My Grandma's Wedding Gown (and "Bella" from "Twilight"!)

My Grandmother's Wedding Gown

Last week I went to see my family for Thanksgiving and while I was there one of my grandmothers was moving.  I stopped by her house and we were talking about my work...ya know...WEDDING GOWNS.  And she started to tell me about her dress.  I know I've seen it in pictures but then she said, "I had it here."  And I said, "HAD?!?" She replied that she wasn't sure what happened to it!  Gah!

So two days later I'm there again with my Aunts who say, "No, it's here...there it is." AND I GOT TO SEE MY GRANDMOTHER'S GOWN in real life!  I even got to try it on!

She was about 5'10" and was much broader than I am in the ribcage and shoulders.  She also had a more substantial bustline (sigh) so I of course did not fill out the gown.  But I decided to bring it to work, write about it, and tell all of you lovelies the story of my grandma's wedding dress. :)

So, 61 years ago my handsome grandfather and beautiful grandmother got married in northern California.  The wedding was a little bit rushed because they had planned on getting married in the following year but because of circumstances out of their control they said, let's just get married at Thanksgiving!  So they did. :) They got married on November 23rd, 1950 at a church in near Berkley, CA.

Her friend from the church youth group made her gown for her as a wedding gift!  She, her mom, and the friend all agreed that she could not wear white because her coloring wasn't quite right...which I think she was a little disappointed about.  It it a type of poly taffeta, long pointed wrist sleeves, beautiful high neck,, basque, waist, and button detailing.  I think it looks like Princess Aurora's dress!

I know my grandma wore a veil but I have no idea where it is.  So I matched this fingertip satin-edged veil with it and made sure to show off the blusher.

Claire is wearing my grandmother's gown instead of me because 1) she looks better in wedding gowns than I do 2) it fit her a little bit better :)  I'm DELIGHTED to share this gown with you!!  I am hoping to do a whole series of family gowns! I'm really excited to get more of these vintage gowns in here and write about them!  I'm planning to do Pam's dress and I'm thinking that my mom should send me hers... although I doubt that either of their teeny tiny gowns will fit on the mannequin!

The gown most comparable to my grandmother's gown is the "Bella" gown from "Twilight" which is ironic because she and I are not "Twilight" fans...I KNOW I KNOW, don't hurt me!  I just don't really like vampires as much as I like wizards!!

So I put Claire in "Bella" to show you the similarities...

It is a long sleeve charmeuse gown with beautiful buttons at the wrists like my grandma's has.  The skirt is slightly straighter and the train is longer.  The neckline is completely different, but the BACK is amazing!!

These buttons continue ALL THE WAY DOWN the skirt and train!  Check out that lace...uh-may-zing.
It's a beautiful gown for anyone wanting something more sleek with a touch of old elegance.

Such a beautiful back. :)  Claire wears it well!

Happy Wednesday and I hope you are feeling nostalgic and wanting to find your mother's and grandmother's gowns and try them on! Pull out those gowns, girls!  I would love to see pictures of you with your mother's/grandmother's gowns!  If you want to, post them to our Facebook wall mentioning this blog to share the memories with all of us!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Camarillo Bridal Babes

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'm thankful for silly things like really inexpensive scarves and lip gloss, for In-N-Out and longboarding, for having a grocery store across the street and my bank just around the corner, for my cell phone, for this lap top, for a new sequined dress, and for MAC make-up.

I'm thankful for immediate comforts like my record player and newly installed chandelier, for my down comforter, a zippy little rollerskate of a car that's good on gas, and a home made soup with gluten free bread. For a great job that I actually LOVE, and for a really snug, safe place to live that fits my needs perfectly.

I'm thankful for people (and pets!) who make my life cozy...my wonderful room mates who are always there to share life with, to comfort me, and laugh with.  For our adorable dog who FREAKS OUT with excitement when we get home.  For the women I work with - it's funny that we don't choose who we spend the majority of our time with!  So I'm VERY thankful that they are wonderful women who I LIKE spending time with :)  I'm thankful for all of my crazy friends locally and across the country who love me and show that to me through their actions and words.  I'm thankful for a genuine man I fit just right with.

I'm thankful for all my family...for my grandparents who spoil me rotten because they love me so much.  Who I get to make Thanksgiving dinner for this year!  For my parents who are coming out for Christmas!  Because they had to deal with a defiant brat for so long and still really like me. I'm thankful for my adorable, sweet, baby sister, for my too-smart brother and his wife who is like a sister, and for the fact that we're all friends. :)

At Camarillo Bridal we are thankful for a beautiful new store that allows us space and comfort!  We're thankful for all of you beautiful brides who are so sweet and such a joy to work with!  We love being part of such a significant part of your life.  We're thankful for the fun and activity you bring and the store and for the friendships that come out of it!

I'm thankful for my future...for the security that I know I will have no matter what.  I am thankful for the joy I have been given.  I am thankful for my freedoms.

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving

from the Camarillo Bridal Babes!

FAQ: Camarillo Bridal

Bridal is detail intensive.  Like I tried to come up with an analogy and the only analogy I could come up with was "Bridal is as detail intensive as....bridal."  Yeah.

So to clarify some of these details I will answer a few...

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS!!

"What are your hours?" 
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am to 8:00 pm - We're open late on Wednesday for our working brides!
Saturday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday is our day off. Because God says take a break. ;)

"Do I need an appointment?"
YES!  We want to make sure you get the attention you need for all the questions you will have (see: bridal is detail intensive) We book about two weeks in advance so please, please, PLEASE call to reserve your perfect appointment!

See.  Really booked!

"How much is a wedding dress?"
The average price of a gown at Camarillo Bridal ranges from $900 - $1500, with nothing more than $2500.  The simple gowns start around $600.  Don't forget our other store, "Off Pickwick" which is open Saturdays 12pm - 4pm for walk ins and everything there is under $499!

"When do I need to order my gown?"
A year before you wedding.  Well...that's not TOTALLY true. But definitely at least 6 months! All the wedding pros agree that ordering your gown a year before ensures several things:
1: You will not be stressed about being able to get a dress on time
2: Your selection of gowns will not be limited by date of availability
3: Your wedding gown is the stylistic cornerstone of your wedding...once you have it you can keep on plannin'!

"Why does it take SO LONG to get a gown!?"
They are made because you order them.  And it takes a while to correctly construct a wedding gown.  Also, beading...it's done by hand.  As is the embroidery.  Oh...did I mention this is all happening in ASIA?   Yes.  So your gown must be shippped half way across the world, go through customs, get shipped to company hubs, and THEN shipped TO US. You can see how this is a lengthy process.  Gown is ordered, then tiny asian women hand make your gown, and THEN it ships around the globe = LOTS OF TIME.

HAND BEADED!

"What designers do you have for me to choose from?"
We have a plethora of gorgeous gowns! While we don't carry EVERY SINGLE GOWN from each designer, have a look through them to get an idea of what we DO have.  We have between 500 - 600 gowns in store so if we don't have the style you're looking for we may just have it by another designer!

Maggie Sottero - I am the preeminent Maggie Sottero distributor in the greater Ventura County area!  If you are looking for a Maggie Sottero or a Sottero & Midgley come to me!

Jasmine Couture

Kitty Chen Couture

Casablanca Bridal

Anjolique

David Tutera - No current site because the new line with Mon Cheri is not yet available

Fancy New York


"These two dresses look the same...why is one SO much more expensive!?"
FABRIC.  It comes down to the quality of fabric.  Silk is very expensive while a type of taffeta is not but LOOKS like silk.  It's a little tricksy, but it means you can get a really expensive looking gown for under $1000!  It also comes down to the little details that takes time. (Also, remember the little ladies making your gown? Yes.  They get paid!!)

Which of these two gowns is real silk?

I hope this is helpful to you.  Again, there are thousands of more details so I can really only cover so much in one blog and still keep your attention.  Or keep MY attention for that matter. (What's up ADD.)

These are the questions that WE came up with...are there any questions that YOU have for us?!  Let me know and I'll do my BEST to answer them!

Casablanca Luxuriousness

Happy Wednesday!  I haven't done just a plain straight forward gown feature in a while and we have a new favorite dress is store!

This is a new Casablanca that I am LOVING.  Feminine, delicate, sophisticated, and just BEAUTIFUL.

Satin covered in lightweight tulle - and tulle covered in lace - detailed with pearls - belted with crystals.  So it's basically a parfait of all things feminine and pretty!

This is the lace on the skirt...yeeeaaahhh...I knowwww...it's excruciatingly pretty :)

And THIS is the detail of the belt! It is attached to the gown, so it's actually more an illusion belt than an actual hold up your pants belt.  You can also see the teeny-tiny pearls in the lace here, too!  Seed pearls are my favorite.

The illusion belt wraps all the way around the gown...here is more detail of what the belt and the lace look like.  And the veil snuck in nicely!

It's a semi full skirt with plenty of soft folds.  The zipper back is hidden by lace fastened with clear snaps.

I chose to try two different veils with the gown...the first one is a simple fingertip with crystal edging as shown in this picture.  You can use the second layer as your blusher!
Then I tried it with a cathedral length veil...

And then I promptly deleted the picture that I needed. CRAP!  But this give you an idea of how beautiful it is with a long veil!!

I chose a string a pearls because that was a no brainer and I think that I found the PERFECT shoes, too!

Ta-Da!  Sparkly goodness. <3  Plus they are approved by the Queen...just in case you were wondering what Elizabeth thought of your shoes.

I loooooove how the train flows beautifully to the side it's SUPER soft. And just FYI: ask your photographer to do shots of you holding the train and spinning because the fabric of this gown flows PERFECTLY.

It's just so ELEGANT!

*aaaaahhhhhhh* <---- angels singing.


Let me tell you a little bit about today at Camarillo Bridal...Jazmyn is FINALLY well again, and RENEE IS HERE! Awwww we love you!!  But guess what the biggest news is?!

NICHOLE IS GETTING MARRIED THIS WEEKEND!! As in 3 days!!! 

Congratulations Nichole and Joe...

we love you so much :)

A Re-telling of "Sleeping Beauty" and "Jasmine" with Alfred Angelo

Once Upon A Time...

(Shelley is wearing "Aurora" by Alfred Angelo and also a full cape by Soterro & Midgely)

There was a beautiful Princess who was VERY excited about two things in life: finding her prince charming and going trick or treating.

(Taffeta bodice and a tulle skirt come together for a Princess-y treat)

So out she went through the woods visiting every squirrel and owl for spooky treats...she went deeper and deeper into the forest.  She sat down to eat her delicious treats and before she knew it she had eaten it all!

Soon she looked around and realized...SHE HAD NO IDEA WHERE SHE WAS.  The beautiful princess lept up and began to anxiously search for her way back to the glen where tiny fairies took care of her.

(Tiers of ruffles and one shoulder make this gown unique)

Pretty soon the Princess began to slip into a sugar coma and started to hallucinate...she imagined that she was being taken care of by tiny fairies and that she had to find a needle to prick her finger on.  She wandered down a darkened hall way...

down...

down...

(This gown is truly a Princess dress!)

Until she came to the end of the hallway and finding a random pin there she, in her sugardrunk stupor, pricked her finger on the pin and fell into an insulin induced coma.

PRICK!

(This skirt has layers and layers underneath to maintain the fullness)

But look!!  Here comes mannequin Prince bearing protein to save the day!  He roused the beautiful Princess with chicken and black beans and swept her off to his castle where they lived happily ever after.  And he bought her a Mustang so that she never got lost in the woods again.

(There is beautiful beading on the bodice that accentuate your waist...did I mention we do full tuxedo rental?!)

The End

Once Upon A Time...

(Jayme is wearing "Jasmine" by Alfred Angelo)

There was a beautiful raven haired Princess who was totally fed up with not having a real diamond.  She spent hours dreaming about the diamond she really wanted...

(Ruching across the bust and gorgeous jeweled straps add the "wow" factor to this simple sheath dress)

Finally she could take no more and set out to find her OWN DIAMOND.  It's like in "How to lose a guy in 10 Days"..."Frost Yourself".

(Check out this beautiful back and flowing train...so beautiful!)

She headed out into the big scary world to seek out this diamond: so many scary things and people to avoid! At one point an obnoxious monkey wouldn't leave her alone...but she got rid of him pretty quick with some bananas and a sedative.

AND THEN THE MOST AMAZING THING HAPPENED!!  An old woman gave her a jar and told her, "If you rub the jar three times a Genie will appear and grant you 3 wishes!"  How that old woman got the jar she did not know, and why she was giving it to her...also a mystery.  She may have needed to unload it due to a run in with her parole officer?  Anyway...

So she rubbed the jar and excitedly awaited the appearance of the Genie to grant her wishes...her first wish would be for a diamond!

And nothing happened...

(Chiffon over Satin)

She was about to throw the lamp away when SUDDENLY the lamp TRANSFORMED INTO A DIAMOND!!

(This neckline is BEAUTIFUL especially if you have nice shoulders.)

She was delighted with her diamond, if a little confused about the Genie vs Diamond, but let it go because one should never question fairytale story lines.  So she had it set and wore it happily ever after!

The End

**We are so excited to have these Princess dresses :)  Call us to set up your appointment to try on these gorgeous gowns!**