Well, very shortly after I launched Stylish Dish in July, I was contacted by a reader/fan Jen to help style her Caribbean wedding in October. I was thrilled and flattered to be asked to be a part of her big day in any small way. And, we were virtual strangers ...get it..."virtual."(ha)
Could I finally live out my dream of being a wedding planner like Bronson Pinchot (yes Balki) in Father of the Bride? (Just not as obnoxious.)
Jen, like many people, felt completely intimidated by the thought of selecting a wedding dress. And can you blame her? So much pressure for one day. Luckily, Jen and her husband to be were sneaking off to an intimate beach wedding at the beautiful Grace Bay Club in Turks and Caicos so that takes a tiny bit of pressure off. But, regardless of the guest count, the bride wants their wedding to be an unforgettable day where they look undeniably fabulous.
I started by asking Jen a few question via e-mail about her vision of the day, her body type, and her budget. We quickly decided that beachy, flowy, elegant would be the theme. Nothing too traditional, no taffeta or stiff fabrics, no poofy skirts, just "wind through my hair at sunset" elegance. So, the hunt began!.
I spent some time browsing and searching then presented Jen with the 6 options below -- all of which were well within her budget (who knew J Crew and Ann Taylor had so many fabulous bridal options?!)
To my delight she really loved three of the 6 (the two Ann Taylors and the Tadashi One Shoulder). 50% ain't bad. Since Ann Taylor has a great return policy, she ordered both the silk tiered gown and strapless gown (which has some great detail if you look at the larger image.)
When they both arrived she loved them both (what are the odds?) and sent me pics of her hiding out and trying them on in her bathroom (so cute). It was a close race. But, after she spotted the picture below in a magazine (of the exact dress!) it sealed the deal. The Ann Taylor strapless gown was the dress! It needed some alterations (never forget that a great tailor can be your best friend for all types of clothes - formal to casual) but the choice was made -- yahoo! I did urge her to go to alterations asap (they always take longer than you think) -- but more on that later.
As the day approached I consulted with Jen a bit about accessories and her fiance's look but she now had a clear vision of the look and feel and overall vibe for her wedding and was feeling confident about the big day. You can't ask for more.
The end result was perfect and breathtaking! (Thank you Jen and Eric for sharing some of your wedding photos with me.)
(You may note that the dress above is not the exact dress we selected. Yep, an alterations debacle and not enough time to correct it. Jen quickly moved into damage control mode and with her clear vision of flowy elegance in mind was able to find a new dress in a pinch with the same look and feel. Lesson: No lagging with alterations ladies -- for a special event give yourself at least an extra 2 weeks buffer. But, who cares when everything turned out that beautiful!)
Stylish Dish will soon offer personal styling services. Stay tuned!
Michelle you are an awesome stylist! Things that should be simple and come easy, just dont for me,, when it comes to fashion. You made all the difference in building my confidence finding an amazing dress for the occasion and creating a vision that in the end, was exactly what I wanted. Thank you so much! I will continue to read and learn. Your site is educational, but fun and funny too!! thanks again.
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