Montreal Wedding Dresses

See the link below for the YouTube video of my wedding dresses at the Let's Get Married bridal show. I received so many compliments from brides who felt compelled to visit my booth afterward. The feedback was something like this:

* Your dresses are so simple yet elegant at the same time.
* All the other dresses tended to look the same after a while. Yours stood out so much!
* I'm getting married outside and therefore need a dress that will suit the venue. Now I know where to shop!

While I find it hard to write all this down (I have my hubby egging me on), I want to sincerely thank the brides that took the time to come see me. It was a great opportunity for me to meet my "hometown" brides. Your taste and sophistication is unparalleled. I'm looking forward to having you visit the showroom and find your dream dress.

Big News! We're opening a showroom!

It's been a while (OK forever) since my last post, but here's why: I've been busy finalizing the details for our new showroom opening in February in Montreal. Here's a copy of our ad in "Let's Get Married" the Montreal wedding "Bible" publication coming out this weekend. VERY exciting. I see more showrooms in the future. Watch this space for news!

This weekend is the Let's Get Married bridal show at Place Bonaventure. We're in booth 901 near the main entrance. Be sure to stop by and say Hi if you're attending. More to come from the show!

Dreaming in Gold for Your Wedding?

Gold | Champagne Wedding Dress by Custom Couture Bridal on Polyvore.com

I have just discovered Polyvore and I just had a blast creating my first "set". This is It's totally addictive, so you've been warned! The interface is super-easy and intuitive. You can find item by searching keywords or by browsing other sets with similar items. It's a really fantastic way to crystallize your inspiration into concrete items while being able to see where they are available, and much they cost. You can really see what works and what doesn't with a few clicks. Indeed, more of this to come!!

Lace Wedding Dresses Are Rocking My World

It's been about five months since my post "Lace wedding dresses are making a come-back". To follow up, that was an understatement! Thankfully, our 2010 collection does not disappoint with many lace designs. Some are completely lace-covered, and some have lace appliques. Some have all-over beading, and some have no beading at all. In terms of silhouette, lace works best with a mermaid, sheath or slim A-line silhouette.

There are many different patterns of lace that are incredibly different from one another. You can have an open-pattern lace with vine-like patterns. Here is an example which has been hand-beaded with crystals, "pewter" beads and sequins: Custom Couture Florence "Bling" Wedding Dress. The vine-like pattern is sewn onto a textured English net background.

Here is the other end of the spectrum: Jessica lace Wedding Dress. It is not beaded at all, and is covered with a crocheted lace that is soft, supple and silky to the touch. Different still is Venetian lace. Venetian lace has no net "background" giving it a distinctive look. It also comes with a distinctive price tag, as in high. Christine Venetian Lace Wedding Dress also has a matching pure Venetian lace bolero and a matching Venetian lace veil. Are you drooling yet?

I'll end this post highlighting Alencon Lace, known as "the Queen of lace". Alencon is characterized by the fine corded edge that outlines the flowers and leaves of the underlying Chantilly lace. This adds a three-dimensional quality to the lace as well as stiffness. Here is a dress covered in a particularly "robust" Alencon lace: Jacqueline Alencon Lace Wedding Dress.

New Designer Wedding Dress Collection: Opulence

Our newest collection of 2010 Designer Wedding Dresses at Custom Couture Bridal is called "Opulence". This is our highest-end collection, yet completely affordable. We have been told these gowns should retail for $2000 to $ 4000, yet we are making them available starting at $1099. Brides looking for a pure silk wedding dress will be especially pleased since upgrading to silk is approximately $400 depending on the style and the amount of fabric. By doing so these gowns are equivalent to dresses $3000 + in retail shops.

It really is all in the design and the details. The beading often uses Swarovski crystals and Austrian "diamonds" for beautiful sparkle. The laces are the finest: Alencon and Venetian to name a couple. The collection also often has matching accessories: veils and boleros or even a "coat" in two cases. Perfect coordination all made affordable AND made to measure. As you can tell, I'm quite proud!

Brides can still customize their gowns by choosing between various design options such as the closure, fabric, color, straps and beading. The gowns can also be combined with one another. We can make a custom design based on combining elements of this collection together, or we can use other design elements to make the perfect "dream" dress.

The Evolution of Mermaid Wedding Dresses

Not long ago a fashion design student specializing in bridal design in London asked me my opinion on the latest trends in bridal fashion. Besides it being nice to be asked, I realized something: I have a pretty unique perspective on what's cutting edge right now. Why? Brides come to me to have a dress custom made when they can't find it anywhere else.

Why do these "gaps" exist between what's coming off the bridal runway and what brides are really looking for? It's due to the timing of the launches. As an example, The Spring 2010 gowns coming out now were actually designed about six months ago, maybe more. The process is time consuming for many reasons: in fact I see another post coming on this topic!

Back to what's hot right now! Brides are getting more daring and want to show off their figures like never before. At the same time, they imagine their wedding dress to have a full or somewhat full skirt. This probably goes back to the iconic "shape" of a wedding dress that we have all had imprinted in our minds since childhood! Enter the redesigned "Mermaid" wedding dress. (Also called "Fit and Flare" and Trumpet.) The Mermaid wedding dress of years past was similar to its namesake in that it was figure-hugging all the way down to the knee, with a sudden "flare" of fabric. The Mermaid of the moment is hip-hugging as well, but the skirt flares at the upper or mid thigh instead. In fact, the line is being blurred between traditional A-line wedding dresses and the "New" mermaid style. This is happening for two reasons: 1) the skirt "flare" can be a more subtle draping of fabric 2) the "flare" can be quite high up on the hip.

Is this the cut for you? The traditional Mermaid cut is quite unforgiving and tends to make brides' rear ends look bigger than they are... Most of us don't need that, so the good news is that the newer styles are much more universally flattering. Moving the "flare" higher up on the hip is especially helpful. This draws less attention to the buttocks and balances out the silhouette in a much more pleasing way. Great news for you fashionista brides out there!

Thinking of an Ivory Wedding Dress? This is for You!

How do you know an ivory wedding dress is the right color for you? Can it be more than a "middle of the road" between pure white and champagne tones? Totally. To answer the first question, think of how pearls look against your skin. Have you always liked the effect? Don't think of the style of pearls which might be too conservative for you: rather, think of the tone itself. Chances are you'll be saying a resounding "yes" if you have olive or creamy skin. Also in the resounding "yes" category are dark-skinned women: especially those with rich brown tones. In this case you may want to consider a rich ivory color, or a gold wedding dress. (See an example in the post below.) Creamy skin also looks nice in ivory, especially a paler shade.

If you have very fair skin you'll probably want to avoid ivory in favor of white. This way your dress will be lighter than your skin tone which is the goal.

There are many shades of ivory with varying levels of color, and varying levels of yellow. If you're shopping for a dress in person, the best way to judge the color is against your skin, and preferably in daylight. If this is not possible in the store, ask for a fabric sample that you can take home. Shopping online? Take the time to request a fabric sample. It's well worth the minor cost if you're serious about the wedding dress in question. Not only for the color, but to judge the texture, shine and overall fabric quality. Use the coupon code FREEFABRIC at our store Custom Couture Bridal for free bridal fabric samples. Enjoy!