Trunk Shows Explained

Sometimes we, who live and breathe weddings all the time, forget that terms and events that are common knowledge to us may not be so obvious to new brides embarking on their wedding planning journey. A bridal gown trunk show is one of these things.

Ubiquitous to the bridal industry, trunk shows are special in-store promotions or sales events when gown designers send their new line to stores for brides to preview, try on and order. Often, salons will offer a special promotion or discount during a trunk show. Bridal trunk show high season is January, February and March, and usually the designer will make a special appearance. This is a great time to snap a keepsake photo with the designer of your wedding gown! The designer will also sometimes provide complimentary special services such as “custom sizing,” extra length or a neckline change during their show.

The best thing about trunk shows is the opportunity to see and shop the latest wedding gown designs, straight off the runway. The down side to this is that the gowns are often the actual gowns worn on the runway by models, so the samples are generally small – a size 6 or 8.

By the way, you might be wondering how these events came to be called “trunk shows.” The name comes from how the gowns used to be transported from salon to salon – in trunks!



Check out our fashion-filled fall trunk show line up:
Casablanca Bridal Trunk Show
Sept 17-19  |  LuLu's
Alvina Valenta Bridal Trunk Show
Sept 24-26  |  Stardust*
Pronovias Bridal Trunk Show
Sept 24-26  |  LuLu's
James Clifford Bridal Trunk Show
Oct 1-12  |  Stardust*
Simone Carvalli Bridal Trunk Show
Oct 8-10  |  Stardust*
Maggie Sottero Bridal Trunk Show
Nov 5-7  |  LuLu’s
Jim Hjelm Bridal Trunk Show
Nov 12-14  |  Stardust*
Victoria Nicole Bridal Trunk Show
Nov 19-21  |  Stardust*
Lazaro Bridal Trunk Show
Nov 26-28  |  Stardust*
Toni Federici Veil Trunk Show
Dec 10-12  |  Stardust*

*Please call ahead for an appointment.

Check out one of our beautiful, imaginative weddings that is profiled in the Fall 2010 issue of D Weddings! Kari Jo and Dillon Gussis celebrated their wedding day in elegant, richly colored style at the Ritz-Carlton. After a gorgeous ceremony and opulent formal reception bathed in a potpourri of purples, the couple continued the festivities with a costume change and a fun and funky after-party. After working up an appetite dancing, guests were treated to a late-night snack of milkshakes and sliders. Take a look at the fun groom’s cake in honor of tennis pro Dillon! We had so much fun working with this lovely couple on their wonderful event. Thanks Kari Jo and Dillon for trusting us with your special day, and thanks to D Weddings for taking notice of this stunning wedding!

Vendors
Band: Signed Sealed Delivered
Bridal Gown: Lazaro, Stardust Celebrations
Bridesmaids Dresses: J Hjelm, Stardust Celebrations
Cake: Panini
Ceremony and Reception Site: Ritz-Carlton
DJ/Emcee: Marcus Rollins
Floral/Décor: Fete Des Fleurs
Groom’s Attire: Ascot
Hair & Makeup: Elan Makeup Studios, Anita Haar
Linens: BBJ Linens
Photographer: Visual Image
Specialty Lighting: Absolute Lighting
Videographer: Visual Image
Wedding Planner: Stardust Celebrations, Marsha Ballard French

Trend Alert: Wedding Sendoff with Ribbon Wands

Looking for a charming and different way for your guests to send you off after your wedding? One of the cutest things we’re seeing for grand exits right now is ribbon wands! They make everyone a cheerleader for the bride and groom!
 

Whether they’re made with curling ribbon or fabric ribbon and whether you purchase them or DIY, they are a big hit! These wedding wands give you another way to bring in your wedding colors, they make for great photos and they have no negative environmental impact like some traditional materials. And, waving them is just plain fun!


Ready…Okay!

Real Wedding: Hinds-von Plonski

Purple and blue are the colors of royalty, which is only fitting because Rachel Hinds looked every bit a princess in her over-the-top Eve of Milady wedding gown as she walked down the aisle to marry Josh von Plonski.


Rachel and Josh met at SMU through a mutual friend. When Josh realized Rachel was “the one” he ordered a gorgeous ring and anxiously awaited proposing to her on her birthday. But when Josh picked up the ring two days prior, he couldn’t wait another minute and rushed to Rachel’s apartment to ask her to marry him on the spot.


Eighteen months later, the two celebrated their beautiful day among family and friends at the Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas. Rachel’s bridesmaids wore stylish short plum-colored dresses and the groomsmen donned coordinating ties and vests with their tuxedos.

The bride’s penchant for butterflies was represented by the darling charm necklaces she gave her attendants and the design of the menu cards. Tiny details brought the regal color scheme to life throughout the evening – from the bride’s bold blue shoes peeking out from her glorious gown to the eggplant colored feathers that adorned the escort cards. The look was brought together by stunning floral designs by the incredibly gifted Junior Villanueva of The Garden Gate. At the reception, Junior created gorgeous tablescapes that were punctuated by amazing lighting by Absolute.

Children were a big part of the celebration, and they had their own section of the ballroom to party kid-style, which included board games and Wii’s. Following a lovely five-course dinner by the Omni’s culinary team and delicious wedding cake from Fancy Cakes by Lauren, the couple and their guests danced the night away to an energetic performance by Signed Sealed Delivered. And they lived happily ever after…


Vendors
Band: Signed Sealed Delivered
Bridal gown: Eve of Milady, StarDust Celebrations
Bridesmaids’ dresses: Bill Levkoff, LuLu’s Bridal Boutique
Cake: Fancy Cakes by Lauren
Ceremony: Crown of Life Lutheran Church
DJ/Emcee: Simply Music
Flowers: Garden Gate, 214.220.1272
Hair & Make-up: Elan Make-up Studio
Lighting: Absolute Lighting
Photographer: Vera Crosby
Reception: Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas
Rentals: BBJ Linen and M&M Special Events
Transportation: Superior One
Videographer: Hakim Sons
Wedding Planner: StarDust Celebrations, Staci Freeman

Trend Alert: Cupcakes!

Who doesn’t love a cupcake?! It’s a delicious little one-serving dessert, with the perfect ratio of delectable, melt-in-your-mouth icing to moist, tender cake. Doesn’t it make you happy just thinking about it? Something we started seeing a little of here and there a few years back was couples sending guests home with cupcakes as favors or even serving cupcakes in place of the groom’s cake, bride’s cake or both. The trend has really taken off and the cupcake has become a must-have at many weddings. Not only are full-service wedding bakeries making them by the dozens for brides and grooms, but specialized cupcake bakeries a la Sprinkles are popping up all over the D/FW metroplex.

Why do cupcakes take the cake? You can easily offer a multitude of flavors, they are extremely portable, you have unlimited flexibility on how you package or display them, no cutting is required and you can get really creative with the design or even personalize each cupcake if you like. No matter if you’re serving them at your event or sending them home with guests for sweet dreams, and whether the cupcakes are cool and sophisticated or funky and whimsical, they are sure to be fun and a crowd pleaser. So, let them eat (cup)cake!

Wedding Gown Shopping 101

Shopping for your wedding gown can be one of the most exciting and fun tasks on your wedding planning to-do list. But it may not be as simple as you think. What are your expectations of finding your gown? You may not realize it, but your expectations are probably based on your experience of normal retail shopping. But nothing could be further from the reality that is wedding gown shopping!

Bridal salons vary, just like other department stores. When shopping at Kmart, you wouldn’t expect the same level of service or product as you would when you shop at Saks Fifth Avenue. The same is true of bridal salons. In the D/FW market, we have three echelons of bridal salons: the entry-level or lower-priced gown salons, like David’s Bridal and Alfred Angelo; the moderately priced or mid-level salons, such as Demetrius, Mockingbird Bridal and Lulu’s Bridal Boutique; and the higher-end salons of Neiman Marcus, StarDust Celebrations and Stanley Korshak. Salons are generally privately owned and do not function like “normal retail.” For instance, orders usually take three to five months to arrive, the merchandise cannot be returned and the gown will not fit perfectly when it arrives.

One thing that sets bridal gown shopping apart from looking for, say, a little black dress, is that what you wear on your wedding day is a “gown”, not just a “dress”. And gowns are a big deal. Generally, you can’t just go to a store, pick out a wedding gown in the size and color you like and take it home. Bridal gowns should be ordered six to eight months in advance of the wedding, hopefully right after the venues are selected – although the bride should be able to wear what she wants regardless of where she is getting married. Selecting a gown is about one-third of the process; next comes accessories (shoes, jewelry and veil) and then fittings and alterations. But more on that later.

You should be forewarned that trying on gowns can be a bit awkward. At the entry-level, because the gowns are inexpensive, the salon may have a size run for try-on purposes. But at the moderate to expensive salons, unless the bride is 5’9” and a perfect size 8, the sample gown will not fit. Because these higher-end bridal salons don’t have size runs, the stylists have to be very clever to try and make the gown look good on the bride’s shape, giving her an idea of how an appropriately sized gown would look. If the bride is small, she will experience having the excess material pulled and tucked while she is clamped into the gown; if she is larger, she will be squeezed into the gown and then clamped in the back to her bra. In about 90% of the cases, the gown will be three to six inches too long, so the bride will be asked to stand on a platform so she can see how the gown will fall or drape normally.

Sometimes brides come in with a picture of their “dream dress” from a magazine. This works out in about 25% of these cases. Many times, the dream dress turns out to be a nightmare, because of being an unflattering or incompatible style for the bride’s body type or other similar issues. Most bridal gown sales people are experienced in helping a bride determine what works best on her figure. Come in with an idea of what you like but be open-minded and let the salon’s experienced personnel suggest some styles to try on. Often, they will know exactly the type of gown that will make the bride feel most stunning. If the salesperson doesn’t know fabrics, construction, how the gown can be altered and such, move on to the next salon. Where your gown is purchased is as important as what you purchase.

Once the bride finds her gown, it will be ordered based on her measurements. Then she will need to focus on accessories. Veils, headpieces and jewelry are important, but after selecting your gown, shoes should be next on your list. You must purchase your shoes before you receive your gown and have them with you at your first fitting. You’ll also want to have any foundation pieces with you at the fitting to ensure you’ll have the perfect fit once your alterations are complete. Select your veil and jewelry six to eight weeks before the wedding or the bridal portrait if you’re having those taken in advance of your wedding day.

Shopping for gowns can be fun and you want all of your friends’ opinions, right? Wrong! Often brides want to bring an entourage, but that is not a good idea. Usually a best friend (who really knows your style and will be honest with you) and a mom are the best people to bring. Too many people make selecting a gown confusing and often, feelings get hurt. Everyone has an opinion, no one likes the same thing and the bride gets lost in the confusion! Often the guests want the bride to try their suggestions on and either the bride doesn’t want to or the cost of the gown is an issue. Buying a wedding gown is serious. Save the “girls’ outing” for the bridesmaid dresses shopping or maybe bring the gang in when the selection is between the final two dresses. Another special idea is the keep the gown secret until the big day, making the bride’s entrance a really big “ta-da”! In this day of show-all, tell-all, wouldn't it be nice to have a little mystique around “what does the bride’s gown look like?”

A few other words of advice from a salon’s perspective: if an appointment is required, be on time. If you are late, you may miss your time because the next appointment is entitled to have her time protected. If you need to cancel, please do so, rather than just no-showing. Salons often have waiting lists and some other bride would be grateful to have your slot should you be unable to make it. And by all means, please wear underwear; rarely does a salesperson want to see a naked customer!

Yes, buying a wedding gown is serious business. You’ll be making a big decision and a commitment that will drive many other details of your wedding. But it can be fun, too! Just by doing a little research and planning ahead, you can take your time to find the gown that will make you feel most confident and beautiful on your wedding day. And what bride doesn’t want that?!

Be Our Guest

Weddings are truly special; one of life’s most wonderful milestones, meant to be celebrated with family and friends. Often, between gown and tux fittings, cake tasting and budget-mania, even the most normally thoughtful couples who adore their loved ones can lose sight of their guests. While the wedding is technically about you, the bride and groom, you should take care to be considerate of your guests and let them know you’re so glad they made the effort to be with you on your special day.

The most seemingly obvious yet simple way to be thoughtful of your guests is to, well, think about them. Put yourself in their shoes. There are a few factors that will impact your guests the most – travel, weather, food/beverage and the first impression – and by just spending a little time thinking these through from the viewpoint of your guests will go a long way toward making sure your event is talked about for a long time afterward…in a good way!

Travel
Are a lot of your guests coming in from out of town? Have you reserved enough hotel rooms at an appropriate variety of room rates and did you communicate this information to them? Have you considered drive time between your lodging options and the ceremony and reception sites? Did you provide easy-to-follow, accurate directions to your venues? Often when couples have a large number of guests traveling to attend their wedding, they will have both the ceremony and reception at one venue, simplifying logistics for their friends and family. Taking it a step further, having the event at a hotel will eliminate the problem. And, many hotels will give you a better room rate for your guests if you’re having your event at their hotel.

If you do have a lot of out-of-towners, it’s very helpful to provide transportation for them. Buses are a great way to get a lot of people from one place to another – and make sure they get to the ceremony on time. Bussing is also a fun way to foster mingling between your guests who may not know each other or to give far-flung relatives a chance catch up.

Also along the lines of travel is parking. If your venue does not have a large free parking lot, you’ll need to plan for valet service. By all means, please build this into your budget! It is frustrating for guests to have no choice but to valet and then have to pay for it themselves. Even if your event site does offer a park-yourself option, providing valet service for your guests is a very generous touch and your guests will appreciate it. Make sure you explain the parking situation on the direction cards you include in your invitations. And as many guests will invariably lose it along the way, make sure to have copies of the directions on hand at the ceremony site and include one in your welcome items (more on that later).

Weather

While you obviously can’t put in an order for perfect weather, you should consider how weather could affect your event – and your guests. Did you know that May is the rainiest month in the D/FW area? January is the coldest month, while July is on average the hottest (though you probably would have guessed it was August right about now). If you’re set on an outdoor event, you must make a back-up plan in case of rain. Tents take time to construct and if earlier in the week it looks like it might rain, play it safe and get the tent! Other thoughtful touches if you anticipate rain could be a stand of umbrellas for your guests to get to their cars relatively dry or baskets of flip-flops so ladies can save their Jimmy Choo or Manolo Blahnik heels from mud.
 

If you insist on an outdoor event during the warm months, make sure you have fans, ice-cold drinks and other means to keep your guests cool and comfortable. If your event is during the winter months, you should rent a coat rack for the reception. It’s unkind to expect your guests to just keep their coats on the back of their chairs and it will kill the look you probably spent a lot of money on.


Food and Beverage
Let’s be honest, while your guests are looking forward to witnessing your lovely marriage ceremony, it’s the reception that they’re most excited about – the music, the dancing, the food and drinks!!! What a disappointment to stand at the bar and order a drink only to hear, “that will be $6.00, sir.” What?! Just say no to the cash bar. It is in poor taste to expect your guests to pay for their own drinks. You wouldn’t invite guests to your home for dinner and ask them to pay for their cocktails while they’re there, would you? Of course not! If you cannot afford a full open bar for the duration of your reception, there are plenty of more affordable options. You can offer only beer and wine; you can have a champagne-only bar or save by nixing the champagne and having guests toast with drinks “in hand” at the time of your formal toasts. Or you can forgo alcohol altogether and just serve iced tea, coffee or soft drinks.

There are so many options when it comes to food at receptions now – seated dinner, buffet, stations. While many factors will affect your choice of meal – style of reception, personal preference, the venue itself – you also may want to consider the palate of your guests. You and your fiancé may be avid connoisseurs of exotic foreign delicacies but most likely your guests, especially the older ones, will appreciate a more recognizable menu. That doesn’t mean your food has to be boring. Mix it up a little, and make sure the caterer will label the food on buffets and stations. Guests want to know what they’re being offered, and they’re more likely to try new things when they know what they are. Also, it’s considerate to steer clear of common allergens, such as peanuts or shellfish, especially if you know you have guests with allergies.

The First Impression

This one is short and sweet – plan for a little something for your guests to receive when they arrive at their hotel. It doesn’t have to be much, just a personal note thanking them for traveling to share your big day. You can arrange for them to receive it at the desk upon check-in or pay a small fee to have it left in each guest’s room. You can of course get more elaborate than a note – baskets, bags or cowboy hats filled with goodies and bottled water, brochures on local attractions and your agenda for the weekend. But just be sure to include that little note that you took the time to personally write to them to let them know you are glad they came.

 

The Bottom Line
Despite your best efforts, with so many demands on your time surrounding your wedding weekend, it is not easy to get quality time with all of your guests. Even though they may get only a few minutes of your time during the event, your guests will feel welcome and happy to be a part of your celebration if you will take the time during your planning to focus on them and what might serve them well. After all, while your wedding comes and goes in a blur, you will have these friends and family members in your life long after you say “I do.”