Happy New Year!

It's New Year's Eve ladies, the perfect time to re-wear your fabulous bridesmaid dress! This Monique Lhuillier tulle dress, paired with a paisley clutch and beautiful bangles is the perfect sparkly combo to ring in the new year! Complete your look with a glittery shade of blush, and you'll be entering 2014 in style!

Dress-Monique Lhuillier, strapless tulle sweetheart dress via Bella Bridesmaid
Clutch-Metallic Paisley Jacquard Minaudiere
Bracelets-Pyramid Stretch Bracelets
Blush-Shimmer bloc in pink mosaic

Real Wedding Q&A

How did you meet your Fiance?

I met Will at East Carolina University during our sophomore year. We were introduced by mutual friends and his sisters were also in my sorority.

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

We both wanted a venue that incorporated the water and our love for the coast. Will is from Wilmington and my family has had a home on Wrightsville my whole life. So having our wedding on the sound was perfect for us!

 
How did you decide on your bridesmaids dresses?

I was first drawn to the Amsale dresses (from Bella Bridesmaid Raleigh) because of the color and the style of the gowns. Once I tried it on, I knew it would be perfect for my girls. The one shoulder chiffon gown was flattering on all the girls and the fabric was great for a summer wedding. My wedding was black tie optional and I felt the dress fit the attire of the wedding, but still allowed them to be comfortable. 

Who designed your bridal gown? Where did you get it?

My gown was an off the shoulder Romona Keveza gown. The gown had a structured bodice and a small train. I loved my dress because it was classic, but still had a flare to it!

What was your favorite part of the day?

I loved getting ready with my bridesmaids and my family. We all got our hair and makeup done together. The whole day was wonderful just having all the people you love in your life all together is so special.

What inspired you when you were planning your big day?

Style Me Pretty and Pinterest were great sources of inspiration for me during the planning process. I wanted the wedding to reflect our personalities. The ceremony took place outside under a tent on the sound at Figure Eight Island, NC. Will and I both love the water and thought it would only be appropriate for us to get married outside on the sound.  Religion is very important in our lives and we wanted to make the ceremony feel spiritual since we were getting married outside. We had a wooden cross made to stand at the end of the isle for the ceremony.  This was a meaningful way for us to incorporate our spirituality.

As for the reception, I wanted it to feel very romantic and elegant. We had a combination of white flowers with gold accents and lots of candles surrounding each center piece on the tables. We left on a boat from the reception and it was so special to look back at everyone we love on the dock all lit up.

What advise do you have for other brides?

I would say to enjoy every moment of your engagement period and wedding day. It goes by so fast and its such a a special time in your life. Do not fret on your wedding day because its not worth it! Just remember what is most important and enjoy the whole experience!

Our Bella Bridesmaids.

 Bella Bridesmaid: Chicago   Bride: Lauren Fritz Walsh    Designer: LulaKate

Style(s): Varied, Sassy Stripes   Fabric: Faille  Color(s): Off-White & Platinum

Bella Bridesmaid: Indy  Bride: Hillary Barnes Designer: Amsale

Style(s): G533C   Fabric: Silk Crinkle Chiffon   Color(s): Spice

Bella Bridesmaid: Westport    Bride: Ellen DelVecchio   Designer: LulaKate

Style(s): Varied   Fabric: Silk Dupioni  Color: Shaddow

Bella Bridesmaid: Minneapolis    Bride: Ashley    Designer: Love Lane

Style(s): Tori-Long   Fabric: Crinkle Chiffon  Color: Slate 
Photographer: Photogen, Inc. 

 Bella Bridesmaid: NYC   Bride: Kate Martuscell​o   Designer: Ceremony by Joanna August
Style(s): Newbury Long   Fabric: Chiffon  Color: Tangled Up In Blue
Photographer: Forevercandid Photography

Real Wedding Q&A

How did you meet your Fiance? 

Davis and I met in New York City at a small sports bar in the West Village in March of 2012- a mutual friend introduced us, just as friends, and as soon as we learned that we were both from TEXAS and even smaller of a world, both growing up in Dallas/ Fort Worth - it was just too good to be true, and still is :)

Tell us about the proposal! 

The proposal was the surprise of a lifetime... We were skiing in Vail, Colorado over the New Year Holiday and let me remind you, we had been dating about 9 months, so marriage wasn't on the mind. On the morning of December 29th - Davis had decided that we should skip skiing for the day and walk around Vail Village and relax - we woke up, put on our robes, started a fire and ordered breakfast...that morning room service came with a diamond!! When it arrived, we sat down and I opened up the service plate dome and there was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen! And before I could even say anything, Davis was down on one knee - I was shocked and had no idea how to react, I just kept crying and saying "is this for real??" and obviously, "yes!" 

How did you choose the location for your wedding? 

When Davis and I had both met in NYC, we were both leaving the city- I was moving back to Texas and he was moving to Palo Alto to get his MBA at Stanford. Once we were engaged, I moved out to California to join him! So we chose our location to be in California, we had both loved the idea of a destination wedding and Napa, was the perfect choice! 

What type of venue were you looking for? 

Romantic, Traditional, and whimsical - which Meadowood in St. Helena is without a doubt one of the most magical places I have ever been to! 

How did you decide on your bridesmaids dresses? Tell us about your experience at Bella!

This was my favorite part! I actually decided on my bridesmaids dresses before I picked my dress!! I loved this new line Monique Lhuillier had come out with! I knew I wanted my maids to have a unique look, not have all of them feel so uniformed, I think every maid should look and feel just as beautiful as the bride! With the wedding being black-tie and my background in fashion, I wanted my girls to have red carpet ready looks! As you can see, I did two different styles and three different colors, which I was SO nervous about but I love how amazing they turned out... always listen to your gut!  Working with  Bella was wonderful! The store in Dallas, was so helpful and so encouraging - when I was nervous about having such a variety in the line-up, they reassured me they would look great...and it did! 

Who designed your bridal gown? Where did you get it?

The fabulous, Oscar de la Renta designed my gown and we had a great experience at the Neiman Marcus Bridal Salon in Dallas.

What was your favorite part of the day? 

Walking down the isle. I had never felt anything like that. Since Davis and I got married outside, we had decided to do a "first look" since we wouldn't have the church effect, where the doors open and WOW! there she is! ...so since I saw him before the ceremony, I didn't think much of walking down the isle, especially since it was close to a 5 minute walk-in...But having a few minutes with my father, seeing all our friends and family with smiling faces and then Davis with a tear or two in his eyes, I was totally smitten. 

What inspired you when you were planning your big day?  

"Formal and Fabulous", that was my motto and became quite the joke with my family "...but is it formal and fabulous enough?!" and Honestly, Meadowood was just an inspiration in itself! Also, Davis and I had gone to a beautiful wedding in Gstaad, Switzerland the year before, and she had impeccable taste. You just have to take bits and pieces of everything you love and glam it all together for one fabulous evening.

 

What advise do you have for other brides?  

Do not overly stress yourself out, everything is perfect in the end- you married your best friend! Do not be afraid to ask for help, but in a nice way, bridezilla doesn't get you very far. And everyone says this, stop and take a moment, take it all in, the week before, the night before, the day and evening of  - it all goes by so fast! ....oh! one last little thing, write down everything or as much as you can during the engagement and week of the wedding, you'll want to look back and read all about it again, I promise!

Other details for girls planning a wedding in Napa:

Venue: Meadowood St. Helena, CA

Photographer: Damion Hamilton

Florist: Tesoro 
Bridesmaids Dresses: Monique Lhuillier, from Bella Bridesmaid Dallas
Bridal Gown: Oscar de la Renta, Neiman Marcus Bridal Salon in Dallas

Wedding Planner: Mellysa Levy from Sasha Souza Events

Make up: Bianca Rubi (Alex Chases Salon, Menlo Park)
Hair Stylist: Jessica Brown

We Love Lace!

Lace is not just for your grandma's fancy doilies anymore! Let's all take a page out of the Kate Middleton handbook and embrace the lace!

Ok, ladies, here it comes...why not add some lace into your bridal party?? It's textured, classic, and down right pretty!

Not ready to style your whole party in lace? Use the mismatched look to your advantage! Luckily, lace is BFFs with other soft, romantic fabrics like Chiffon, Tulle, Matte Silk, Organza...the list goes on. Combine a little lace with other fabrics to add some dimension to your bridal party without going lace loco.

We have rounded up some of our favorite new (dare we say COOL) lace styles that your ladies are sure to love!

Ceremony by Joanna August, Lacey Long in Ivory Lace

Amsale, G844L in Navy Lace

Watters, Hawthorn Style, 4259 in Charcoal Lace

Jenny Yoo, Tibi Dress in Lace

LulaKate, Zoe in Wine French Lace

Our Bella Bridesmaids.

Our Bella Bridesmaids from Orange County, Pittsburgh, Greenville, Chicago and Memphis!

Bella Bridesmaid: Orange County  Bride: Ashley  Designer: Ivy & Aster
Style(s): Coming Up Roses, May Flowers and Paloma Fabric: Matte Chiffon   
Color(s): Light Green, Rosemary & Teal

Bella Bridesmaid: Pittsburgh  Bride: Corinne McGinley  Designer: Jenny Yoo

Style(s): Justine Fabric: Eastern Silk Shantung   
Color(s): Blush, Fawn & Slate

 Bella Bridesmaid: Greenville  Bride: Hannah Mohr  Designer: 57 Grand

Style(s): 5704   Fabric: Matte Satin   
Color(s):  Mint & Ivory

 

Bella Bridesmaid: Chicago  Bride: Kelli Brown  Designer: Ceremony by Joanna August 

Style(s): Newbury Long   Fabric: Chiffon  

Color:  Smoke on the Water

Bella Bridesmaid: Memphis  Bride: Lauren Amann  Designer: Love Lane 

Style(s): Various  Fabric: Crinkle Chiffon   
Color:  Smoke

Real Wedding Q&A

How did you meet your Fiancé? 

Brett and I met after college when we both moved into the same apartment complex in Minneapolis. He lived in an apartment with two of his buddies (both were his groomsmen) and I lived across the hall with two girlfriends…so it was much like an episode of Friends!

Tell us about the proposal!

Since Brett was going to visit his family in Florida for the Holidays, he invited me to a special dinner at our favorite restaurant. This invite wasn’t unusual of Brett, so I didn’t think much more of it. Even when he asked if I’d like to walk a mile to the restaurant in the Minnesota winter, I still didn’t suspect anything despite the strange idea.  It wasn’t until a block into our walk that he asked me if I’d like to stop to read one of those historic information plaques near the river. Since it was dark out and I wouldn’t be able to read it, I knew something was up. And sure enough as I walked up to the sign, I turned to find him on one knee. I was so caught-up with all the excitement that I actually forgot to so yes!

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

When we got engaged, I knew right away that I wanted our wedding to take place at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. It was the perfect location for us, as we both have a love for art and design and was a place I had grown-up going to with my family. It was also fun because we were actually one of the first couples to be married there.

How did you decide on your bridesmaids dresses? Tell us about your experience at Bella!   

I knew that I wanted the dresses to be contemporary, but also elegant. It was also very important for me to be able to offer my bridesmaids the opportunity to pick their own dress style while, maintaining an element of consistency.  Within my requirements, I thought finding the right dresses would be very difficult but Briana the owner of Bella Bridesmaid in MN got my vision right away and quickly introduced me to the Ceremony by Joanna August line. Briana spent a lot of time showing me all the available styles, colors and helped me put together the exact look I was hoping to achieve. She was also extremely supportive and encouraging when I began to slightly question if my look was a bit out there. Having selected my dresses from Bella Bridesmaid was super helpful for my out of town bridesmaids because they were able to go to their local Bella Bridesmaid to try on the dresses [for a courtesy fitting] in their hometown rather than selecting from an online catalog. 

Who designed your bridal gown? Where did you get it? 

I wore “Jane” by Vera Wang which I purchased at L'atelier Couture. 

What was your favorite part of the day? 

I didn’t see Brett until the ceremony, so seeing him at the end of the aisle was my favorite moment by far!

What inspired you when you were planning your big day? 

Brett and I wanted our wedding to be a reflection of who we are as couple. Everything from the location, the band and the food were things that we enjoy regularly so we wanted to make sure we kept true to that vision during the planning process.