~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

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}

~by Lisa

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 and meet their representative.  This is your opportunity to take advantage of trunk show pricing being offered from these incredible designers! 

Please note: Not only is Avenía Bridal the only bridal boutique in the state to offer you Badgley Mischka gowns, Badgley Mischka will add shoulders and sleeves to your gown if desired.

~by Cheryl

It is a common scene: the lights of the Christmas tree are glowing, Bing Crosby or Karen Carpenter sing quietly in the background, and he hands you a wrapped giftbox. A tiny giftbox! Nervously, you open the wrapping just as he drops to one knee…

(image courtesy of Sierra West jewelers)

Many brides have found themselves saying “Yes!” to the most important question amid mistletoe and snow. The nature of the holiday makes sense that there would be romance in the air.  With a brand new year just around the corner, Christmas creates the perfect time to plan for a new future –together.

Last month, we posted some great winter wedding ideas. However, since Christmas engagements usually mean a spring or summer wedding, here are some great gown ideas for warmer weather!

[Shoulders and sleeves can be added to each gown if desired.]

(Liancarlo)

(Vineyard Collection by Priscilla of Boston)

(Verde by Junko Yoshioka)