Trend Alert: Colorful, Sexy Shoes for the Bride

If you have looked through any bridal magazines or on a photographer's website lately, you might have noticed the cutest, coolest new trend - brides wearing brightly colored shoes with their gowns.

Red, blue, green and hot pink...brides are thinking way outside of the shoe box when finishing out their wedding day look.

StarDust is stepping up to meet this need for brides, and we now carry a line of sexy, boldly colored bridal shoes from Allure. Make tracks to our West Plano salon and come try on these flirtatious and fun shoes, guaranteed to knock your guests' socks off when they see you walking down the aisle with a punch of color peeking out from under your gown.

Trend Alert: Spectacular First Dances

Photography by Vera

Whether driven by the wild popularity of “Dancing with the Stars” or the desire to do something different and unexpected, couples have started really kicking up their heels for their first dance as husband and wife.


Many couples take ballroom dance lessons simply to become more polished and confident on the dance floor, committed to avoid relegating this important moment to a memory as bad as the lame “junior high dance sway.” Still others are going as far as working with professionals to help them choreograph an over-the-top, sophisticated and awe-inspiring routine.

VIM Studios

No matter if you do it to merely avoid looking ungraceful at your reception or if you want to put on a grand show to remember, consider taking a few dance lessons with your fiancé before your wedding day. The right time to take lessons is about six weeks before your wedding day so you don’t forget what you’ve learned. Dance lessons are a great way to relieve stress and get quality time together amidst the wedding planning craziness, and it will give you something fun to do together for years to come!

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