Winter Wedding

The busiest wedding season typically runs from the end of April through the beginning of October and then things slow down considerably. It makes sense- lots of people want to have at least part of their wedding outdoors, whether it's a ceremony in a woodsy setting or a reception at a local yacht club. Whether it's a glorious, sunny day with clear blue skies that you're hoping for, or surroundings of bright red, gold and orange with peak fall foliage, it's understandable why the majority of brides choose dates during those months.

But there are always a few brides every year who opt for a winter wedding. They're the ones checking the weather report and actually hoping for a cloudy forecast- they actually want something to fall from the sky on their wedding day- they want SNOW!

Of course, formal wear doesn't always mix well with freezing temperatures, so these brave winter brides have to find an extra accessory or two to keep warm. If you are one of those brides, have no fear- we have all sorts of stylish choices to keep you cozy and elegant:

This fur capelet in ivory is about as luxurious a choice as you could make to keep warm for a winter wedding.

 

If fur is a little out of your price range, try feathers- they look almost the same, and are warm and fuzzy, too!

 

Of course, you don't have to be entirely matchy-matchy with your warm fuzzies, either. This gorgeous silver fox wrap looks just as great with this lace Monique Lhuillier gown as it would with a wool overcoat. And let's face it- if you can wear at least some of your wedding attire again, wouldn't you want to?

 

Another thing our winter brides tend to love is sparkle. A lot of brides have been choosing New Year's Eve for a wedding date, so it stands to reason they'd look for a glitzy gown to match the event! Simple sheath gowns with maximum sparkle are the New Year's Eve bride's first choice- they sparkle like the top of the Chrysler building while still being small enough to easily dance the night away in them. What more could you ask for?

 

 

Of course, if you don't want to sparkle head to toe, you can always just wear some bling-y accessories. Maybe a nice statement earring or a spectacular headpiece like this:

 

 

When I was in the midst of planning this blog post, we had a bride in for one of her last fittings and she just epitomized the "winter bride" look from head to toe! Check out Chelsea- her gown sparkles from top to bottom and she found a perfect fur jacket to keep her cozy and warm for her December wedding. We love everything about her look and can't wait to see photos!

 

 

Are you a winter-wedding bride who would like to share her story and photos here on our blog? Email us today!

Meet Our Bride: Tricia

When I was in high school I got all my prom dresses at Madeleine’s Daughter and I though it only fitting that I go there to get my wedding dress!  They had the most selection of any shop but mostly had the designers and dresses that I was particularly interested in.  All the staff were very friendly and welcoming especially my consultant who did a great job of finding the dresses that I had picked out but also other dresses that she thought would fit the view I had in my head of how I wanted to look.  I felt special when I went to Madeleine’s Daughter and had the experience I was looking for.  Even after I found the dress, every step following was organized, easy, and comfortable plus the alterations were excellently done.  Thank you for all your help in getting me into my dream dress!

All photos by Eric McCallister Photography

 

What was your experience at Madeleine's Daughter like? Was it easy? Fun? Over-the-top? Hilarious? Magical? Whatever it was, we want to hear about it so we can feature you on the blog! Email us today and tell us all about it. Don't forget to send photos!

Something Old: Vintage Treasures at our shop!

In an effort to be able to provide our brides with all of their "somethings," we  have added a new collection to our inventory: vintage pieces! A lot of our designers create beautiful vintage-inspired accessories, but when you need that perfect "something old," only an actual vintage piece will do!

After weeks of planning and researching, we finally made our decisions and purchased what will now be known in our shop as the Vintage Collection. It includes jewelry such as bracelets, earrings, necklaces and brooches as well as gloves and beaded clutches, all perfect for the bride who wants a perfect touch of something old to add to her look.

 

These pieces were carefully curated to create a collection of one-of-a-kind items for our brides. Art deco is a trend that is returning along with over-the-top opulence. Picture Gatsby-esque looks from head to toe with beading, pearls, furs and gloves. We hope that our brides will enjoy shopping this vintage collection and if it's popular, we'll be sure to find a whole new set of fabulous vintage pieces for our shop!

 

What do you think of the "Somethings" that brides are expected to wear? Did you wear all of these "somethings" on your big day? Send us an email to tell us about it and don't forget the photos! Or post it on our facebook page- we love nothing more than to hear from our brides!

 

Meet Our Bride: Rachel

Madeleine's Daughter really made my dress buying experience one in a million. This was my turn to feel like a princess that I had grown up dreaming about, and they did just that. They made the experience, fun, memorable and had impeccable insight on just the right dress that I had in mind. When I tried on the final dress, it was instantly clear that it was made for me. My dress and my day made me feel like I was plucked out of a fairy tale and I could not have been happier.

 

What was your dress-buying experience like? Do you want to tell us (and our readers) all about it? Email us today- tell us your story and send us some photos!

How to Choose the Perfect Veil: Part 2

In our first post of this series, we discussed the many different lengths of veils that brides can choose from. Today we're going to focus on the various edgings, embellishments and shapes available and how they differ. There seem to be endless combinations of these, but we're going to break it all down for you in a simple, accessible way. At least, that's our plan...

First, let's focus on shape. The way a veil drapes behind and around you is dependent on how the designer cuts and gathers the fabric. The shape of the cut, or pattern can be done in any number of lengths, but we'll be showing a variety here today.

Perhaps the simplest and most common style of veil is the straight cut- it falls straight down from the comb and is rounded at the bottom. It is typically gathered a great deal at the top- generally the top of the veil is as wide as the bottom, which creates the fanning effect as it falls down.

This shape looks great no matter the length- fingertip or cathedral or anything in between.

 

A simple variation on the straight cut involves creating a more circular shape, but just at the top. This creates a beautiful halo-effect as you can see in this photo:

 

Notice how the tulle surrounds the face a little more? It's so romantic! This particular shape works best with longer veils like the chapel-length veil pictured above.

 

 

Another really beautiful pattern is the circular veil- a style where the tulle is literally cut in a perfectly rounded shape and the comb is placed somewhere in the middle. This differs from the first two veils I've shown you, as the combs are places at the edge of the veil. When the comb is placed in the center, it creates a fold in the veil which causes a very elegant draping effect:

 

 

You can also pull the top layer forward to create a blusher:

 

A blusher is the veil that is worn in front. Not all veils have blushers, but almost all veils can be worn with one and it's easy to add to whatever your favorite veil happens to be.

 

Next,  I'd like to show you a simple oval veil with no gathers at the top:

 

This shape veil tends to be more narrow, as it doesn't have as much fabric gathered at the top. It's very elegant and simple and looks best with some type of trim such as the lace pictured above.

 

Finally, I'd like to show you a full, bubble-style veil. This kind of veil is cut very full and then stitched onto itself creating a bubble effect. It's a very fun, playful, whimsical look, great for a modern bride:

 

 

The other distinguishing detail to decide for your veil is the type of embellishment you prefer, or maybe you'd rather have non at all! We'll try to break it down to keep it simple for you!

 

Ribbon edges are perhaps some of the most common. In the picture above, on the left is a 1/16th inch ribbon and on the right is a 1/4 inch ribbon. Of course you aren't limited to these- whatever size a ribbon comes in, it can be used to trim a veil!

 

Similar to ribbon, another common edging is horsehair braid, also known as woven ribbon. It's a little stiffer, but more sheer than ribbon and has a very whimsical look to it.

 

 

Beading and rhinestones are becoming more and more common for veils, whether trimming just the edges of the veil as pictured above, or scattered all over like this veil:

 

 

Last, but certainly not least is the lace-trimmed veil:

 

Pictured above is Alencon lace on the left and Chantilly lace on the right, but there are any number of designs and types of lace that can be used to trim a veil. You can even applique pieces of lace in a scattered pattern across the veil. The possibilities are endless!

 

That's true of everything related to veils, actually- the possibilities are truly endless. From the exact shade of tulle used, to the length, to the shape, to the various trims you have to choose from- it can be overwhelming! We often find that for many brides it's harder to choose the veil than it is to choose the dress. That's why we recommend you make a Finishing Touches appointment with us, whether you bought your dress with us or not. We can have one of our stylists work with you to create the perfect wedding day look- she'll help you figure out exactly which veil is perfect for your unique dress.

 

We hope you enjoyed reading about the various shapes, lengths and trims used in making veils. Leave a comment below if you have any veil-related questions and we'll be happy to answer them for you!