~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)

~by Cheryl

After all there is something about a wedding-gown prettier than in any other gown in the world.

~Douglas William Jerrold

[Kristen by Nancy Barrus Couture]

[Emma by Nancy Barrus Couture]

[Alex in a built up Cristina by Junko Yoshioka]

[Marie in a built up Tara Keely]

[Charlotte in a built up Sposa by St. Pucchi]

 

 

~by Cheryl

One of the reasons Avenía Bridal chooses to carry the designers we do is because of buildups. Many of our clientele desire shoulders and sleeves on their wedding gowns due to religious reasons, and so it is important to us to have designers willing to give our brides this option. The best part is knowing the “altered” gown will not lose any of its integrity or beauty in the process. Sometimes, the gown improves!

Here is an example of a great designer build-up, along with some finishing touches by our very own Nancy Barrus.

Liancarlo gown before:

Liancarlo gown after (the bodice buildup was by Liancarlo, but the amazing flower-detailed belt was added by Nancy):

~by Cheryl

Avenía Bridal has recently added a new designer to their collections! Here is a glimpse of Pattis, a designer line that ”offers brides a unique and fresh collection of glamourous and timeless, fashion-forward gowns” (text taken from Pattis website).

Both gowns are already in our boutique; more will arrive soon!

Flora

Charlette

~by Cheryl

Winter is the time of year when we curl up under a blanket in front of the fireplace, read romantic novels, sip cocoa, and dream of spring. What a perfect time for a wedding! 

Gorgeous white lilies and red roses, snowflake and icicle decor, deep reds and light-blue whites –not to mention fabulous gowns! Winter is the perfect time to choose colored gowns, elegant cloaks, faux fur shrugs or wraps, and long sleeves. Here are a few stunning wedding gowns and some great ideas to get you excited about your winter wedding: 

(Gown Sarah K.by Nancy Barrus Couture; photography by Busath)

(Gown by Tara Keely; available through Avenía Bridal)

~by Lisa

It’s been a month since Market Week, but there is still so much to talk about!

The Spring 2010 collection of Badgley Mischka Bride was seen at the beautiful Badgley Mischka showroom.  Jessica & Jennifer were great to work with as we previewed the newest additions to the collection.
 
Badgley Mischka’s gowns were, as always, stunning.  Fine detail, incredible beadwork, perfectly matched veils with encrusted jerels, and fabulous exaggerated jewelry.

Badgley Mischka is all about making you an exquisitely elegant bride.  We also love working with them as they redesign their amazing gowns for those of you desiring shoulders and sleeves on your gowns.
 
Here are some of our favorites:

~by Cheryl

We had a blast yesterday at InStudio Photography for the Utah Valley Bride photo shoot!

Internationally renowned photographer Kenneth Linge and his wife, Marylyn are great to work with, and their expertise is  flawless! Be sure to watch for our in-depth interview with them in the next few weeks.

Briana Stewart, the editor of Utah Valley Bride, was gracious –as always–and simply gushed over the dresses being photographed. We all did!

Suggestions Salon was right on hand with owner, Darcy Moody. The fabulous Natalie and Brittney H. also helped with hair and make-up, creating stunning brides out of our models, Ashley (Liancarlo gown; style 4816) and Mary (Verde by Junko Yoshioka).

Busy, busy, busy perfecting the gowns.

Thank you, Lisa, for helping out with my baby!

Lisa (our Managing Director) and Nancy (our Artistic Director) enjoying the shoot.

Be sure to pick up the next issue of Utah Valley Bride; I promise you’ll love it!

~by Cheryl

Looking for something simple and elegant? Look no further than this fabulous Angelina Bridal Couture gown.

Need shoulders and sleeves for personal and/or religious reasons? Avenía Bridal will be happy to oblige!

~by Cheryl

Some bridal boutiques can provide you designer gowns (with alterations, of course) and other shops can create a custom gown for you, but not very many will provide both options. Avenía, on the other hand, carries designers such as:

Junko Yoshioka,

Badgley Mischka,

Rivini,

Sposa by St. Pucchi,

and Priscilla of Boston (the Vineyard Collection).

(*please note that all of the Designer gowns at Avenía can easily be built-up with shoulders and/or sleeves by the Designers and/or our own in-house alteration studio.)

But we also have an in-house Custom Designer: Nancy Barrus. It is no secret that Nancy excels in custom design. Would you like your gown to be a ball gown?

Simple?

Tea length?

Detailed?

Nancy and Avenía Bridal can help make your dream come true!

~by Cheryl

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!