Dream big ladies… dream big!

Wedding season is upon us…brides for this summer are busy gathering last minute things together and the doing final adjustments to their wedding gowns.  But for those of you who are just engaged  (Congratulations!) or thinking about their 2014 wedding this blog entry is for you.  

The first thing most couples do is secure a date. The first thing that brides think about is their gown.  There are so many questions to be asked and answered.  What colour will I wear? What style do I want?  Long or Short? Train or no train?  All of these questions together tend to be overwhelming and the answers don’t come easy.  

To help you make those decisions I have a few ideas that may guide you in narrowing down the choices and have fun doing it. 

Create a storyboard – I am sure you have plenty of magazines by this point or have a million pictures printed off the internet. Go through them all and start pulling out the pictures of anything that catches your eye. This could be a picture of a dress, decorations, colours, themes, a romantic setting, etc. Snip the bits and pieces that reflect what you like and attach them to a large poster board.   When looking at wedding dress pictures, look for details…like buttons, a neckline, hemline, colour, skirt type … and so on.  You may end up with 25-50 pictures.  That’s OK!  You are in the idea gathering stage.

Time to reflect – post this storyboard in an area where you can see it everyday. As time goes by you will wonder why you choose some of those pictures in the first place… that is your signal to remove them off the board. Add or take away as many pictures as you want at anytime. It’s your look and story to create.

Discovery time – now that you are comfortable with your ideas and have possibly narrowed them down, even somewhat, it may be a good time to have the conversation with your designer or seamstress to see what is possible for your body shape and budget.  They should go through the storyboard with you and take the time to look at the details.  All of the remaining images should paint the picture of your personality, theme and how you want to look and feel on your wedding day. My goal at this meeting is to take all of the information presented, ask a few of my own questions and sketch out a few options for the one of a kind wedding gown that will be created just for you.  We chat about fabric options, colors and I suggest the next steps.  Basically, it is my job to narrow down the choices so I can make recommendations and suggestions that reflect exactly what you are looking for.  That is the fun part!

Decision time – there is absolutely no need to rush into making a decision if you are not ready or what to dream a little more.  I know, from my point of view, I would rather a bride take the time to think about the ideas and to make sure she gets what she wants rather than feeling pressured into ordering because of the “looming” order deadline that in most cases comes with regret at a later date. Talk to your designer and seamstress to realistically set a date that makes sense and works for everyone.

Time to start – when the right decision is made you will know and feel it! Then it is time to get the fabric and the sewing going! The creative precess continues through the fitting stages and the masterpiece is born before our very eyes. A designers dream … if I may say so!  

So if a one of a kind wedding gown appeals to you then think about the storyboard idea and see what happens form there. It will help you focus in on the important aspects of your big day!

So dream big ladies…dream big and you will become the Best Dressed Bride of 2014!

Cheers,

Carolann