In addition to the Badgley Mischka Bridal gowns arriving at Avenia for the trunk show this weekend, we will also be receiving gowns from the Mark and James collection!

Want a stylish, designer gown for your wedding day without breaking your budget?  Now is a great time to get to know this newly launched and freshly affordable Mark and James line from Badgley Mischka Bride.  In addition to the BM gowns, the Mark and James Spring 2010 line have already begun arriving this week at the Avenia Bridal Boutique for the Badgley Mischka Trunk Show this Friday and Saturday.  These gowns were introduced last fall at NYC’s Bridal Fashion Week.

These gowns by Mark Badgley and James Mischka offer the same red carpet look, quality and fit the BM line has always provided, but at a more wallet-friendly price.  Call to make an appointment (801-373-0194) to view and try on this collection.

We are excited to announce the first-ever Badgley Mischka Bride trunk show in Utah on March 12-13^th, 2010 at the Avenía Bridal boutique! Be sure to call for an appointment [801-373-0194]  to try on their collection.

The Badgley Mischka Trunk Show will feature around 30 gowns which will begin arriving at the Avenía Bridal Boutique Wednesday, March 10.  Appointment times are available Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13.  This is your opportunity to take advantage of trunk show pricing being offered from these incredible designers.

~by Cheryl

Here is a quick glimpse of some of the gowns in Angelina Bridal Couture’s Spring 2010 collection. And –as always –shoulders and sleeves may be added if desired:

~by Cheryl

Valentine’s Day has come and gone and chances are, many have said “Yes!” to the big question. Did he ask with flowers? Chocolate? A fancy dinner? A walk in the moonlight? No matter how the proposal came, if the end result was in the affirmative, celebrations abound. It’s on to the wedding planning!

One of the most important decisions a bride makes when planning her wedding is the bridal gown. Not only does it need to be beautiful (a must), but it also needs to fit the personality of the woman wearing it. Avenía Bridal understands this need for unique beauty.  Our boutique allows brides to choose gowns from world-renowned designers (altered to fit specific needs, of course) or have their own original, hand-crafted gown created with the expertise of Nancy Barrus (our in-house custom couture designer).

After all, each bride is unique and personal –their gown should be, too!

~by Cheryl

Rivini is a design that represents elegance, sophistication and ethereal beauty –all of which 
is found in one of our new favorite gowns,  Abele.

We are not the only ones to have fallen in love with Abele; Brides Magazine recently released their
March 2010 issue with Abele on the cover!

{Abele is available through Avenía Bridal, and (as always) can be built up to include shoulders and/or sleeves.}

~by Cheryl

*This post was originally published on September 30, 2009

From Dance Partners to Life Partners: 

Initially, Marie and Tiafau met in high school, but he was a couple of years older than Marie and friends with her older brother. However, when he got back from an LDS mission in 2007, she asked him if he would be her dance partner and audition for the BYU dance team. They began dancing together in August of 2007 and were partners for a couple of years. Although they would be together a couple of hours each day for practice, Marie had a policy not to date her dance partners. ”I veered away from that for a really long time,” she said “but it didn’t work!” In November of 2008 they added dating to the dancing. 

Engaged on August 18th, 2009, the couple had to quickly make some decisions about the wedding date. “There was a family situation to schedule, plus we had to leave on a dance tour in October” said Marie. With these considerations in mind, they quickly chose September 25th, 2009 as the big day –a mere 5 1/2 weeks later! Without missing a beat, however, they dived right in and started planning. Marie still had to think of school, work, and dancing, but the hard work definitely paid off!

The Gown:

Marie really wanted an ivory gown with a lot of lace. But as a dancer, she was also going for a modern look. She chose a Tara Keely strapless gown –but she needed some customizations to make it fit her religious preferences:

Because Marie is a petite woman, Nancy angled the skirt onto the bodice. She also removed the bodice and redesigned it to Marie’s desires, and added, much to Marie’s delight, some extra fabric in under the arms for easy movement. “Nancy knew dancing was important to me; most wedding gown sleeves make it hard to lift the arms, but the inserted fabric underneath allowed me to dance in my dress!” 

   

When asked what she liked best about her dress, Marie said “Everything! I felt like a princess. Working with Nancy was so wonderful; she was really accommodating to my schedule. I was so grateful because I was so busy and she met with me whenever we could work it out.”

 

Marriage is not a ritual or an end. It is a long, intricate, intimate dance together and nothing matters more than your own sense of balance and your choice of partner.

- Amy Bloom

 

Congratulations Marie and Tiafau!

~by Cheryl

There is no surprise when celebrities are found wearing gowns created by Mark and James. Badgley Mischka is a reputable and impressive design, from the red carpet to the bridal salon.  People magazine recently featured  Taylor Swift, who happened to be wearing a Badgley Mischka: 

And don’t forget!  Badgley Mischka will be coming to Avenía Bridal next month (March 12-13) for a one-of-a-kind trunk show.  Be sure to call to make an appointment!

~by Cheryl

It’s nothing but excitement at Avenía Bridal as each new gown arrives in our boutique. Purchased at Market Week, it feels like ages since we’ve seen them, and, as Lisa says, “It’s like greeting an old friend; we purchase the gowns several months before we get them into the boutique, so it’s always exciting to see them again!”

Here is the latest from Liancarlo (#4837), which just arrived last week! According to Nancy, “The sheer net skirt is  finished with three tiers of silk satin banding. Cut in a playful circular shape, it has the reminiscent feel of Ginger Rogers; very smooth fitting in the waist, but flaring out graciously into a vintage dance feel. The bodice is beautifully pleated with an incredible encrusted crystal applique, with a few crystals continuing on into the one-shouldered detail.” 

And, as always, the gown can be altered to include shoulders and/or sleeves. Come by the boutique to see this amazing gown!

~by Cheryl

Whitney Merrifield, our very own Miss Utah, chose Nancy Barrus and her team to alter and customize two of her gowns for the Miss America Pageant. On her Talent gown (piano performance), they added nude sheer sleeves with swarovski crystals and silver cuffs to match the beautiful silk charmeuse variegated silver. Her Evening gown was customized to fit her form by adding a keyhole back and a new neckline, as well as adding a scalloped hem around the beading on the front slit of the gown. She was wonderful work with and the gowns turned out beautifully!

Whitney has been competing in preliminary rounds of the Miss America Pageant this week in Las Vegas. The culminating pageant will be held tomorrow night, Saturday, January 30th at 8PM EST on TLC.

We want to wish her good luck!

~by Cheryl

Just a reminder that we will be at the South Towne Expo Center this Friday and Saturday (January 29th and 30th) for the Wedding Festival. Be sure to come and find us!