Saks Bridal Salon

Headed to the Saks Fifth Avenue Bridal Salon in Beverly Hills this morning. When I stepped in, I thought: Wow, definitely should've come here earlier! They are the largest bridal store I have been to, and carry a range of designers, including: ODLR, Vera, Reem Acra, Melissa Sweet, Jenny Packham, and Carolina Herrera.

I tried on a couple of gowns that had the natural waist + full skirted silhouette I found was flattering on me. Fave ODLR was there and, of course, I had to try her on again. :)

New discovery: Kenneth Pool, who designs for Amsale (the same company that owns Christos). There were two gowns of his that I liked...

1) Flirtation: Doesn't look as pretty in photos, though. So it's out of the running.

2) Mesmerized: I remember trying this on at the first bridal store I visited in Seattle. Back then, I didn't know yet what I really wanted and I kinda forgot about this dress. It's really pretty, though. And I love how it has some bling around the waist.

What I DON'T like about Mesmerized?... It's been worn by another bride at our wedding venue. See all those pictures of the real bride? They were taken at Casa Del Mar. At least si ODLR sa Florida ko lang nakitang sinuot sa wedding.

...Not sure whether that should factor into my decision, though.

Anne Barge

Kylicious! This dress by Anne Barge reminds me of the Michael Cinco gown you emailed me...


It should be available at the shop where I am going to try on the Primrose. Will check it out!

One last ODLR post. I promise!

One of the things I love about the ODLR I've been eyeing is that not many brides have worn it yet. I spent a lot of time last night searching wedding blogs because I wanted to see the dress "in action" and make sure it looks good in wedding photos -- not just in ODLR ads and fashion show pictures.

But unlike Rocha, Bee, and some other gowns I liked, I was hard pressed to find pictures of it ANYWHERE. I think this is AWESOME because then it will look new and fresh and not something that every other bride has seen before.

I finally stumbled upon a wedding album of a bride who wore it to her South Beach, Florida wedding last April. And (as mom said) these pics were pretty much the clincher clincher. Look how gorgeous it is in pictures...

The guy at ODLR showed me pictures of their new (Spring 2011) bridal collection. But I didn't see anything that is as beautiful as this one! At this point, I am pretty much just waiting to see the Christos Primrose on August 21st.

Fave ODLR

Oooh! Just found a better pic of the ODLR gown I REALLY like. So gorgeous! I tried it without the bolero (because boleros do NOT look good on me. It has a sweetheart/strapless neckline. Hmmm... now I kinda think I like this even more than Rocha!

Vera and Oscar

Drove over to West Hollywood this morning to try on gowns by Vera Wang and Oscar De La Renta. It turns out that most of the well known designers have large boutiques within walking distance from each other: on Melrose Place and Melrose Ave. Monique Lhuillier and Carolina Herrera are also in the area, across the street from ODLR. Dapat pala I scheduled everything all in one day! :)

VW’s shop is very modern and sleek, versus ML’s which was more classic and refined. The salesladies there were also not as sweet and welcoming. For instance, I got to the store one minute before they opened at 10:00 am and all the ladies were just standing on the other side of the door staring at me and chatting until it was 10:00 am. First impression: not so good.

That said, the bridal consultant that took care of me was very sharp and attentive. What I liked about her was that she pulled gowns that I wouldn’t normally have tried on but that she thought looked good on me. And a lot of times, she was right. It helped expand my perspective on what I was looking for.

Gown-wise, what was striking about VW’s overall style is that she’s moved away from the more traditional, embellished gowns. Her overall style was a bit more edgy, with unfinished edges and layers that like they were messy but made sense at the same time. Kind of artful chaos. For example, here is a gown called Deirdre, which is one of the more popular ones from her recent collections:

To be honest, I went into the store thinking that I wasn’t going to find anything I liked. After all, my style is pretty traditional and refined. But, after trying on a few gowns, a few things were striking:

1) The gowns are SO light. They have a lot of volume but are so airy and cool.

2) A few that I tried on are REALLY flattering. I think it might be the contrast of the fitted bodice with the full skirt. In any case, they made my waist look really tiny.

The two that I liked both had lace on them and fuller skirts. This first one, Dinah had really pretty lace and ruching on the bodice. I tried it on with a plain ivory because I wasn’t too hot about the giant bow.

It was really pretty on me… but somehow I the pickups (pinned bunches) in front really bothered me. Also, it doesn’t look all that great in pictures, huh?

My favorite of was this one called Eliza…

I wasn’t sure I would like it because it had a bit of an edge to it. But I tried it on anyway because I like the silhouette. But instead of a black sash, I used an ivory one. It looked really, really good on me! And it looked so interesting because it had a lot of different layers and textures: the top has lace cutouts and the bottom has all this gorgeous pleating. AND it was really comfortable, cool, and light. I think that my only hesitation, though, is that it might look dated after awhile. Who knows how long this style of making dresses will last, right?

After giving Eliza another try, I headed down the block to Oscar De La Renta. You can totally tell that ODLR’s business is not built around wedding gowns. In other stores, you sit and chat with a bridal consultant first, who will afterwards pull a bunch of dresses based on your personal style and wedding vision. The bridal consultant also stays with you the whole time to help you in and out of dresses. At ODLR, it was more like: here are the dresses, enjoy!
What I loved about ODLR is that all their dresses have built-in corsets. So everything looked really flattering in me. I tried on a couple. First, this one with ruffles that reminded me of fish tails for some reason. It was very nice on me, but I felt like it was too much.

Then I tried on this one, which is similar to the Rocha in silhouette. It has really beautiful beading, which ODLR said is all made in India by a family that has been beading and embroidering fine clothing for generations. It has a light blue lining which makes all the details pop.

And last but not the least, my favorite...

You can’t really see from the picture because they covered it up with a bolero, but it has a sweetheart neckline. It also has embroidery all over the skirt and the bodice. And the silhouette fit me very well. I think that this gown might be the favorite of all I’ve tried so far… and it tied with Rocha.

Anyway I’m not stressing too much because I have over a year to go before the wedding. Also, the designers are getting their Spring 2011 collections in around August and September. This means trunk shows! And 10% discounts when you buy a gown during the trunk show, regardless of whether it’s from the new or old collection. I have already scheduled appointments up for the VW, ODLR, and Saks (Christos) trunk shows. Yay! Exciting!

Inspiration Board

New Find: Christos

I got a new wedding magazine today and saw this picture of a wedding dress called "Primrose"...

LOVE IT! It's classic, lacy, bridal, and seems to have a lot more oomph factor than the Rocha-lookalikes I've been researching. It's made by a designer called Christos, who I hadn't heard of before.

After researching a bit more online, I saw that she has a lot of really pretty dresses...

Julianna: Love the jewelled cap sleeves.

Springblossom: Floaty tulle over delicate lace.

Tresor: I think this has just the right amount of texture in the skirt. It looks special and dramatic without being too frou frou.

Christos gowns are available at Saks in BH... Excited to try them this weekend!

Engagement Sessions

Here, it is customary to do an engagement session with your wedding photographer well in advance of your wedding date. Many couples will choose a picture from the e-session to use in "save the date" announcements, which are usually informal and fun vs. the actual wedding invite. They also help the bride and groom get used to being photographed... which I think is something I'll need to do kasi I get self conscious everytime someone waves a camera in my face.
I've been on the lookout for good venues to do ours. Ideally, it should be somewhere that is not only pretty but where we feel we can relax.

Earlier today, I was at Annenberg Community Beach House on Santa Monica state beach. It's a property owned by California state and recently opened to the public for swimming, picnics, events, etc. The estate was a gift from William Randolph Hearst to the actress, Marion Davies. Most structures were destroyed in an earthquake, but the original guest house is still standing...

I went to check it out as a potential reception venue. But the more traditional-looking space was way too small. And they don't allow alcohol other than wine and beer. Boo.

But it's PERFECT as an engagement session location. With both traditional and modern spaces and being right on the beach, there is no shortage of pretty backdrops. And best of all, doing a photo shoot there is free!... OMG some places charge as much as $1500 just so you can have a professional photographer take pictures there!

Rocha Alternatives

I've been on the lookout for more affordable alternatives to ML's Rocha and here are a few that are similar in that they are made of lace and have trumpet silhouettes. Have made appointments to try these on next weekend. Keep you posted!

Enzoani Estella



Jim Hjelm 8763

For Fifi and Kylicious

Whenever I go to meet a wedding vendor they ask me very specific questions about what I like. This helps them estimate how much things cost. For example, the cost of a high floral centerpiece is very different from one with a lower centerpiece. And different types of table linens will have differing rental costs based on the color and material.

Initially, I had really no idea what I wanted. I would just say stuff like "classic" and "crystal vases" and "gold chairs". Since my first meeting, though, I've been doing A LOT of research so I can be as specific as possible when I talk to each vendor about what I would need them to do.

As you can imagine, I've been drawn to mostly blue, gold, and yellow wedding pics. But I will often find pictures of really pretty weddings in other colors. And those I see of green and purple weddings remind me of both of you. I know malayo pa kayo, pero I started saving these under "Fifi" and "Kylicious" files. Thought I would share some of these with you...