True or False: Every Gown Needs Alterations

Today is National Fried Chicken Day.  I have confirmed that KFC is not celebrating this National Holiday...?!?!  Their marketing department?  FAIL.

This has absolutely nothing to do with today's blog.

TRUE: Every gown needs alterations.

This is Renee.  She is pretending to be an outraged bridesmaid.

No, no, we did not order the wrong size and the manufacturer did not goof.  These gowns come in your SIZE but not your SHAPE!  Which sucks we realize, but in order for them to fit all the women around the world it's just a fact.

And no it's not too long!!  All of the gowns come long enough for, ya know, the average 6 foot model.  Same applies to the shorter length gowns.  Putting a tea length dress on our 6 foot Gown Specialist, Shelley and our petite owner, Pam will show how "tea length" simply means measurement in inches from the natural waist to the hem NOT where it falls on your body.

OBNOXIOUS FACT: these gowns are not cut based on street clothing size.  I know, I know...but that's the way the manufacturers do it.  As an example I have Renee here wearing a size 16 dress.

RENEE IS NOT A SIZE 16.

a. She measures a 12 in the bust, a 14 in the waist, and a 16 in the hips.  So guess what.  In order to make sure the dress fits everywhere she needs to order the size 16 so that the dress fits her everywhere, and then the loose parts will be altered to her size!

b. Bridal Land sizes run very differently from regular clothing sizes.  Disregard your bridal size completely and know that you are in fact BEAUTIFUL :)

BUT YOU ARE NOT GETTING SCREWED OVER!!  We order the gown based on YOUR MEASUREMENTS and match them to the manufacturer's size chart to see which size will fit your curves the best.

We will show you how a seamstress will take in a dress to fit your body like I example here on Renee.

These are really easy little nips and tucks that a seamstress can handle quickly and inexpensively.
And not only that, but when you come to pick up your dress we will give you a convenient list of people who do alterations throughout the county! We don't do them in store which means guess what else...we don't make any money from the alterations. Just sayin'. 

Happy Renee!!  The way the alterations are done will make it fit beautifully!

The same can be said for your wedding gown!

It's stunning!!

Oh...but...what's that...on the back...IT'S THE CLAMPS!  That's right. Because the dress size was chosen based on her largest measurement and then was taken in to accommodate her bust.

The bust is always tricky because NO ONE'S BOOBS ARE IN THE SAME PLACE.

So you will have slight changes made around the bust to make it fit YOUR body and NOT the mannequin's form!

See, you do a little tuck and voila: it fits against YOUR chest :)

You will also need to have the bustle of your dress done by a seamstress because let me tell you what, dragging that thing all night might be beautiful for a while but after about 20 minutes you'll need that bad larry tucked up out of your way.

There are MANY different ways to bustle and this blog is not about that, so I'm just going to show a quick French bustle on this gown to example the before and after effect:

TA-DA!!  Your seamstress will look at your gown and talk to you about what is best for the dress.  Then she will work her magic and BAM beautifully bustled gown!

And for those of you interested in ordering from one of the manufacturers who WILL make a dress based on your measurements, please know that slight changes may still be needed simply because you weren't there for them to make the dress ON:

When all is said and done you will have a gown that is not only THE DRESS, but fits YOUR BODY...how many dresses will you ever have that you can say THAT about?!

Renee feels like a princess in her perfectly tailored gown!

AND IN OTHER NEWS...

There was a Jazmyn sighting in the store today!

Yes.  The illusive Gown Specialist, Jazmyn, was in fact spotted and caught on film in the wild of Camarillo Bridal today.  Usually impossible to see because of her camouflage and extreme wariness of the camera, we are very excited to be able to share this with you all today. 



Review:

-All dresses need alterations: we'll help you out.

-Dresses are ordered in your size but not your shape.

-No ones boobs are in the same place: it's just a fact.

-Jazmyn Sighting! We'll keep you posted on more.

Happy Wednesday everybody!!

Petticoats and Cakes

Everyone wants their wedding to be extra special.  What makes it extra special is the people in it because no one else is like you!  It's the little details that separate all these weddings from each other.  So what are those little details?  What can you do to make it uniquely yours?

Idea #1: COLORFUL PETTICOAT

WE'RE DYEING PETTICOATS!!  Yeah.  And like, NO ONE ELSE does this, so you saw it here first!!  Remember how adding a pop of color with your dress is super cute?  Well check out THIS idea!! WHICH I might add is ALL Renee the Wedding Lady!  She can dye your petticoat any color you want!  So imagine a red petticoat peeking out under a white satin gown, or peacock blue tulle fluffing out your ivory chiffon dress! I'm super excited about this idea for many reasons:

1) It is a wonderful photo opportunity! 

2) Can you say personalization!? (Which is spelled u-n-i-q-u-e.)

3) Tie in your favorite color that just didn't quite work for the bridesmaids!

Our lovely Claire modeled the pink petticoat that Renee dyed!

 SEE PHOTO OP!! How cute is this!!

I realize you can't even see the petticoat here, but I really like it.  And I get to decide on the pictures.

You can spin with it, show it off, and just generally play with the petticoat in YOUR color!

Beautiful Claire :)

Looks like NYC...actually Camarillo.

Idea #2: THE GROOM'S CAKE

The Groom's Cake is a wonderful way to surprise and honor your new husband on your wedding day! And has absolutely nothing to do with petticoats.  Depending on your man he may or may not want to be super involved in the planning of the wedding and it's a great way to make his tastes included!

Remember THIS bad larry from "Steel Magnolia's"? Yeah.  That's what got this started.

And also, "Steel Magnolia's" = SO MANY TISSUES

Pretty much there are no rules here.  You can serve whatever you want however you want whenever you want!  You can serve a candy tower at the end of the night, you can serve fruitcake at the rehearsal, you can served pie at the cocktail hour...it's up to you!!  Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

Baseball theme!!  This cap is one of my all time favorites!  (Even thought I'm a Dodgers girl).  AND THEN there's the idea of like 80,000  baseball cupcakes!!  In a baseball glove! Being thrown at your guests from the outfield...

So your man was the first kid in his neighborhood to conquer Mario Bros.  First of all  CONGRATS to him cause I still have not beat it. And clearly we have to celebrate his conquest!!  Maybe he's more into other games...like this pool table cake!  Maybe he's a big fan of Zelda...or Tetris...make it about him!

YOU GUYS IT'S A STORM TROOPER CAKE!! Forget the groom...I want this cake.  Star Wars is amazing.  End of story.  He would LOVE this.  Now clearly if I was a groom (!?) then I would want a ninja cake...which of course looks like this:

Yep. Invisible.  Just like a NINJA.

I love nerds.  And the cakes that they love.  Look at these superhero cupcakes!! And the APPS.  Yes.  Apps.  This is just too good!!  You could put his favorite apps on a cup cake and then BAM "Look what I got for you honey!"  He'll love it. :)

These last three are dedicated to all those Scottish donut lovers out there!

I approve of these cakes!!  The donut tower is a great idea...you can take that idea and change it into a cookie tower, a candy tower, or even a beer tower!  It all depends on what the Mr. is interested in.  And who better to pick something for him than YOU!

Just to recap we can dye your petticoat any color you want, it's about $50 and it needs to be a cotton petticoat so that it actually holds the dye.  We need a few weeks to make sure we get it right, so bring it at least a month before you need it!  We are VERY proud and excited to offer this new service to our brides! 

And now I reallllllyyy just want some cake...

The Queen Mother: The Authority on Mother of the Bride Gowns

The most important dress on a wedding day is the bride's.  Other important dresses include the bridesmaids, the flower girl, your almost sister-in-law, and various states of un-dress.

The dress that you may have thought about for a moment but put on the "later" list is the Mother of the Bride dress.  WAIT!! Put it on the "NOW"! Why?! The wedding isn't for 5 months. Yes, but your mom needs to have options for her gown, too!  And remember how in wedding world all dresses take longer than expected to ship?  Same applies to your Mother's Dress!

But it's just the Mother's Dress...it's not that big a deal...?

SCHWHAT?! THIS IS THE WOMAN THAT BIRTHED YOU!! And makes your favorite pancakes.  And taught you how to shave your legs. And helped you buy your wedding dress. (Or some other mushy nostalgic stuff.)  And she is also probably helping you on your big day in many ways from financial, to planning, to moral support.

Having said all that: MOM! YOU'RE IMPORTANT! And here to expound upon the topic is our owner, Pam Henderson (The Queen Mother) who is 1) adorable 2) has great fashion sense and 3) has great experience in the area personally and professionally!

Pam Henderson: "The Mother is the Hostess!"

We also decided to do a little bit of a fashion show for ya'll (I was hanging out with my friend from Texas).  Just to show you a few options of what is available to you lovely Moms!

Dress #1

This is one of Pam's actual dresses that she got through the store and then had tailored to her shape!  We love the elegant neckline and the gorgeous sparkley focal point.  The high, wide collar draws the eye upward adding to the upper body and minimizing the hips.  It also makes your waist look smaller with the smooth straight line.  This dress is actually available in a full length and Pam had it shortened for her event.  Seriously though: my favorite part is the neckline showing your lovely decolletage (fancy french for cleavage.)

And here's the back...super flattering!  Plus Pam knows how to stand to flattered her figure. TAKE NOTE EVERYONE!  She's doing it right.

 And THIS is the shoe option she chose to match with it!!  Perfect.  The sparkle matches the dress sparkle!  We carry this shoe in store and it can be ordered in black!  Beeteedubbs...great heel height.

Dress #2

This is one of Pam's Mother of the Bride dresses!!  (What's up Katheryn!) And it's GORGEOUS!!  She has been able to wear to other events because it's a real color and NOT just a beige or tan! 

You can see the buttons and the ruffle details in this picture.   It's a great fit that elongates the torso making you look long and lean using these little details.  And check out the sassarific back!!  A flirty little fringe all around the bottom of the jacket!

For this dress there are two shoe options.

Option #1

This is for you glamour girls!!  These Benjamin Adams shoes are faaaabulouuuus!!

Option #2:

For you ladies who looooove a good shoe but want more detail in the fabric not the bling.

Dress #3

And now for something a little more evening!! I LOVE this dress.  I was so excited when she pulled it for the blog because it's just soooo glamorous!  It's a really comfortable stretch fabric that moves nicely with your body.

Check out this collar!! Eeee!! It's such great detail!!  Seriously, if you have an elegant wedding to host, this dress will kill!! Like, in a good way, not a murderous way.  Ok, anyway, yeah, LOVE IT!  And let's not forget how hot Pam looks in this.  Which I will example below:

"DANG GINA!" That's what Jazmyn always says.  I don't know why she says it or what is means but I feel like it's SUUUPER applicable to this situation.  And by "situation" I mean Pam in this dress.

There you have it moms!! And if you are looking for something more chiffon-y there is always the option of ordering a bridesmaid dress and adding a sparkley brooch!

Recap:

- Mom is important!

- Don't put off dress shopping!

- We have everything you need!

- There are tons of options for your gown and accessories!

- Pam is cute!

- And last but not least:

This blog is brought to you by my side pony tail.

SEE YOU SOON MOMS!!

Nichole wears Summer Royale : Gown of the Month!

I may or may not have mentioned our discount store: "Off Pickwick".

I know.  Cutesy.

So the cool thing about Off Pickwick is that nothing in the store is over $499.  Yes.  $499. For a WEDDING GOWN.  Oh, and not just ANY wedding gowns either.  These are exquisite gowns (which I spelled correctly the first time, btdubbs).  I am going to introduce you to one of them today.

Introducing Summer Royale by Maggie Sottero

This is Nichole!!  She is one of our Gown Specialists/Resident Bride <3

"But Tabitha!  You can't take pictures of the gowns!! It's against the copyright rules with the manufacturer!! There are signs all over the store and I got chastised when I tried to photograph!"
Yep!  You're right!

The reason I am able to post pictures with her real name and tell you how much she costs is because this gown is discontinued which changes the copyright rules.  The dress is no longer available from Maggie Sottero, BUT we have thiiiiis onnnneee!!

Summer is a beautiful silk dupioni (texture-y silk that has this awesome half shine-half matte look)  and is originally around $2100...Two Thousand One Hundred dollars.  21HUNDRED!  And now it's $499.  LADIES THIS IS RIDICULOUS.  But again, discontinued gown...can't sell it for full price and we have promised that nothing at Off Pickwick is over $499 so there you have it.  Amazingly gorgeous gown: tiny price.

Let's elaborate more on the amazingness of Summer Royale.  There are floral accents in the pick ups of the dress and also a detachable floral on shoulder accent that you can take on and off as you choose.  She is a corset back (what's up, tiny waist), and has a chapel length train that bustles beautifully with these side pick ups.

beeeeeUUUUUtiiiiifulllllll

We chose a cathedral length veil with small crystals because the gown does not have any "bling" on it.  AND because the dress looks beautiful through the veil.

See: pretty.

BABY SPARKLES!!!

Then come the accessories!!  Nichole said, "OH! I know!!  Get the pearl and crystal twisty one!"  And she was right...it's perfect.  Especially with the veil.  And especially on Nichole's long elegant neck.  I'm a fan of this necklace because it is classy and not quite traditional bridal.

twistyyyyyyyyy

Then I had to add my twist to the look.  I really love head pieces and birdcage veils!  So I was like "Dude hold still I'm about to 1940's you."  Renee pinned on the shoulder aaaaand VOILA:

Totally different look!!

HOLY TUNA SALAD Nichole is so beautiful!!

OK NOW HERE'S MY FAVORITE PART!!! Let's change it up for the reception!! Yay!!!

I took the birdcage off, turned it the other way, tucked some of the netting into the comb, and placed it over her side pony tail making it suuuuuuuper fun and flirty!!

Nichole called me an accessory wizard.  That's what's up.  I'm like Harry Potter with a fascinator.

So I would encourage you all to check out Off Pickwick.  This is only ONE of the $499 gowns...and she's not the only outrageous deal there!!  Off Pickwick is open from 12-5pm on Saturdays and by appointment Monday - Friday, SERIOUSLY...check it out!

SIDENOTE: Only 5 months until Nichole's wedding!! The excitement is building :)