Our own, in-house designer, Nancy Barrus, recently had the opportunity to work with a bride who came to Nancy to save a gown she and previously purchased elsewhere.

This is what the bride had to say:

Nancy-

I just wanted to say thank you so much for everything you did for me! You made my dress go from something I regretted buying to amazing. I feel like it was the dress I was always supposed to have and I could NOT have been happier with the results. You listened to every little detail I had to say and the result was breathtaking.
Thank you for everything. I will definitely tell everyone I know!

Best wishes,
Kasey

Kasey came to Nancy near tears and with little hope that she could look beautiful in the gown she had purchased previously.   With hard work and good communication, the pair found the solutions to Kasey’s concerns.

Congratulations Kasey!  We wish you all the best.

The Avenía Bridal design studio creates more than fabulous wedding gowns.  Artistic Director Nancy Barrus and our in-house design team create couture gowns for all occasions, including pageants.

We are so pleased to have recently worked with the reigning Mrs. Utah Valley, Heather Holker, to create her evening gown for the Mrs. Utah American pageant, held in June.  Heather is a beautiful, amazing and impressive woman who lives in Highland, Utah with her husband Marty and their two children.

Avenía Bridal had the great priviledge of seeing Heather onstage at the Mrs. Utah America pageant, wearing a Nancy Barrus custom creation.  With Heather’s input, Nancy created a striking black and silver gown with swarovski crystals, black sequins and flowing silk charmuse.  Heather looked stunning!  We will post photos of Heather in her gown soon.

Heather is currently the 5 Star Legacy Foundation’s National Spokesperson for Children’s Health, focusing on Type II Diabetes prevention.  As a Fitness Expert and a mother, Heather is passionate about nutrition and spreading awareness of diabetes prevention to a global audience.

“We have a vision to draw attention on a global scale to this exploding epidemic through the 5 Star Legacy Foundation Type II Diabetes Prevention in Children Awareness Campaign.  We believe that through laying out the facts and being bold with our message, it will have a significant impact on both saving lives and improving the quality of life of today’s younger generation.”  said Heather.  “When people see a Blue Ribbon, we hope they will think ‘Diabetes Prevention’.  When we know better, we do better, and we make better choices.”

We love you Heather!  Congratulations for being awarded first runner-up in the Mrs. Utah America pageant.  We wish Heather and the 5 Star Legacy Foundation the best with their campaign.  For more information on Type II Diabetes and how to help visit http://5starlegacyfoundation.org.

We are here!  And we are loving it- Manhattan, Bryant Park, Spring Bridal Market and Wedding Channel Couture Show.  There are more gowns than we thought we would ever see in a lifetime.  It’s Bridal Week in New York!

Spring Time in New York City:  taxis and tulips. What more could you ask for?

Yesterday was shopping in the Garment District-a full day of fabric lace and specialty suppliers!  We searched for and found new treasures to be brought home and added to our extensive samples for our brides seeking a Nancy Barrus Couture custom gown creation.

Today will be full of bridal market and designer appointments.

Here, Nancy is experiencing the lace nirvana at Gelmore Lace- French lace importers to Nancy Barrus Couture as well as lines like Badgley Mischka, Rivini and all others seeking the beauty of a true French imported lace.

The lobby of the Intercontinental Barclay Hotel, on the eve of the Wedding Channel Couture Show:  Not your typical weekend – not your typical centerpiece!

Stay posted for the latest bridal news from New York City.

Jenni, like most other brides, came to Avenía Bridal in search of the perfect wedding dress.  What Jenni found was not only her wedding gown, but everything she needed to complete her wedding day look- gown, slip, bra, shoes, headpiece, earrings and cape.

The Gown:

Jenni chose Nora, a fit to flare lace gown with optional lace shoulders from the Vineyard Collection by Priscilla of Boston.  With the help of Avenía’s Artistic Director and in-house custom designer Nancy Barrus, Jenni found the perfect complementary accessories: a delicate feather headpiece, a charming fur cape, strikingly brilliant earrings and custom lace adorned shoes.  She wasn’t missing a detail.

About her wedding day, Jenni said that she felt gorgeous all day.

Thank you, Jenni for sharing your photos (by Darla Roze Photography) with Avenía’s Fashionably Wed.

Jenni was married in January at Zermatt Resort in beautiful Midway, Utah.  She currently works as a hairdresser for Platinum Studio, a salon in Orem, Utah with fabulous owners and stylists.

“We were thrilled to work with Jenni,” said Nancy.

Congratulations Jenni and Jim!  We wish you both years of happiness together.

At Avenía Bridal, we’re all about the details.  That’s why our bridal boutique has the best and largest selection of accessories in Utah. Avenía carries a select assortment of shoes and hand-crafted accessories such as veils, jewelry, and headpieces to accentuate your style and complete your look.

As a full-service salon, we offer a complete range of prices so you have everything you imagine.  Designers like Ti Adoro, Malis Henderson, and Lasting Memories create beautiful, quality accessories, catering to your good taste and your budget.  Our own Nancy Barrus creates jewelry, veils, and headpieces, each custom made for you, so you don’t have to search anymore.  Classic or casual?  Simple or elegant?  Everything customized and designed to match your exact taste and choice of wedding style.

Ti Adoro creates timeless jewelry for the perfect feminine touch.

Tres Jolie jewelry takes simplicity to splendor.

Headpieces and tiaras are available in an assortment of styles.

A Cinderella story isn’t complete without the perfect shoe by Benjamin Adams, Pink, or Saugas.

Stop by Avenía Bridal to view these accessories and more or call for an appointment (801-373-0194).

~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

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!

[Originally published August 28th, 2009]

~by Leah

If you don’t look closely enough, you might just miss her.

Avenía’s Artistic Director and Custom Bridal Designer Nancy Barrus may barely be 5′0, but don’t let her size fool you. She races back and forth between the Boutique –where her expert eye of 32 years in the business is always appreciated–to the Design Studio, where she supervises and advises her staff of seamstresses customizing designer gowns to meet a bride’s wishes and creating one-of-a-kind gowns. With her phone constantly ringing off the hook and her Franklin Covey planner meticulously organized, Nancy is just getting started.

Nancy and Alex T.

However, she is no novice to the bridal field. One might say she has always been designing dresses. At only three years old, the first thing she ever made was a Barbie doll dress. With her mom’s careful instructions and guidance, Nancy spent her childhood learning everything from threading a needle to making her own wardrobe.

“We sewed all of our own clothing growing up, everything. I even made my own wool coats!” Nancy exclaimed. As a teenager, Nancy sewed a new dress for herself for Saturday night dances. “I could never wear a dress twice, so I would make a new one every week!” Nancy said.

Nancy earned a B.A. degree in Design from Brigham Young University by altering and tailoring  wedding dresses in local bridal shops. Apart from sewing, Nancy loves interior decorating, gardening, and even singing. As an accomplished Operatic singer (part of her emphasis in Theatre and Film), Nancy has spent quite a bit of time onstage.

Her acclaimed career in custom wedding dress design, however, began with with her own “I do.” Instead of apprehension about making the most important dress she might ever wear, Nancy was confident and excited by the challenge to create the gown she had always dreamt of. “I love making brides happy, I’m just thrilled when I can make what they want,” Barrus said. ” It’s like a standing ovation to me, an adrenaline rush that absolutely rivals being onstage.”

Nancy and Alex T.

Besides her custom design line, Nancy collaborates with Avenía Bridal to help brides select their bridal gown. Even better? Nancy can transform a designer gown into the dress brides have only imagined. With an over-sized sketchbook, Nancy quickly outlines her impressions of the bride’s vision and then carefully sculpts a piece that adds to the true piece of art already created by the original designer –one that is ultimately captured forever for the bride. A Queen Anne neckline added to the top? Done. A strapless gown that is now LDS Temple-ready, and looks like it was made that way? Done. A light-weight ballgown, tea-length vintage dress, or three-quarter length sleeve addition? Done.

“I love to get the designer’s unique perspective, which in turn gives the bride more options when selecting her wedding gown,” Barrus said. “But then I can help add what the bride may need, whether it’s redesigning a more modest top that looks seamless or just an elegant bustle.”

Twice a year, in April and October, Barrus and her staff travel to New York City to attend major designer fashion shows and select dresses from their collections to bring back to Utah.

“I’m always trying to find dresses that are right for the Utah market, but at the same time add an exciting twist and spin,” Barrus said. “We try to bring fashion and style to Utah that breaks the Utah tradition and offers Utah and out-of-state brides the same type of dress she could find in say, Boston or New York City, or San Francisco or Los Angeles.”

Nancy and Avenía’s Managing Director, Lisa

A quick browse through the selection of dresses Nancy helped select to carry at Avenía shows her obvious dedication and devotion to the artistry in the gowns. Her extensive knowledge of fabrics and keen eye for designer details makes shopping an educating and rewarding experience. “Rivini has fabulous designs,” Nancy says as she displays a hand-embroidered ribbon detail skirt. “And Liancarlo,” Nancy exclaims, “has such wonderful lacework!”

Watching Nancy “baby” her collection of gowns shows that this woman is doing what she loves, what inspires her, and what she has always dreamed of doing.

And to think it all began with a three-year-old’s Barbie doll dress…

~by Cheryl

This was found recently in Annie’s Mailbox, and is something brides should consider when choosing a wedding gown:

Dear Annie:
I am a photographer who has done many weddings. The current trend of strapless dresses, however, has presented wedding dress horrors. Please tel all brides looking for dresses to consider the following:
Strapless dresses don’t look great on everyone, especially overweight or large-busted women. If you feel even remotely uncomfortable in the dress, you will look it. If the dress slips down at all when you walk, imagine spending your entire wedding adjusting it and pulling it up. These things are not attractive. More than once, I have seen a surprise appearance by “the girls,” especially when the bride lifts her arms while dancing or to throw the bouquet. Bending over to talk with children or kiss Grandma presents a whole new problem. I have spent hours Photo shopping out creases, dimples, stretch marks, and unattractive cleavage.
So try a dress with spaghetti straps or a halter, or wear something that shows off your back, but please, no more strapless gowns.
-K.R.

Dear K.R.:
Thanks for your words of wisdom. Brides, take note. Just because it looks good in a magazine doesn’t mean it’s right for you.

Although not every bride needs to say “no” to strapless gowns, it is important to make sure your strapless gown fits correctly! This is one area we know well. Nancy and her team work hard to get an excellent fit to make sure the gown doesn’t slip down. A well constructed gown will stay up better than many bargain dresses that don’t have a lot of structure in them –this is because each gown we alter or custom-make is formed to fit the bride’s unique body shape. As Nancy said, “If strapless is not for you, we are happy to add straps, halters, or an off-the-shoulder option to add ’security.’”

The whole point, as K.R. pointed out above, is to be comfortable in your gown. Comfort does not have to be compromised for beauty –nor should it!

{Gown by Liancarlo}