~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!

[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…