Wednesday, November 28, 2012

LulaKate Matte Silk Collection

We are so excited to introduce the latest addition to the LulaKate family, The Matte Silk Collection!
 
With 36 beautiful shades and 6 brand new styles, these flowy dresses add the perfect amount of style and sophistication to any bridal party.

We caught up with Ellen and Gina from LulaKate to get the 411 on the new collection!



Ellen
Q. How would you describe the new Matte Silk Collection?
A. The Matte Silk collection is a bit of a step in a new direction for us. Instead of using our traditional structured fabrics, we have found this fabulous Matte Silk in wonderfully rich colors that lends itself so well to giving these dresses a feminine and sophisticated look. The silhouettes of the dresses are simple and neat, but the fabric helps to exude a classic elegance that I think most women would love in a bridesmaid dress!


Q. Your favorite new style?
A. My favorite is the Rebecca. I am a bit more frilly than Gina (I'm a sucker for sequins!!) so I like that the double ruffle on the bodice adds a little something extra while still keeping the overall look sleek. Plus, this style is named after my best friend from high school, so there's that too!
Gina
Q. What was the inspiration behind the new styles?
A. The new styles were inspired by everyone here at LulaKate - we all have different tastes and body types so it ended up being a well balanced collection!


Q. Your favorite new style?
A. I am in love with the Adela! I am no frills so I wear it w/out the tie :)


Introduction time!! Bella ladies, say hello to: 
Adela, Ella, Haley, Hannah and Rebecca!

Monday, November 26, 2012

Real Wedding Q&A

Q. How did you meet your Fiance

A. Jimmy and I met on Halloween of our freshman year at Brown. He was wearing a polyester jumpsuit and an afro wig. I was dressed as a “virgin”. I thought he was adorable, but unfortunately he had a girlfriend. We had a lot of friends in common and ran into each other pretty frequently, but we never seemed to be single at the same time. Finally, two years after meeting, Jimmy asked me out on our first date. From our favorite children’s book, to the way our parents met, there wasn’t a topic we didn’t cover. We closed down the restaurant and the rest is history. 


 Q. How did you choose the location for your wedding? What type of venue were you looking for?

A. The Standard Club has always had sentimental value to me and my family. In addition to my mom’s 50th birthday party, my parent’s 25th anniversary celebration and the holiday parties I would look forward to all year as a child, I also had my Bat Mitzvah there. While we did go through the motions of looking at a few venues, I was really hoping that Jimmy would share my love of the space; he did! From the hard wood floors to the high ceilings and crystal chandeliers, aesthetically, the ballroom was exactly what we were looking for: a classic, timeless, beautiful, clean space. The delicious food, spacious bridal suite and expert staff were the icing on the cake.

 
Q. What was your favorite part of the day?

A. I definitely can’t pick just one. In no particular order:  

Getting ready: I can’t think of another time in my life when I have been able to spend the entire day surrounded by all of the most important ladies in my life!

A few minutes before it was time to walk down the aisle I started to get a little emotional. In an attempt to make me laugh, my dad started singing “What’s New Pussycat”, a la Steve Martin in Father of the Bride. It was hilarious.   
 
 
Right after the ceremony, Jimmy and I were able to spend a few minutes alone together. He didn’t want to see me before the ceremony or know anything about my dress because he wanted to be completely surprised when he saw me walk down the aisle. When we got into that room and we were all alone, he told me that the dress I had chosen was the exact dress he had pictured in his head. The fact that we had been on the exact same page and that I had been able to give him that perfect moment made me feel so connected to him and reiterated what I already knew: we share the same values and visions and are almost always on the same page. It was a great thing to realize five minutes into our marriage and I was so happy we were able to have a few minutes to ourselves to take in what had just happened.



Q. What inspired you when you were planning your big day? 

A. A few years ago, I stumbled upon a picture of my grandparents cutting the cake at their wedding. Everything about the picture was beautiful, elegant and timeless. I wanted to plan the type of wedding that would evoke the same reaction from my grandchildren some day.  
 
Q. Was there a theme you were going for?

A. We’re not really theme people. There was no theme, but we had a vision. I guess I would call it “classic with a twist”. While we had our wedding in a traditional ballroom, we did not necessarily make “traditional” choices. I like things to look “perfectly imperfect” and I love texture. For example, we went for a butter cream cake instead of fondant, and used snapdragons and gladiolas in our floral arrangements instead of more traditional roses.

 

Q. What made you decide to do varied designers, styles, etc. for your bridesmaids dresses?

A. All of my bridesmaids have amazing and distinct personal style, and I wanted to honor that. It was more important to me that they all felt beautiful than that they all matched, but I didn’t want them to look disjointed, so I limited the color palate. The look was very: “look at my seven best friends hanging out together looking gorgeous and happy, and oh wait, they all happen to be wearing blush”. I wanted a sort of relaxed perfection. Additionally, I let them chose their own shoes, jewelry, hairstyles and make-up to complete the look.
 

Q. What advice do you have for other brides?

A. Stay true to yourself and your style and don’t get caught up in the trends of the moment. Listen to the experts, but if it doesn’t sound like “you”, have the confidence to go with your gut.

Also, I know everyone says this, but make sure you take a few minutes to notice all the details. We spent a whole year making sure everything was absolutely perfect, and then we got so wrapped up in the night that we forget to take a look around. Thank God for our amazing photographers! 


Wedding Photography: Artisan Events, Oak Park, IL/ Reception: The Standard Club, Chicago, IL / Bridal Gown: Christos from Belle Vie, Chicago, IL/ Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Varied Styles from Bella Bridesmaid Chicago, IL

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Our Bella Bridesmaids!

Just a few of our favorites from the week! These ladies look fabulous in dresses from Bella Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Charleston, Raleigh and NYC!
 
Bella Bridesmaid Jacksonville Bride: Kristen Cooper  Designer: LulaKate
Style(s): Various  Fabric: Poly Shantung  Color: Black
Photographer: Kris Graham Photography

Bella Bridesmaid: Indianapolis  Bride: Alane Summers  Designer: Alfred Sung
Style(s): Various   Fabric: Dupioni  Color: Majestic
Photographer: Meg Miller Photography

Bella Bridesmaid: Charleston  Bride: Anne Jenkinson   Designer: LulaKate
Style(s): Various   Fabric: Satin   Color: Melon
Photographer: Clay Austin Photography
 
Bella Bridesmaid: Raleigh Bride: Mary Kate   Designer: Amsale
  Style: G530C Fabric: Silk Crinkle Chiffon  Color: Blush
Photographer: Walters and Walters

Bella Bridesmaid: New York City Bride: Kathryn McDonald  Designer: Monique Lhuillier
Style: 450036  Fabric: Chiffon Color: Black
Photographer: Ferrara Photography

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Blazin' Boleros!

We LOVE a sparkly jacket for the holidays- style and shine in one quick add-on! You know who else loves to cover their shoulders with sequins for festive events? BRIDESMAIDS!

That’s why we are seriously crushing on these Elle & Jae boleros and jackets with glitter, gilding, and glam for days!

            Marina                                                         Amelia                                                 Portia
After the big day, rewear your bolero with jeans and a tank OR over your re-worked bridesmaid dress for  any special occasion. It is the perfect way to add style and pizzazz to any outfit. Shine on, ladies, shine on!





Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Sneak Peek: MAMIE + JAMES 2013 Collection




We caught up with Loren James of Mamie + James to find out the inspiration behind her vintage inspired 2013 collection. 

The 2013 Collection allowed me to add a bit of dimension to Mamie+James. I really focused my inspiration on dress silhouettes from the 40s and 50s, when being a lady was incredibly chic. I’ve stayed true to creating fabulous cocktail dress options with gorgeous details such as rhinestone buttons, but have also added in looks that are more evening wear focused. Full length and chiffon skirts are now a part of the Mix+Match option for brides who want a more evening or ethereal look. 

Classic silhouettes are combined with dropped backs and sweet details that make a girl feel daring, while still remaining a true lady.




As with everything with M+J there is always a story behind each new dress addition. 
For the bride who wants something more daring I now offer a vintage inspired floral print. The Lorene Vintage Inspired Floral print is based off a dress my grandmother, Lorene, created. When I wear her dress receive so many compliments. I just knew I had to offer this fabric to other girls!
 

1. Etoile, skirt No. 10, mini  2. Dore, skirt No. 11, mini  3. Dore, skirt No. 11, long   4. Julien, skirt No. 3, mini
5. Etoile, skirt No. 10 long 6. Muse, skirt No. 6, mini 7. Coquette, skirt No. 1, cocktail  8. Julien, skirt No. 3, long
9. Panache, skirt No. 12, cocktail  10. Reverie, skirt No. 9, tea  11. Rendezvous, No. 8 mini 12. Rendezvous, No. 7
13. Joie, skirt No. 13, cocktail  14. Muse, skirt No. 2, long 15. Belle with skirt No.2, mini  16. Bonne Chance, skirt No. 4, mini 17. Bonne Chance, skirt No. 6, cocktail

Friday, November 9, 2012

Real Wedding Q&A

Our Bella bride, Andrea Huber, chose darling LulaKate bridesmaids dresses from the Bella Bridesmaid in Madison, New Jersey for her wedding. We couldn't get enough of her colorful celebration and had to know more! This New Jersey native took us through her picturesque beach nuptials and the inspiration behind planning her big day!!


Q. How did you meet your fiance?

A. I met my fiance at a bar in Belmar, NJ. He was bartending. I walked in and noticed him right away, but my sister and I were trying to have a girls night, so I told myself to forget about him. I also had given up on men at this point, haha. Anyway, a group of guys had asked if they could buy us a drink. We all got to talking and it ended up that the guys who bought us the drinks were friends with the bartender. I asked the important question- if he was single- and they said he was! I ended up talking to him that night and got his number. We hung out pretty much every day after that!



 
Q. How did you choose the location for your wedding? What type of venue were you looking for?

A. From the time I was a little girl I always wanted to have a beach wedding so that was an easy decision for me. I had gone to many weddings where the reception area had no windows and I was set on having windows. My mom and I looked at two places down the shore and knew the second place we looked at was it! The ceremony took place on the sand and cocktail hour took place on the deck. The inside where the reception took place had windows looking out at the ocean on one side and the river on the other. There was also a deck right outside the reception area, which people enjoyed.
Q. What made you decide to do varied styles, colors, etc. for your bridesmaid dresses?
A. I knew I always wanted to do varied styles. The different colors came a little bit later into the wedding planning. I had seen pictures of a girls wedding that I went to high school with on facebook and she did different colored dresses. From then on I knew I wanted two different styles and different colors. I gave the girls an option of wearing strapless or straps and let them choose what color they wanted to wear.


Dresses by LulaKate from Bella Bridesmaid Madison

Q. What was your favorite part of the day?

A. My favorite part of the day was seeing my fiance as I walked down the aisle. It's an amazing feeling and it makes you realize all the fun, stressful, crazy moments of planning a wedding are worth it. 


Q. What inspired you when you were planning your big day?

A. The beach was a huge inspiration for my day. My parents always took me to the beach on the weekends when I was younger and then they finally bought a beach house when I was older. I grew up in North Jersey, but I am a beach girl at heart and knew that was exactly the kind of wedding I wanted. 



Q. What advise do you have for other brides?

A. Planning a wedding can be stressful at times, but it's all worth it in the end. I added little details here and there and people loved them- for example, the beach badges, the flip flops for the guests to wear, the pails along the aisle. The guests also liked the fact that I matched the color of each groomsmen’s tie with the color of the bridesmaid dresses. Take time to throw in your own special ideas. But most of all, take in the whole day!! It goes by so fast! 



 
Wedding Photography: Charlie Ortiz of Middletown, New Jersey/ Reception: Windows on the Water in Sea Bright, New Jersey / Bridal Gown: Christos from I do, I do, Morristown, New Jersey/ Bridesmaids’ Dresses: LulaKate from Bella Bridesmaid Madison, NJ

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

WHO WORE IT BEST?

There is no doubt that these women are simply stunning in their Amsale silk crinkle chiffon dresses, but we want to know who YOU think wore it best!

Ellen Pompeo donned a simple, sweetheart gown as a bridesmaid in Izzy's wedding to Alex on Grey's Anatomy. Jessica Alba waltzed down the aisle at her friend's nuptials in a French Blue one shoulder style with a romantic ruffle.

We love a nice neutral, especially with Meredith's relaxed waves, but we have to hand it to Jessica's bride who dared to go 'ombre' before the trend was a trend. Tell us who you think wore Amsale best!

P.S. We miss Denny!!

Friday, November 2, 2012

Our Bella Bridesmaids!

We love seeing our bridal parties in their fabulous Bella dresses! Here are some of our brides looking stunning in dresses from Bella Bridesmaid Jacksonville, Madison, Charleston, Chicago and Raleigh… 


Bella Bridesmaid Jacksonville  Bride: Christie Messer  Designer:  LulaKate
Style(s): Various Fabric: Silk Shantung  Color: Sand

Photographer: Brooke Images

Bella Bridesmaid: Madison  Bride: Keri Bond   Designer: Amsale
Style(s): Various  Fabric: Silk Crinkle Chiffon  Color: Blush

 Photographer: Cassi Claire


Bella Bridesmaid: Charleston  Bride: Brooke Jackson Sprayberry  Designer: LulaKate
Style: Jamie top with full skirt  Fabric: Dupioni  Color: Paradise

Photographer: Courtney Dox Photography

Bella Bridesmaid: Chicago Bride: Mallory Paulus Designer: Dessy Collection 
Style: 2860  Fabric: Lux Chiffon  Color: Topaz

Photographer: Emilia Jane Photography

Bella Bridesmaid: Raleigh  Bride: Ashley Sopko  Designer: LulaKate 
Style(s): Maggie and Zoe Fabric: Silk Shantung Color: Ivory/Cornsilk

Photographer: Jones Photography