new year, new dresses!!

2010 is here!!! WOW!!!!

A quick reminder of our modified schedule for the rest of the week:

Open Wednesday (today) 10am-5pm **appointments filling and appreciated

Closed Thursday, December 31, 2009

Closed Friday, January 1, 2010

Open Saturday, January 2, 2010 10am-4pm **appointments filling and appreciated

Hoping the holiday is festive and safe for you, and you and yours are looking forward to a fabulous and joyful new year!

That being said....who has a 2010 wedding and no bridesmaids dresses yet?!? :) :)

We couldn't be more excited about the deliveries that continue to come in. Seriously, who gets to go to work and have dress after beautiful dress delivered??? This is way too fun!!!

We don't mean to sound so redundant, but Watters brides and bridesmaids are really beautiful this season...here's a sneak peak at some of the gorgeous new girls who came this week....

And this lovely bridal gown - bias cut of organza with the softest dipped neckline...soooo pretty in person!!

We also got a stunning set of Amsale maids yesterday, but we'll just have to hold you in suspense and post about those another day : ) {In the meantime, you can get sneak peeks if you follow us on Twitter! We posted an image of the new Amsale chiffon yesterday!}

Cheers to you in the new year!

XO

Happy Holidays!

Greetings, sweet friends...

Just a quick reminder about this week's modified schedule...

Open Tuesday (today) and Wednesday this week as usual, 10am - 5pm.

Closed Thursday (Christmas Eve) and Friday (Christmas Day).

Open Saturday (December 26) 10am-4pm.

Please know that this week's appointments are quite full. You might want to give us a ring (615.297.9899) or shoot us an email (thebrideroom@comcast.net) to see if we are available when you are....wanting you to have the best experience possible! :)

So many thanks for a wonderful, sweet, happy little year. Your friendship and support means all the world...we appreciate walking by you in a very special season and hope you know how treasured you are! Have the happiest of holidays with the ones you love!

xoxo

{we were completely charmed by the winter-inspired wedding photo above, by anna swain, via style me pretty}

Carrie + Nathan | October 24, 2009

It must seem like every bride we blog about is a dream...or just a delight...or her family was fabulous and having her married makes us sad because we don't get to see her anymore....

And it's true - we do have an awful lot of love for our sweet girls, and we do have a very unique perspective in the planning process...But never have these words been more true than of our sweet October bride Carrie....

Carrie and her mom were absolute angels, with the sweetest approach to the wedding and all the gratitude anyone could ever have....and not just for the gorgeous wedding they were planning, but they were truly grateful for their families and the love in their life. It was so evident and so present every time we saw them. 2009 brought many brides to The Bride Room, and Carrie and her family will long be remembered as some of the sweetest and most gracious people we had the pleasure of knowing.....

Ladies, here's hoping you have a blessed holiday....pop in any time :) :)

Photos generously shared by Joan of Art Photography
Gown by Vineyard Collection
Veil by Toni Federici
Bridesmaids (oh how cute are they!!!) by Jim Hjelm

it is a good time to be a bridesmaid!!

Last week, we promised a dedicated posts to all things bridesmaids, and here we are! Thinking through bridesmaids is so fun because the options are endless.....no longer are bridesmaids dresses a source of anxiety and dread for a sweet friend standing by her bride. We love the themes we are seeing among our many bridal parties right now: wearability, unexpected color, and versatile fabric (oh the crinkle chiffon is so beautiful!)....

Once you pick your dress, bridesmaids dresses can be another big element of your wedding that sets a tone. Long or short? Color? Neutral? Six bridesmaids in black looks entirely different than six bridesmaids in hot pink...it all goes back to what your vision is and how you want to effectively execute it.

We wanted to just give you a brief overview of general thoughts regarding bridesmaids - and, like everything else, we're here to help along the way!

• There really aren't "rules" for maids anymore. We have done weddings with one bridesmaid, and we have done parties of 12 and 14. We have seen long dresses during the day, and short dresses for some of the most formal weddings. It's about making sure the maids fit into your overall picture and it makes sense with the rest of your day.

• Order time for bridesmaids usually sits just shy of 3 months. We recommend budgeting the full 3 months + a little time for alterations (yes, even most bridesmaids dresses need some tweaking!!). We will help you determine a timeline for ordering and keeping the girls on track :)

• All of our bridesmaids ordering is online, simplifying the process for you when your girls are spread out or just living super fabulous, busy lives :) Check out our order form here for an idea of how streamlined and easy it is to order once you decide the style. {That being said, all you May and June brides....not too soon to be finalizing that decision!!!}

• If you are waiting on new styles to come in or haven't quite determined which style you want yet, go ahead and get your girls measured. Professional measurements are critical, as every designer cuts a little differently and it is imperative that the dresses are ordered per the size chart. If they are local, we will gladly measure them ahead of time so that later, they just need to consult the size chart and place their order. We have found time and again that the gathering-the-girls and getting-them-measured is the most time consuming part of the process ;)

That's all the logistics...now, the fun part...oh, girls! The styles are just amazing these days! We are seeing fabulous colors - a current fave is a charcoal/vanilla/blush combo....and bold colors and soft neutrals are abundant. We are just so excited about dresses that are truly wearable and even a little chic....

Check out some of these fab dresses below...We've started getting some new pieces from Watters, and the others are due in store within weeks. Be on the lookout for some info on the new designs, because it's all really beautiful!!

Amsale's crinkle chiffon dresses have absolutely taken off....Amazing, darling, and super, super flattering on all shapes. We literally have not seen these dresses look bad on anyone -- this French Blue color (on the right) ? Gorgeous -it has a grey undertone that is muted and subtle.

{Be sure and check back to Amsale's site in the coming weeks for the new styles- trust us, you'll love them too :)}

A few other favorites of ours this season are from Jim Hjelm...here are just a few coming to live with us :)

Hop on over to the Lela Rose website, too....Last year was Lela Rose's inaugural collection and you girls ate them up! This year promises to be as strong or stronger with classic cuts and feminine details! We did several rehearsal dinner dresses for brides in Lela's ivory dresses, and don't underestimate the long versions of her casual short dresses....they translate very well to a more formal look!

Watters, with their extensive maids collection, has responded to ready to wear trends with cute shapes, lots of volume, and great use of color. Their newest images aren't up yet ...stay tuned...they are on target this year with their signature collection as well as WToo, their lower price point dresses that are not short on style! :)

*Phew* Excuse the lengthy post, but here's hoping it helps a little bit. Feel free to come in and see our collections and get some ideas for your bridesmaids. Would love to help :)

XO

Back to Basics :)

We hope this finds you all well and enjoying this wonderful winter weather :) :)

Thought we'd pop in this chilly Friday with a few thoughts....We expect that some of you might have something sparkly on your list and in your stockings this year; just wanted to give you a heads up on some very general thoughts we have when it comes to shopping for your dress....

*Remember ordering a gown takes 4-6 months. That being said, we encourage you, if you have it, to order within 9-12 months of your wedding date. Most seamstresses will recommend 8-12 weeks, and if you are going to have a portrait taken, that should be your target date.

*What if you don't have 4-6 months til your wedding? No worries! Don't let anyone tell you it's not possible! :) :) We sell samples off the rack year-round, and all designers have options for rush orders. (We don't, however, encourage putting off the decision. If you find something you love, go ahead and order...it can truly set the tone for so many other elements!)

*Bridesmaids dresses take about 3 months to order. Next week, we'll be doing a dedicated post for bridesmaids info only - look for lots of good ideas and suggestions there. Know there are lots and lots of options right now, and your bridesmaids can definitely look...well, not like bridesmaids at all :). Stay tuned for more maids info coming....

*Appointments are not required but are definitely appreciated, especially on the weekends. We really, really, really love hearing about your day, getting to know your vision for your dress, and hearing your engagement stories. We have really fabulous dresses (if we do say so ourselves :)) and want you to have an equally fantastic experience!!!

Finally, if you are unsure of anything, just ask!! You don't do this every day, but we do...we are here to help!

{A little Friday happy for you!!} Stumbled across this great inspiration board via Snippet and Ink and thought the lavender and gold could be a really refreshing winter palette...something romantic and magical about the pastel/metallic combo:

XOXOXOXO

Andrea + Mario | November 7, 2009

Andrea might be remembered as one of the coolest, calmest, most collected brides in the history of all brides everywhere. Even in the photo above, can't you just *feel* how serene she is?!?!? She was excited about her wedding and excited about her groom, but nothing was stressful, nothing pressing.....she was so unbelievably relaxed and confident in her decisions and super kind to us (cookies! she brought us cookies!!:)). It was really, really a lovely experience working with Andrea and her family during this special time.

Nashville wedding photographers Chris and Adrienne Scott captured the beauty of Andrea and Mario's big day, and they were kind enough to share some images. LOVE the close up of Andrea's gown....sooooo pretty.....Love it all :)

Check out Chris and Adrienne's blog, too. Glad we've connected with them and looking forward to working with more mutual brides next year :)

Andrea - we mean it; you were an absolutely delightful bride!!! Here's to a joyful first holiday season as husband and wife...and to the rest of your lives together :) :)

Gown by Priscilla of Boston

Veil - custom by Toni Federici