HEADPIECE, VEIL (OR BOTH)

Since Chelsea Clinton's wedding, the long tulle veil is suddenly in the spot light once again. There are brides like Chelsea who choose to wear a veil without a headpiece and brides who wear headpieces, ditching the veil altogether.  But what about the bride above?  She's wearing my 'Oralie' headpiece with the  cathedral veil.  The point is, you can do whatever you want as long as you feel beautiful.  A few tips on matching veils to headpieces:

The headpiece: headpiece, gown and veil should all work in tandem. Modern gowns go with beaded hair combs, tiaras and any hat with a veil. A more traditional gown will look great with a Juliet cap, a bow, wreath, hair comb. The ultra-formal gown shouts out for a tiara of Swarovski crystal.  Consider also a hat, Juliet cap (classic) or  mantilla.

The veil: No rules any more about legnth of veil dictated by formality of ceremony.  That means you can wear a Juliet cap with a waltz length veil, a pillbox with a very long cathedral veil.  Just remember to keep everything in balance. If you're tiny maybe the huge hat with your veil is going to be a bit much.  Scale down. . .

DAISY AND THE LAST DAYS OF SUMMER . . .

From the Vintage Green Collection, Daisy will make yet another comeback Spring of 2011.  Because the last days of summer here in Northern California can be warm ones, this 100% imported cotton dress is spot on for a garden or vineyard wedding. Versatile, Daisy can be accessorized to the hilt and really Diored up or go casual as an easy and chic silhouette--made of cotton and lined in cotton. The straw hat accented with daisies is a new addition to the hat collection which can be found on the Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal site under Head Chic.

NOSTALGIA

Autumn is just about here when pastels mix beautifully with berries and dried branches. The touches of vintage jewelry here are so inspiring and get us thinking about all those small touches that add so much to a wedding.  Thank you again Naomi at Enchanted Dream Weddings and Affairs for inspiring us with all these combinations of texture and color . . .

TIMELESS

For me Tiffany blue is so classy.  Here, most everything pictured says, "Breakfast at . . . " right down to the mini pound cakes. Once again we have the very talented planner, Naomi V. Goodman of Enchanted Dream Weddings and Affairs to thank for such gorgeousness.

INSPIRATION FRIDAY

source
Flowers have spoken to me more than I can tell in written words.  They are the hieroglyphics of angels, loved by all men for the beauty of their character, though few can decipher even fragments of their meaning. 


 ~Lydia M. Child

THE CHAPEAU VEIL

Hybrids like these are becoming popular and by hybrids I mean combos between hat and veil. These pieces show the sheer genius of the uber-talented French designer, Catherine Alhinc who is a master of the use of materials and elements of design. Tip of the day: To carry these off in the best light your dress or ensemble should be streamlined and free of mass adornment.

FALL FORWARD

Lirette Photography

Fall is a time to be savored and enjoyed to the fullest.  It's actually my busiest time of year and; yes, June is a big buzz and all but here on the West Coast  late summer and fall weddings have always been chic primarily because of the gorgeous weather.  And all those vineyards in the Napa Valley--large and small-- make such great wedding spots in the fall.  Here are a few gowns I came up with, perfect for the relaxed atmosphere of a vineyard or farm wedding . . . .  

 Jeff Hoang

Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal

Embossed silk chiffon sheath silhouette with silk gauze wrap with small silk rosettes dappled allover.

Smoot Photo

 ivory chiffon and Chantilly lace pair up here for this empire-style gown with a square neckline.

 

 This allover Chantilly lace halter dress with a bouffant skirt pairs up nicely with the Venise lace bordered picture hat.

All gowns by Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal

THE BEST OF EUROPEAN COUTURE

Johanne Riss

Lately a few European designers have gone vintage with their designs, harking back to 1930s, 40s, 50s even 60s inspirations.  All these gems have my utmost attention . . .

Catherine Alhinc

White Night

Suzanne Ermann

KLOKLIKLO

POUFS AND CAGES

Smoot Photo
 Once reserved  for the informal wedding, short veils are not only chic for the most casual civil ceremony, we've been seeing them at many ultra-formal weddings lately.  This is partly because poufs and cages can be elegant and easy to wear all at once--no lugging around that excess tulle come reception time.  Also when brides first started sporting them a couple years back, they were a new and different statement away from the traditional veil..  Believe me, I had a ball designing these small confections of net and tulle and they're some of my all time favs . . .

 Scott Williams

Header photo: The bubble cage of Russian netting, still popular this year with the more modernistic bride wanting to add some edge to her look.  Directly above: The floral cage, a favorite of vintage brides everywhere.

I'd call the petal veil above a cage as long as the blusher is pulled over the face. Ivory tulle with  florals dappled  front and back . . .

Above: Three hand rolled silk dupioni roses and a nose veil of Russian net.  Below: A pouf of gold netting,  for the diva bride

Make up by Pretty Girl

Above: Chanel-inspired white jeweled shantung bow with eye veil. Below:  A large gardenia wrapped in Russian net.

Scott Williams

Another vintage gem, 'Two Roses'  matches up easily with any lace or dress belonging to the ages

All head wear and gowns by Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal

SOMETHING NEW

1. 

Sometimes all you need is a touch.  Check out the hair florals with a whisper of plume--the perfect answer to the veil or not to veil question.  Just a little bling on the arm and all you'll need is a touch of Coco, that elegant fragrance so perfect for the fashion conscious bride . . . 

YELLOW AND GRAY

What a gorgeous combination for coloring your wedding pretty.  Yellow and shades of grey paint such a lovely picture. A big thank you to Helena over at SMP Style Circle for doing such an awesome job of inspiring us today . . .

PLANNING A WINTER WEDDING DURING BASEBALL SEASON

Astrid Ritmeester

Okay, so winter's not here just yet but I haven't forgotten all you December and Janurary brides out there as I hope for my beloved Yankees to make the play-offs this season. Brides looking toward a winter wedding might do best finding a dress with sleeves  Believe it or not there are some designers out there offering gowns with mid to long length sleeve variations.  In addition, heavier fabrics like brocade and satin are elegant and help to keep you warm.

Els Hillenius

 I'd say the hardest part of being a winter bride is getting to and from your various destinations gracefully without freezing to death.  The good news is, you don't have to shiver when there are so many chic wraps and cover-ups out there to be had. You can even go strapless or sleeveless as long as you're in a coat or cape.  

John Coenen

Els Hillenius

Do invest in some warm accessories like a fur or faux fur capelet. Opera length gloves are a great substitute for sleeves and uber-chic. Going to and from your ceremony and reception is a cinch if you have a pair of white boots with which to traipse through snow. And don't forget your head. A fur hat or hoodie could be just the right touch to top off your snow princess look and keep your ears from frosting over.

Sassi Holford

SALUTE TO CHRISTIAN DIOR

Christian Dior revolutionized fashion in 1947 with his “New Look”, a 180 turn out of the gray days of fashion following WWII.  Once restrictions lifted on fabric post war, Dior had the freedom to introduce the hourglass silhouette, showing off a cinched waist atop skirts flowing in yards of silks and layers of crinoline. Recently this defined  waist has made a come back and brides are loving it.

 A ball gown can be as romantic a confection as those seen in the corps de ballet, flowing in swirls of white tulle like the gowns above  Thus, sweeping skirts equal sweeping entrances especially awesome on brides who know how to work their strut.



Chantilly lace under shirred tulle makes for a delicate and gossamer look on this bodice.  The waist is cinched with a gray satin belt over  yards of tulle skirt

More Chantilly lace, tulle and shirring, this dress has the added gauntlets.  White rose petals are dappled over the full skirt . . . 

Ivory lace and charmeuse evening gown silhouette has a lace cummerbund and added lace side drape.The pancake hat with tulle veil is one of the signatures of Doir era head wear

Gowns and head wear by Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal Couture

Make-up by Pretty Girl Make up

TULLE-ING AROUND

Divine Images

 A picture hat draped completely in tulle paired up with a tulle over skirt

I ask you, what could say bridal more than a cloud of soft tulle? Tulle is a fine mesh netting with a hexagonal pattern that comes in silk, cotton, nylon or acrylic/silk for power netting. Tulle, aka illusion, is familiar because its the standard material for bridal veils. But did you know it comes in lighter versions and is used in bouffant skirts.? The one pictured below certainly gives off  that ballerina look Vera Wang popularized a few years back. 

Photo by Ron Greystar
The big tulle dresses.  Above: A tulle  ballgown with silk roses and leaves dappled down the back.  Below: Ankle length hourglass silhouette with cinched waist and full tulle skirt and petticoat.

 Ryan Chua Photography

Make up by Pretty Girl

Moving beyond classic bridal fashion and into an edgier vintage look, this bodice is shirred with tulle over Chantilly lace. Three layers of draped ruffling gently fall down the arm.  The waist is draped with a tulle sash

While the big tulle skirt is classic, this A-line is shirred tulle from decolletage to hem.  And don' forget  stoles and wraps can be made out of tulle.  The one above is dappled with soft pink organza rosebuds.  Below left is a pagoda hat  swathed in it and the pancake hat at the right has a pouf of tulle. 

  

Right photo by Scott Williams

 

 Loic Photo

Ah yes, we can't get out of here without one last peek at all that marvelous tulle underneath.  

All gowns and head wear by Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal

SWIRL

Feeling green?  I found this gem on a site called The Nibs Blog.  Martha, editor at Nibs, originally made this inspiration board on SMP Style Circle.  Can you guess why she named it, Swirl?  I'd say she did a superb job finding all the swirly-ques here to relate to one another.  

WHAT'S NEW IN THE GOWN GALLERY?

Finally!  The first piece of 2011's Dioresque series to make it off the work table. Chantilly lace under shirred tulle on the bodice gives an ethereal, gossamer look. The bodice sculpts the wearer's body by way of inside boning and a few other materials I slipped in there to give it structure . . .

The over skirt is 10 yards of tea-dyed tulle over more layers of tulle and ivory taffeta.  White rose petals are dappled all over the skirt. 

My signature row of buttons lines the back, finished off with three ivory silk roses . . . . As you can see, the final product veered a wee bit off the original sketch.  Don't worry though, the sweetheart neck with roses over the shoulder is coming soon . . .