah!! Update! As of 10/28 they have all of the pics done and back to Maggie. What a lightening fast turnaround.
Photo by: We Are The MItchells
Maggie and Sean
We worked a wedding this past weekend at The Boonsboro Country Club. That day was a day of firsts for me. It was the first time that I performed wedding day services for a bride that I did not do alterations for. I normally can offer you a story about "The Dress". Not this one! The bride was from Denver, Colorado and had all of her dress preparations done where she lives. I'm friends with her mom, so her mom hired me as a gift to her daughter on her wedding day. I'm "Peace of mind in a box" for the Brides and their mothers, I like to say. This Saturday was the first day that I met the bride, Maggie! It didn't take us very long to stop being ultra professional and cut up a little around each other though.
Another first for me was that it was the earliest wedding I've ever worked. Maggie and Sean had a morning ceremony followed by a brunch. They served eggs Benedict or chicken and waffles. I couldn't believe how good all of the fare was.
Here's the view of The Country Club as I arrived in a pre-dawn hour.
So beautiful!
Even though I hadn't forged a prior relationship with this dress, I knew everything was going to be okay when I saw the dress bag for the first time. BHLDN. ~sigh~ A Beholden gown.
I set to work with steaming the many bridesmaid's gowns from Nordies. They were beautiful, of course. And very well made. I prepped Maggie's dress and studied the bustle to make sure that I understood it well enough to fasten it quickly after the ceremony. My first big fix was rushed through the door a few moments later. The ring bearer's suits had gotten lost in shipment and new ones had to be overnight-ed. Of course, they needed to be hemmed. No biggie. A few snips and a blind hand stitch later, they were good to go. I'm sorry I don't have a pic of the boys! Their grandmother helped with them most of the time, because they were very young. 10 months and a toddler.
Getting Ready... A bridesmaid preps in front of a mirror. A flower girl's bow. Hey hey, who is that there, doing hair and makeup, but the one and only Emily Garbee? I just love her.
The Mother of the Bride is on the far right. I love the look of admiration as she looks on at her daughter being prepped for the ceremony.
The flowers were by The Petal Company. They were astonishingly beautiful.
I loved the baby's breath kissing balls that they had swaying in the old oak tree that Sean and Maggie took their vows under.
Another first for me this day was working with We Are The Mitchells, a photog duo from the east coast. Check their page that I'm linking to. It's a teaser for the eye candy that we are in for when they release the pics they did of Maggie and Sean. They do fabulous work and are super nice and laid back to work with. They are from my hometown, so when we need family ports taken on the beach, I know who we will call. Seriously guys. My beach Photographer shopping is done. Yay!
After the ceremony... hugs for everyone...
The reception area was beautifully decorated. They used bird cages and books.
This is their cake at the sweetheart table. The cake and cupcakes were made by Kissed Cupcakes. They served cupcakes to the guests. They were out of this world! I took mine home, (I have a family of four) We all took one bite of it and rolled our eyes in pleasure! lol
The manager at the C.C. was named Mark and he was a very likable guy who ran a very efficient staff.
I hope you loved the story of their day! I was so sad to go home without a good picture of the bride and groom together, but serving the bride is my priority and it was a chilly day for her to be in a sleeveless gown. I wrapped and unwrapped her in an ivory pashmina between pictures to keep her warm. She was covered in goosebumps! I also carried her lace train and kept it clean of the fall leaves. I'll add their picture once We Are The Mitchells does a blog post. Their's will be far better than mine would be, anyways!
Best wishes for Maggie and Sean!
A Little Twist
We are up bright and early this Saturday morning! Today's wedding is a wee bit different. It's one of the earlier ones that I've worked. Early fall morning vows followed by brunch, anyone? Hey hey, count me in. Can't wait to see this out-of-state bride's dreams come true at a place local to us. Lynchburg is a beautiful place to get married. Stay tuned...
Pumped!!
I am so pumped! This post is a first for us! Because we deal with weddings, pictures of our work always have to be old. (With the exception of our coverage of wedding day services. That's maybe only 48 hrs or so old.) For instance. I haven't updated my website with before/afters of my 2014 brides. We chop their heads off for a couple reasons. Psychologically, it allows a potential bride to picture herself more easily. But the BIG reason is so we don't have to keep track of identities and wedding dates etc. -to prevent the disclosure of dress images before bride's big day. It keeps things anonymous.
Well, yesterday's bride was a delightful exception. She's not worried about anyone figuring out who she is. (She's an out-of-town bride, so you would have to streeetch your imagination radius anyway. lol )
Her dress was originally a size 12 and she's a size 2. Ok, ok. We broke all the rules. (You're technically not supposed to alter up or down more than 2 sizes. So after cautioning her, (yet rubbing my hands together in gleeful anticipation) we began. Here's the story of her dress...
wowzaas! Here are the before shots. The dress was about 5 inches too long and 10 sizes too big... BTW, plz fudge over the white balance issues. I know the dress appears to be a different color in each pic! lol We have several different types of bulbs in our shop and I just didn't feel like, or have time to fidget around with the colors.
Hers' the effects of stage 1 of the fitting process. There are still some repairs to be made, (missing buttons).
Here's a closer take on that "Gilded" fit. Next, note the arrow. It's pointing to an area that I had to ease in. The train was long on the sides because of the dress being too long, but we don't want to shorten the train. That's a beautiful ease, there folks. ;) Please note, we didn't just whack the sides of the train.
Next step. She wanted a bit of a sweetheart without cutting it out or adding too much texture. She also wanted cap sleeves made from the fabric which was harvested from the hem.
Final looks. The buttons were originally a little more spaced out. We added 12 buttons to railroad them together a little tighter. Check out this fit!! I love the back of those straps. (Ignore the bra strap. She's going to go bra shopping.)
Final looks. We also put in a french bustle, but I didn't include that for brevity's sake.
Let me send out a special thanks to my good sport, "Miss Anonymous". She made my day! Have a blessed day, guys :)
Sarah and Robert
As I said in my previous post, my hubs and I packed up to go to Southern Pines, N.C. this past weekend to work a wedding. This is the third time this family has used this venue! All three of their daughter's married here.
Let's change this up a bit from my usual way of posting and start by going over some before and after's of Sarah's gown. It needed shaping, repairs, (we joked and called it the mummy dress because the bodice looked like it was made with tattered strips of cloth) and it also needed some general pizzazz. This dress falls into the categories of both a fit adjustment and a redesign...
That "during" picture shows that I had to completely deconstruct the sides to rearrange the way that the strips were laying. Each strip had to be trimmed of its frayed edges. We added more Alencon lace to the bodice. We also made a sash for Sarah.
Isn't she beautiful!??
Here's some of my set-up that I had while I was there. (note Starbucks) Haha That's a grande mocha with pumpkin spice syrup, and extra shot of espresso, and whipped cream. You should try it sometime!
Family and friends pitched in to make this a special day for Sarah and Robert. (Vendor links coming soon! I'm waiting to hear back from them on who all the great vendors were.)
OH!!! And you've got to meet these boys! Adorable. I love that the ring bearer is carrying a bird's nest instead of a pillow. Very unique. These squirmy worms required some fancy stitching! Those Peter Pan collars like to turn up, (see pic on left) I had to tack them down and tack the suspenders- while the boys were in the clothes. That's a common little wardrobe problem we face with children. These boys wore beautiful linen suits that had to be freshly steamed for them. But they look so spiffy!
This first shot is special because she was looking out the window watching a sudden, sunny rain shower. It was the kind that drops huge raindrops down while the sun is still beaming its heart out. The outside world was sparkly as we searched the sky for a rainbow. Her husband, Robert, is a weatherman, so it was delightful to see every type of weather packed into one day. Later we discovered, that he was looking for a rainbow at the same time that we were.
"Did you see one?" I asked him.
"No" he said, but I'm sure there was one somewhere."
Check that Gilded Bustle ;)
Woah. The weatherman cranked it up a few degrees hotter in there!
Aww... but look at Sarah and her Dad. He's having a blast!
Sarah's bustle held up well for all the movin' and shakin'. She chose a french bustle which was put in with ribbons- it's one of the stronger bustle types that one can pick.
Hope you enjoyed the story of their day! My husband and I loved working with them. They even invited us to stay for dinner and brunch the next morning. So kind.
Please feel free to tap the like button over to the bottom right. It won't steal any info from you. ;) It's just a way of showing the couple you've been here. & Give us a call if you need wedding day services! We arrive prepared for just about anything.
Packing Up...
Woo hoo! Heading to The Weymouth Center in N.C. for Sarah's wedding tomorrow! I'm looking forward to a glorious day! Stay tuned...
Melissa and John
This past weekend was a doozy! We worked a beautiful wedding for Melissa and John at the new wedding venue, Locust Thicket. This was the venue's first wedding! They did a tremendous job. You would have never known it was their first rodeo. They must have some very experienced staff members. Everyone was kind and efficient. Check out some of the details from their preparations...
I guess I should say something about the couple at this point. Ya know... some couples are more... well, run of the mill than others. And then there are some couples that you are really concerned about turning loose on the world! I think Melissa and John fall more into this category. Don't let their smokin' cool Hollywood glam looks fool you, these guys are zany!!
That's John with his drill out front of the main house. Just an hour before the wedding, he was still tweaking the place. He restored the pews for their ceremony. He also custom built the bar and wine racks for the venue. That's how the groom developed a relationship with this site and decided to marry here. John's business is called Splinter and Nail.
Here's the low-down on the fab vendors...
Photography by Cleanlight Photography, I'll explain more about them later :)
Catering by Cater This!
Flowers by Arthur's Flower Cart
Cake by Geri's Confections
Hair by Tasha Brown
Decor is group effort- part DIY with Melissa and her friend Becky England, and part Locust Thicket
Alterations, side bustle, and wedding day services by The Gilded Thimble
Dress by Celebration Bridal
You'll see my lurvly assistant, Yael in some of the pics. What would I do without my trusty sidekick?
What a gorgeous couple on a beautifully lit fall day!
I kid you not, I did not edit this pic one bit. Only cropped. The light was just that good!!!
Remember the part about, "zany"? Half their pics are like this! lol
The decor and white lights throughout were just breathtaking!
(Are you getting sick of gorgeous people yet? ;)
Here's some friends and family.
***Please note my zany comments above*** First they pretended the "special" cake cutting knife was a pocket knife. Then (because the cake table was in the corner, I was having to backup wide to get them standing and cutting and the cake all in one frame.) they obliged me by scrunching down in a funny way near the cake so we could get a close up. ;) Super fun gang. No no, do NOT volunteer to babysit their future children for free someday. They will be pranksters!!
Meet the parents. A special award will be given to these people for raising children who look like models but are still very down-to-earth. (Trust me- The bride and groom get their outgoing and fun loving attitudes honestly.)
Tori and Daniel
We worked a wedding near Richmond this weekend at the Beautiful, Amber Grove. Tori chose a blush color palette for her barn wedding. This was, statistically the most popular wedding day of the year. Good thing they booked me almost a year in advance!! Here's the story of why Tori's mom, Raye called me...
Tori had tried on many dresses at Church Street Bridal, but when she tried on this amazing blush flower of organza, Raye knew that her daughter was in love and had found, The Dress. The only problem was, the dress had been a little over loved and needed some slight repairs, and the dress was about 6 sizes too big. With a designer gown that was constructed with no side seams, that spells trouble!! She was assured by a friend that I could fix the gown and make it fit. They took a leap of faith and called me to be sure, and bought the gown.
We dry cleaned the gown, made repairs and fit it to her. Tori's dress required a much longer process than most. It took us about three days of sewing! Again, with no side seams on the bodice, this dress was not made to be altered! We also custom embellished Tori's shoes for her. Her sweet mom, Raye set up an easel with the story of Tori's dress. It was on display at the reception.
The big day finally arrives...
The pictures above show my little work area where I set up. I steamed the gowns, I had to alter one that was a little too big. I took up a shoulder strap, and lowered the back of someone's spanx that was peeking out of the top of a gown. lol The maids were all so pretty!! We laced Tori up, and said a quick prayer before her union...
We steamed the gowns, and spot cleaned as needed. Accidents happen, (oops! ;)
Daddy came to get his little girl... and gave her away...
What a beautiful ceremony site!
Parents of the Bride, Parents of the Groom.
Check out her bustle! Her gown was so pretty with the train down, but it also bustled in a very different way. She had 10 bustles! We struggled to find them all, but we finally got it up.
Here are some decor details, and their glittering tent.
Her photographers were great! Teri Ford even offered to a picture of me with Tori and Raye with my own camera. How sweet!? She got quite a few of me and Tori, I can't wait to see them. The photographers' business name was Eyez of the World.
Daniel and Tori Morillo say "Bye!"
I hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse into Tori's big day and the story of her dress. Tori's family was so wonderful to work with! They really felt like family. They made me feel appreciated and welcomed. I was so happy to spend this special day with them. Many Blessings!!
Peak Leaves
Hello, my dear fall brides! Here's a handy dandy chart for you to reference for figuring out which days will be best for fall foliage portraits. (Click map picture for Farmer's Almanac Chart...)
We are booking up fast for steamed-gown pickup appointments! Please call now to have the most choice in times for picking up your gown for your portraits. (We are booked past this peak leaf time for alterations, so if you haven't already gotten on the books for alts, you've missed it. :( -So sorry to break the news to you! We've had a deluge of brides calling this week- begging us to alter by peak leaf season, and we're already booked tight.)
Valuable Photography Coupon!!!
Remember Holly Cromer, The photographer from my Biltmore wedding this summer? She's the one that I said was super sweet. Well, she's also on her marketing game. She followed up with a card and a c.d. of images from Danielle's big day. She also sent me 5 valuable coupons- $250.00 off her wedding day packages! I've slipped them in a special place behind my front desk. Let me know if you want one!
Katie and Tyler <3
We just finished up a beautiful wedding at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Lynchburg, VA followed by the reception at The Trivium in Forest. Katie was as "gilded" as a bride could get! We did her alterations as well as her bridal portraits and wedding day services. Her family members have been faithful clients of mine, as I did the bride's little sister's Prom dress alterations this past spring. Here's a little sneak at one of her very dramatic bridal portraits...
As you can see, she's a very pretty bride! Easy Peasy, right?! Here's Katie with her Dads from before the ceremony, (Those are always my fave) So sweet ....
This was so adorable- they JOYously said, "I do!"
Here's the new couple, standing in front of the lovely Trivium.
See what I said? Easy Peasy! She's a stunner!! And it wasn't hard to get her dress to fit her attractively either! ;)
Here are a few of Katie's decor details.
Many blessings to Tyler and Katie! I want to say a heartfelt "Thank you" to Katie and her family for their business and their unending kindness toward me. What a beautiful day this was! ~sigh~
A new lace overlay...
This dress was originally completely satin. Sarah had The Gilded Thimble customize the bodice for her. Check out the beautiful pics on Kimberly Burke's website... (Click the picture to go there.)
Photo by K.D. Burke Photography
Hill City Bride Post
Hey there! I shared some pics of Jen's beautiful wedding a few months ago, but she's been featured in Hill City Bride and I thought you guys would like to see their take on her special day. I can't wait to post before afters of Jen's dress on my site. It's unbelievable! Enjoy this in the meantime. :) (Click the image below)
It's more than the dress...
I just love it when my brides stay in touch! Lookie what was texted to me today? One of my Gilded Brides is a new mommy. (Say "Awww")
I love my job. It's more than the dress, these are families that are being born!
Keep in touch, brides! I love it!
Pic with teal tutu, by April Watson. Pic with pink tutu, by Bella Baby.
A Fairy Tale Wedding at The Biltmore...
A dream is a wish...
Danielle's Fairy Tale wedding came true! She was Cinderella for the day at the beautiful Biltmore.
Here is the Conservatory where she did her first looks and her ceremony...
She was breathtakingly beautiful, (as always ;) in her blush dress. The first look moments were very sweet.
Her photographer was Holly Cromer -super nice!! I had a great time with the vendors that Danielle carefully selected.
Danielle kicked off her "glass" slippers, and a couple of bridemaids followed suit. The bride walked down the aisle barefoot! -Proving the magic wasn't in the shoe. She's the real deal.
She had a string trio play Disney and Cinderella themed music. I wish I had an audio clip for you. I love strings, (not just thread ;).
See the man smiling in the background? That's the Father of the Groom. Isn't he the happiest man that you've ever seen!?
The groomsmen sported white Biltmore umbrellas.
The bride and her prince in a horse-drawn carriage...
Here come the reception details... oh my goodness... Brace yourself.
She changed into her little lace reception dress before enjoying dinner.
Here's the lineup of info about this beautiful wedding..
Donnie Bales: Bear Creek Studios (Videography)
Holly Cromer: Holly Cromer Photography
Nicole Bloom: Two Sweet Sparrows (Planner added to coordinate timeline)
Shea Young: Biltmore Contact/Coordinator
Wendy Ballance: Blush by Wendy Makeup
Ron Clearfield and Asheville String Trio: String Trio
Amanda Price: A New You Salon (Hair)
Greyline Trolley Company: Red Trolley
Flower Gallery of Asheville: Florist (Owner LUCK) Man, they did a great job!
Chair Covers: Curly Willow Chair Covers by Wildflower Linens
Inn & Biltmore Estate Hotel & Lodging
Conservatory at Biltmore Estate: Ceremony Location
Champagne Cellar at Winery: Reception Location
Dress: Maggie Sottero Divina, Won by Celebration Bridal
Belt: BHLDN
Reception Dress: Modern Trosseau Daphne, out of Nashville, TN.
Reception Dress Belt: Handmade by Carissa and Yael at The Gilded Thimble
Menu's, Decor, Frames, Guestbook: ShabbyScrap of Etsy
Carriage Services: "Zeus" was the horses name!
What an amazing day! Many blessings to Danielle and Michael!