October 4th Opening Party

We're very excited to be having an opening party on Saturday, October 4th. The store will be open from 10am, however the party will begin after 5pm. Please feel free to stop by and say hello!

The Best Part About These Dresses...

...is that you can shorten them and totally wear them again!

I recently saw the movie "27 Dresses", and I giggled furiously when they repeated this line several times about the bridesmaids' dresses. Ah - the dreaded bridesmaid dress selection process!

Selecting the perfect bridesmaids dress has truly become a balancing act. You want to make sure your wedding party look and feel fantastic in their outfits. You also want to have their look align with your vision for the big day. In my own personal experience, I was not able to achieve the perfect balance. I tried to have my bridesmaids select their own gown, but I did set some (perhaps overly restrictive?) parameters on what type of gown they could select, so that a cohesive group look was achieved. I'm sure my friends all breathed a giant sigh of relief when my wedding was over. But I digress...

If only I had known about Lynn Lugo's dresses! Great colors, fabrics, and versatile styles. This is the photo from their web site's main page.

No need to shorten to wear it again. ;)

Something Borrowed, Something Blue

When you buy your wedding dress (ideally 6-8 months in advance), are you going to be thinking about how you will style your hair? Or what accessories you might wear? Maybe, but if you're like me, I thought about accessories, oh, about...one week before the wedding. And then maybe that little ditty about what to wear on your wedding day for good luck comes back to haunt you and you frantically start to harass your family and friends for jewelry you can borrow. After all, that would combine "old" and "borrowed". Well, here is something that would combine "new" and "blue":

These stunning faceted blue topaz earrings are hand wired by Wendy at Fuss Jewelry. Think of how these will catch the light with every movement. And don't be surprised if someone calls to borrow these from you in an attempt to cover "old", "borrowed" and "blue" (durn overachievers!). Calla Bridal is delighted to be carrying select pieces - including these topaz hoops - in the boutique from Wendy's collection.

I'm not an interior decorator, I've discovered.

Recently, I just can't wait for the store to open, and then sometimes wish someone else will open it for me. For now, I am embroiled in the great decor debate (with myself, of course). Carpet or wood floors? Uber chic concrete? Taupe walls? White walls? Charcoal walls? Recently, I've fantasized up a lighter charcoal wall paper with a subtle pewter damask print on it. And what about lighting, and seating, and dress racks? - and so on and so forth, round and round I go.

Today I spent some time on youtube trying to spy on how other bridal boutiques are arranged, and realized that I just cannot stand it when several wedding dresses are crammed together on one rack. So, that's one more thing to keep in mind when designing the space.

To keep myself from going too crazy, I browse wedding dress sites and feel better when I see stuff like this:



This is "Nina", by Vineyard. Elegant, timeless. Although mayhaps an empire waist is very hot right now, but I think they look great on all kinds of figures.

Update: Embarrassment! This is Nina, not Piper, as I originally wrote. Guess I was fairly distracted...Thanks to the attentive reader!

Changing things up for the reception

When I was living in Asia, there was a wedding trend that piqued my interest - changing outfits. The Bride and Groom typically wore three different ensembles throughout the wedding. The first was usually a white gown similar to the styles worn in the US. Then, for the beginning of the reception, a traditional qipao or kimono was worn (dependant on country, of course). Finally, part way through the reception, a third costume change occurred, and the final outfit could be anything, generally colorful and sometimes full of whimsy. It was an elaborate show, each new ensemble more extravagant than the former.

Though this practice will likely not be incorporated here in Seattle, I am seeing bridal fashion change from ceremony to reception. Hair up for the ceremony, then down for the reception. Cathedral train trailing behind for aisle walk, bustled (some entirely removed) for the first dance. An elegant, formal gown for the vows, with a lighter, flirty dress for the toasts. Not everyone is keen on having to change for their reception, but I do recommend one thing - comfortable dancing shoes (a.k.a. flip-flops) for your reception!

How great is this dress?

Aptly named "Masterpiece", by Matthew Christopher.

I've placed an order for a few beautiful gowns by Piccione Bridal. These romantic gowns are done in silk, with customizable beading and straps. What's not to love?