ONE PRINCESS BRIDE, TWO LOOKS

It’s becoming more and more common for a bride to show off two different looks on her wedding day. Viva has seen this over the past few years with our own brides and previously blogged about celebrity wedding planner David Tutera’s line of wedding gowns including the “Eva” and “Fergie” - dresses that start out full length for the ceremony with the lower part of the skirt removable to reveal a short party dress for the reception - so it came as no surprise that Kate Middleton chose to change her look too. Designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Kate married her prince charming in a fitted white v-neck gown with a long sleeved lace overlay and 2.7 metre train and then transformed into a strapless satin gazar evening dress with diamante embroidered detail around the waist, topping it off with a white angora bolero cardigan. Perfect.

Here are the rest of the details on Kate's wedding day look.

Pomp & Plumage (& Pearls).

Photo: Irene Suchocki

A little bird sent me this listing on Pomp & Plumage's Etsy shop--is that an Oysters & Pearls dress? I do believe it is.

VIVA LA FUSION!!

Everyone knows Barb Cameron the Wedding Photographer - Barbara Ann Studios offers couples a style that is fresh, romantic, sexy and fun. Not only have her images been featured in countless wedding magazines and on numerous blogs, Barb was recently acknowledged as one of Canada’s Top 30 Inspiring Wedding Photographers for 2011.

Not everyone knows Barb Cameron the Baby Photographer - Wee Bairn Photography was launched when Barb’s former wedding couples started reappearing requesting that she photograph the next stage in their life, their newborn baby.

For those of you that don’t already know, Viva recently welcomed a new bundle of joy into the world and couldn’t wait to have Barb capture her on film. We were even more ecstatic when Barb told us about “fusion”. Combining video with still images, the end result is simply fabulous. Being all about memories, Viva had to have this!

And here it is...



While on a personal level we’re excited to share this with you let’s face it, it’s Viva la wedding. So for all you brides-to-be out there, here's a little wedding fusion... That’s right, Barb does fusion for weddings too! Love!!

We have moved (about 10 feet).

If you've been on our block lately, you may have noticed the mysterious workings in the space to our west--it's our new home! The English Dept. has officially relocated one door down to 1128 Alder. Our old space will be home to Lille Trousseau, a branch of our most favorite-favorite lingerie shop. In addition to their always-lovely selection of underpinnings, you'll find wedding-appropriate accessories (shoes!) curated especially to coordinate with our gowns. We couldn't be more excited. Lille Trousseau is set to open early May--watch this space! Now, on with the show...

Clara and Lauren will not let window vinyl get the best of them!

Giselle in Brides Magazine.

 

At the shop we call Brides "the mothership" because it is the biggest, bride-iest, most venerable wedding publication on newsstands. So I was awed and proud to see Giselle in the March issue. Paired with a big splashy peony, which tells me that Brides gets Giselle. All hail Brides!

An antidote for wedding anxiety...

 I LOVE Carrie's story--such a breath of fresh air, and a reminder that you really can get married your way:

Hello Elizabeth and ladies of The English Department!

I have been meaning to write since I got married in February, but haven't had the chance. I was originally going to get married this summer, but wedding stress made us get creative. My fiancé (Martin) and I ran off to New York City, and on February 18th we had a fabulous guerilla wedding inside MoMA (in front of our favorite painting, Vincent vanGogh's Starry Night). We're both artists, and not really the most conventional couple. So to scrap the big wedding and do something crazy suited us well. We did have a few family members show up to be a part of the fun. It was really the best day of our lives.

You made me a Giselle dress with a matching bolero, and I actually also ended up wearing a Twigs & Honey custom headband. I've never felt more lovely in my life. So again thank you, and I am attaching a few photos of our special day for you all to see.

 I didn't even know you could have a guerrilla wedding inside a museum! This changes everything. Thanks, Carrie! You look so happy.

 

Thank you, Lovely.

I truly had a magical time at Lovely last weekend. Thanks to all you ladies who came and played dress up at my trunk show!

 

Thanks also to Cassandra, Lanie, and the smashing Lovely crew for making me feel so welcome. 

It's great fun for me to see dresses from my collection modeled by honest-to-goodness brides (left: "Tempest," right: "Honeychurch")...

...and I always like to bring a few new things (left: "Tea/Blush" gown, right: "Lizzie Swift" gown). So nice to see my work come to life! Now back to the studio...

See you at Lovely!

Tomorrow begins my spring trunk show at Lovely in NYC--hope you can make it! Check the Lovely blog for more details.

THE DRESS YOUR BRIDESMAIDS REALLY WILL WEAR AGAIN!

Every bride-to-be has had this problem when looking for a dress for her bridesmaids - finding something they can still wear once the wedding is over. And while every bride-to-be tries her best the truth is, that bridesmaid dress will most likely hang in the back of a closet somewhere never to see the light of day again. 27 Dresses anyone? Jane (played by Katherine Heigl) is "always a bridesmaid" in the 2008 romantic comedy and has a closet full of bridesmaid dresses to prove it. Fortunately these dreadful dresses have come a long way and Ottawa's best bridal boutiques now carry some oh so chic styles, contrary to what poor Jane had to sport. Styles your bridesmaids would be proud to wear on your wedding day and could pull out again for that New Year's Eve party or special formal function.

One of Viva's favourite bridal boutiques, With Love Bridal, not only carries some fabulously stylish bridesmaid dresses but is now the first boutique in Canada to carry the twobirds bridesmaid dress. It's the dress you can wear 15 ways making it so easy to wear again and again! This dress’ versatility allows your bridesmaids to all wear the same dress, in the same colour, wrapped in the style that suits them best. And even better, because it's so versatile you don’t have to be a bridesmaid to wear it. Viva just might head on over to With Love and get one of these beauties for herself!

New York trunk show April 15th - 17th

For those of you planning a wedding in New York area, I'm having a trunk show at Lovely! My entire 2011 dress collection will be available to try on and order. I’ll also be bringing some special one-of-a-kind dresses and accessories that you can walk away with that day. Contact the dear ladies at Lovely for more info. Hope to see you there!

SAVE THE DATE - MAY 13 2011

Obviously we wouldn't do what we do at Viva if we didn't love all things wedding so we're more than happy to take a short break from planning when a wedding related movie comes out and head over to the local theatre to see what it's all about. This spring, producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Superbad) and director Paul Feig (creator of Freaks and Geeks) invite you to experience Bridesmaids.

Kristin Wiig leads the cast as Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lilian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colorful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony. Annie's life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lilian's maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she'll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you'll go for someone you love.

TO WEB OR NOT TO WEB

The countdown's on! With Will and Kate's wedding only 26 days away, the anticipation is growing and we at Viva know we're not the only ones who can't wait for the big day to arrive.

Knowing that many, like us, would not only be dying to see all the details come together on the 29th but would also be dying to hear about them leading up to the day, St. James Palace launched the Royal Wedding website. The website is the official source of information for anyone interested in the upcoming Royal Wedding and is updated regularly with exclusive content including photo galleries and video.

Wedding websites also know as "wedsites" are nothing new and while not all brides and grooms-to-be choose to create one, they're a great way to keep your guests up to date with the details of your own wedding day. Some like mywedding.com are free while others like wedsite.com offer couples a free 7 day trial with the option to purchase an extension for a small fee if you decide you want to keep your wedsite active.

Viva loves wedding wedsites!! Do you?

Sarah in Eventide.

Photos: Inbal Sivan