I have the pleasure of introducing my bride, Trish Coyle, who sweetly offered to write this blog post for me to describe her wonderful wedding day and her experience at Valencienne

My fiancée and I were engaged for almost two years before our wedding, which left me with a LOT of time to shop for a dress. We had booked the date right away and were getting married in an outdoor ceremony at Taboo Resort  in Muskoka on August 11, 2012.  I knew from the start that I wanted my dress to be simple and elegant, but was not sure exactly what that meant.  Looking through countless bridal magazines, scouring designers’ websites, and watching me some good ‘ol reality wedding shows on TV, I definitely knew what I didn’t want – that was the easy part – what I wanted, however, was more of a challenge.

Well before I had planned on starting my quest for the dress, I had already been to a certain store in Manhattan (Randy was in my change room!), had spent my lunch break frantically trying on dresses at a designer sample sale in Yorkville (think of wild animals clawing at their dinner), and had also been convinced by my bridesmaids to spend a Saturday afternoon going for lunch, catching up, and trying on some dresses. I knew I had at least a year before I had to make a decision, so I was pretty lax about the whole thing and did not want to commit to anything too soon, fearing that I would see something I liked even more six months down the road.

It was on a Thursday in late January and I was on the phone trying to make appointments to try on wedding dresses that weekend… apparently along with every other bride in the city. Apparently Saturday afternoon appointments booked up months in advance (who knew), but with the luck of a few cancellations, I was able to get appointments at three stores.

My first appointment was at Valencienne, which had fantastic reviews, but only made custom gowns. I had a sneaking suspicion that the price of a custom gown would be well beyond my budget, and that, really, there had to be lots of great already-designed dresses out there for me – my thinking was, why reinvent the wheel when the gowns of virtually every well-known designer could be sourced in a 10 mile radius of the downtown core? …and then I met Kim.

I remember walking into Valencienne for the first time and being in awe –it was such a beautiful space… regal and exquisite. The dresses were all so different. Each one of them was stunning in their own way. Kim introduced herself to us, and I remember initially being a little intimidated by her – she was a no-nonsense, tell it like it is, get over yourself if you’ve come with an attitude, kind of gal. I felt a little embarrassed that I was wasting her time because I wasn’t ready to buy anything just yet, and wanted to be honest with her – I explained that I wasn’t getting married for another 18 months and was only “looking” at dresses that day to get an idea of what I liked (read: please don’t try to sell me anything).

Kim invited us to look around the store and to let her know if we had any questions. It was then that she spoke the magic words… “These dresses are only a small selection of the types of gowns we make – every single dress is made from scratch… literally – you can have anything you want.” Umm, hello? ANYTHING??? I hadn’t thought about custom in that way before.

That afternoon, I tried on a few dresses at Valencienne and explained what I thought I wanted my dress to look like… simple, elegant, understated, classic… blah, blah… not wanting to commit to anything right away… and then something clicked: I didn’t need to shop for a dress. I had my gal. My gal was Kim. My gal would work with me to figure out the dress. Let me be clear – I am not someone who generally puts her trust in anyone so quickly – especially when signing on the line and putting down a deposit are involved, but it just felt right.

I remember calling my parents from outside of the store, telling them that I was going to have my wedding dress made. They were very surprised, as there had never been any talk of getting a dress made – and probably were a little worried that I had made a decision on the fly and was one I might later regret. I was, however, completely confident in my decision and felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I had my gal. My gal would deal with the dress.

My parents met Kim and saw her beautiful store at my first “ugly” (think ‘draft’ or ‘pre-construction’) fitting and they hit it off right away… every fitting from then until the wedding felt like a freakin’ reunion in the best possible way – we tried on the dress, made some decisions about the dress, chatted, laughed, and enthusiastically listened to Kim’s stories. She has many and the way in which she tells them is brilliant – I am not sure what I enjoyed more – getting the dress that I would wear on my wedding day or listening to Kim’s “lady, you need your own reality show” out of this world tales. I did not grow up dreaming of my wedding or wanting to be a cheesy princess who met her prince, so it really was an unexpected but super pleasant surprise that the dress part of the planning process was so much fun and truly memorable.

Kim and Sonia, one of her amazing staff who has worked with Kim for decades, were there throughout the entire process and didn’t blink when I asked them to make a fairly major change at my final fitting… nothing like adding in some drama at the eleventh hour. This was definitely not their first rodeo – they handled it with grace and poise and kept me calm in a situation in which I would have otherwise been a crazy, tearful, bridal mess.

I picked up my down on our way up north two days later, on our way out of the city. It was pouring rain and the forecast was not looking promising for that weekend. Planning a wedding in Muskoka, you know in the back of your head that the weather is ultimately out of your control, but everything about the weekend had been planned around outdoor activities and celebrations. I was so disappointed and felt terrible for all of our guests who would be travelling to attend, what looked like would likely be, a Muskoka wedding in the banquet facilities of a resort (Plan B).

In the store for the last time, Kim was adamant that the weather would cooperate and that we wouldn’t have to be married indoors – “It does not rain on a Valencienne bride”, she confidently stated. Yeah, right, I thought – she is just trying to make me feel better. I gave her a huge hug, thanked her for everything, and darted in the rain to the car with my dress.

It continued to rain that day. And that night. And the following day. It rained throughout our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, and it rained some more on the morning of the wedding. We’re talking downpour rain, here – not light drizzle.

We were getting down to the wire with the time, and our wedding planner was preparing me for the fact that they needed to start setting up the chairs and floral… and that the setting was looking like it would have to be done indoors. We waited it out for as long as we could, and magically, like “storybook, fairytale, you can’t make this stuff up” perfection, the sky opened up, and we were able to get married outdoors. It was beautiful, and I chuckled at Kim’s words before I walked down the aisle….she was right, it did not rain on a Valencienne bride.

As a bride you might ask yourself, ‘How do these magnificent photo shoots come to life?’ Well I will try and give you a very short overview of what goes into the planning of a creative shoot for a major Canadian luxury bridal magazine.

Each season Angela Desveaux, Editor-in-chief of WedLuxe Magazine, sends out a request to the wedding industry to create a stylized creative for WedLuxe. She comes up with a theme  for that particular issue of WedLuxe and then, as potential contributors, it is our job to take that theme and create a story which translates that idea and turns it into reality which will hopefully grace the pages of her magazine. In the Winter/Spring 2013 edition Angela’s theme was  ‘Cinema’.

When a creative request is sent out – the crème de la crème of the wedding industry starts searching among itself to put together the perfect team and it usually starts with the creative producers and stylists deciding how to translate the idea. Once the concept has been developed he or she will start thinking about who they would like on their team. Photographers get called along with models, floral designers, stationers, cake companies, caterers, rental companies and of course, wedding dress designers. A Venue (location) is decided upon and everyone involved is told what the theme of the project is and just how the producer envisions their creative layout to look like. Once everyone chosen hears about the final details and expectations, all involved  will start designing their very important part of, what is hopefully going to be, a magnificent creative. Toronto brides are truly blessed as some of the best talent in North America is here. Our wedding industry friends put their heart and soul into every project not to mention that it cost thousands of dollars and usually takes up  an incredible amount of time as each one of the team will strive for perfection. Each of us taking into consideration every detail of how their special part will photograph in order to get that all-over perfect shot.  What an honor it is to spend time with such truly talented people. Our photo shoots can start as early as five in the morning and can last as late as midnight. It can be 20 degrees below zero or sweltering hot, it’s simply whatever is expected – YOU JUST DO IT!!! It’s all about getting that perfect shot.

WedLuxe Magazine gets an incredible amount of submissions for the ‘Glitterati style file’  section as well as the WedLuxe blog so if you are going to be chosen, it better be very special. It will have to be in order to catch the eye of Angela and in turn, hopefully, make its debut into this Canadian luxury Bridal Magazine. WedLuxe will only pick about three or four creatives for the glitterati section of the magazine so when you get chosen its quite an honor. It is really very special to showcase the considerable efforts of so many talented people.

The above photos where featured in the magazine in the article named ‘Let them eat cake’ (Volume 6, Issue 1, Pg. 126). It was inspired by the movie ‘Marie Antoinette’ staring Kirsten Dunst. The movie became synonymous with extravagant opulence and was filmed in the grandeur of the palace of Versailles and I believe our shoot achieved that look.

I would like to applaud the design team involved in producing this grand shoot;

Creative director and producer – Anne Anderson Events, Photographer – Gillian Williamson from Ikonica Images, Floral Design – Floral Werx, Cake Design – Alexandria Pellegrino from Cake Opera Co, Location – Graydon Hall, Make up and hair – Jordana Maxwell from Judy Inc., Hats and Fascinator – KC Hats, Vintage Jewelry – Carole Tanenbaum, Invitation and place cards – Palettera, Gown – Kim Ironmonger from Valencienne

The second creative that graced the pages of  the magazine was inspired by the movie ‘The Wizard of Oz’. It was a play on the films transition from black and white into Technicolor and it was named ‘Dreaming of Oz’.

The inspiration for our Valencienne gown was ‘Glinda’ – the good witch of the North. I made her gown with floating layers of polka-dotted tulle, in a billowing ballroom style with a Swarovski crystal beaded belt. This creative was mystical and magical and was a delight to work on with a fabulous group of wedding professionals.

 Produced and styled by Melissa Andre Events, Photographer – Anthony Manieri of 5ive15ifteen photo company, Floral – Sterling Kjargaad, Stationary – Paper and Poste,  Cake Design – Alexandria Pellegrino of Cake Opera Co, Location – Graydon Hall Manor, Sorbet – Chef Jason Bangerter of Oliver and Bonacini.

For the Winter/Spring 2013 issue of the magazine, two producers asked me for a Marie Antoinette gown. I knew that only one Marie Antoinette could make it to the magazine. This next photo shoot is the Marie Antoinette creative that did not make it to the magazine however it was featured on the blog.

This creative is more of a new twist on an old icon, I  love them both. These photographs truly are a feast for the eyes and are very special. If we were to describe Marie Antoinette the words that come to my mind are Beauty, Extravagance, Lavish, Style and Opulence. The work produced was created for you; the bride. Hopefully these wonderful photo’s will inspire you and fill you with lots of ideas. If we have succeeded then we have accomplished our goal.

These magnificent creative’s defiantly celebrated Marie Antoinette’s incredible style. Being involved in this creative was an incredible honor. I am filled with gratitude to have been asked  to work along side stellar individuals. I can only hope to work alongside with any of them again.

Creative Producer – Cynthia Martyn Events, Photography – Corina V Photography, Florals – Fuscia Designs, Cake and Cupcakes- Connie Cupcake, Top Hat – Quirk and Sparkle, Make up and Hair –Faces by Carla Inc, Letterpress Stationary- Sweet Peony Press, Location – The Faculty Club, Furniture Rentals – Contemporary Furniture Rentals, Shoes – Milk and Honey,Wedding gown – Kim Ironmonger for Valencienne.

Featured below was our submission for ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’. It was inspired by the movie of the same name. Our bride and Groom are featured on the coast in the south of Italy. The shoot conjures up a grand hotel nestled somewhere along side of the Mediterranean ocean where smoking jackets and cigars are everywhere, glamorous girls and elegant yachts are in abundance.

This shoot was a bit  difficult as our team are all based in Toronto and a location that mimicked the south of Italy had to be found. Luckily for us, our Creative Producer Rachel A. Clingen found the perfect spot, she built a set to reflect the vision. It took ten people with a start time of 3am and voila the south of Italy appeared before our eyes right down to the rental of a magnificent yacht named ‘The Black Diamond’. Welcome aboard and gather some wonderful ideas for your very own nautical wedding.

The ‘Talented Mr. Ripley’ was a fantastic concept – we all loved being apart of such a unique idea.  The eye candy above was put together by another talented team.  It was about 35 degrees and  our team was just physically and mentally exhausted but we all soldiered on until late in the evening. I hope you will agree that this creative shows the incredible efforts of these very special people  below.

Creative Producer – Rachel A.Clingen,  Photography – Anthony Manieri of 5ive15ifteen photo company, Jewelry – Elsa Corsi, Hats – KC Hats, Cake – Truffle cake and Pastry, Stationary – Laura K Invitations, Menswear – Garrison Bespoke, Event Rentals – Absolute Tent and Event Services, Cigars – Chez Tabac, Catering – Craving fine food market and catering, Location – Port Credit Yacht Club, Vintage wedding gown – Kim Ironmonger for Valencienne.

I look forward to continuing to design my wedding gowns and  having the opportunity to work along side all these wonderful people again. I can’t wait until the next issue of WedLuxe as I am currently working on three new creatives. The next seasons theme is ‘TOP SECRET’ and you will have to come back to learn more – I can’t tell you anymore – its classified information .

I would like to thank AnnaLisa Cammalleri for taking the time to write this blog. It means a lot when a bride loved her experience at Valencienne so much that she takes the time to tell the world all about it. I meet so many brides and I love them all and there are times when you meet a bride and she just exudes personality. The French have a unique phrase for it – ‘joie de vivre’  – and well AnnaLisa is one of these people. We looked forward to every fitting, she was such a breath of fresh air.

Designing her wedding gown was so enjoyable for me – it was one of my highlights last year. Annalisa lit up our boutique every time she entered it. When she finally picked up her gown, we hugged and I have to admit I had tears in my eyes as we both realized that we had come to the end of our business relationship. I thought of Annalisa many times while she was away on her honeymoon. She sent a lovely email saying that she was suffering from ‘Valencienne withdrawal’ and proposed that we get together when she returned. I look forward to seeing AnnaLisa and welcome her in my showroom once again. –Kim Ironmonger

It is now 2 months after our wedding and the dust has settled. A year’s worth of planning (probably more like 2) came and went in ONE day! It is bitter-sweet. Without a doubt we could not be happier to finally be married and begin our new life’s together- but on the other hand we just can’t believe that all the time and energy put into planning such a special day is now a just a memory. Family and friends cautioned us to enjoy every moment – or to take a few moments in the day to step back and just breath it all in. We did or at least we tried- but at this point it all seems like a blur. All we’ve got now are our photos and video to take us back to what is possibly the most important day in our lives. We sat there alone on our honeymoon and just giggled- "It’s over" is what we kept saying to each other- emotions of joy, amazement, shock, and if we can admit, a bit of ‘wedding withdrawal’.

As an extremely decisive bride- with a groom who left all planning and creative direction to me- the overall wedding planning was effortless. The Church, hall, floral, decor, entertainment, and any other small detail you can imagine- was pretty much booked within the first few months of our engagement. I truly wanted the whole process of our wedding to be a joyous one and to run smoothly. In saying this- mom and I thought the wedding dress search would follow suit. Unfortunately- being the extremely decisive bride I had a particular style in mind, and this made our search anything but simple.

We began our search 11 months prior to the wedding date- September 2nd, 2011. We scheduled 3-4 bridal boutiques every Friday for the next 2 months and in some cases on a Saturday as well. I really did not want to be one ‘those brides’ you know the ones you see on TV, the ‘bridezillas’, nonetheless, name a store in the GTA and I’ve been there. This was so uncharacteristic of me and is probably the point where the ‘bridezilla’ in me was unleashed I was so conclusive with everything else- why couldn’t I find the dress of my dreams? If it wasn’t in the previous store, than surely it would be in the next- so we just kept searching. This explains how I ended up trying on over 100 dresses. (Probably closer to 150) Certainly this is insane to most- but it actually ended up becoming fun. Mom and I would make a day out of it- book our first appointment bright and early- maybe see one more store- break for lunch- regroup- see another store or two- and start up all over again the next week. (My maid of honour would join occasionally when she was in town)

I remember each and every appointment as if it was yesterday- the good, the bad, the expensive, the not so expensive, the uptown, downtown, the East and West. I will say for the most part many of the stores were extremely helpful and tried all they could to contribute to the search of my dress. Unfortunately for them it wasn’t something anyone had in a store or off the rack. My dress was something in my mind that seemed to be an assortment of styles that I had seen either in magazines or on television.

We did come close a couple of times. Steering in a completely different direction mom and I fell in love with an Oscar de la Renta ball gown and a second time with a Lazaro ball gown. Both beautiful- both not for me! On a third occasion in a store that shall remain nameless (rhymes with Vera Wang) we found a beautiful lace dress- right up my alley, but required a tonne of alterations to make it become what I was actually looking for. At this point it became a totally new dress. The selection is this store was decent but we found the sales lady to be cold and rude. At one point she yelled at my MOH for having her cell phone out stating “No photos allowed” (First- she was checking an email and second- this was a rule I didn’t understand in any of the boutiques – these dresses were all available to view online so why couldn’t we take a photo to see how it physically looked on my body?) Despite all of this we really did like the dress and we were at our wit’s end with the dress search. We left for lunch and were planning to go back later in the day. As we sat for lunch I noticed my cell phone was missing. Logically it would be in that last place that we were, so returned to the bridal store to claim my phone. As I was going through the phone to ensure it was actually mine- there was a video not taken by me, but in fact by the sales lady. It appeared as though she was snooping through my phone to make sure my mom had not been taking photos. The lady had no clue how to work my phone and accidentally videoed herself snooping. Needless to say we did not return as we were not impressed.

At this point we were essentially done searching for a dress. We were drained mentally and physically. All we had been seeing for 2 months was WHITE! Wedding gowns in every shape, fabric, style, pattern and collection- I had seen it all and was ready to throw in the towel. We were on our way home from the whole cell phone fiasco- it was pouring rain- and we had no intentions to go into another store. Mom pulled up in front of a store I had driven past for years. I knew it was there but it never crossed my mind to go in- Valencienne. She said, “This is the last one.” We went in and all I have to say looking back is “Jeez, we could’ve saved ourselves a tonne of time and lunch money had we come here first!” Kim welcomed us with open arms, calmed us down and assured us there was light at the end of this tunnel.

I’ll admit- as a creative person and a bit of a perfectionist, it was difficult for me to hand everything over to Kim and the team. The day we gave our deposit and began our relationship with Kim, I had a slight panic attach. I thought, most people go into a bridal boutique and try on the dress they are going to get married in and can go to bed that night knowing they left a deposit on a dress they love. We went home leaving a deposit on hope and trust. And eventually it was just something I had to let go of- I had to trust Kim knowing she has been doing this for years, and hope she was going to make the gown of my dreams. Together with the ideas I had bottled up in my head and her expertise- we created something that was amazing and one of a kind. She was open to hearing all of my thoughts, but honest enough to tell me when I was going overboard (I tend to do that). We literally started from scratch- she sketched out my vision, we had a muslin fitting (which freaked my mom out a bit) and we reviewed a variety of laces and fabrics. (I am now a self-proclaimed expert in lace).

Kim and her team must have thought we were crazy- phone calls in between appointments, countless emails, new ideas once we finalized something, I even resorted to sneaking an appointment without mom knowing only to ensure the “sexiness” of the dress which mom wanted to keep to a minimum. Just ridiculous, but Kim was there for it all!

At this point the dress took on a life of its own and it now became all about the dress. It even shaped the theme of our wedding as I was working with no official theme. The concept gradually became all about WHITE AND LACE. When explaining to my fiancé (now husband) what we were up to every time we met Kim I was always overjoyed and could not contain myself. I kept coming back to a quote from the Sex and the City movie, where Carrie explains to her fiancé the all the hype about the wedding,

“It’s the dress…How can I explain this? Look…you play poker, right? Well, the dress upped the ante.” –Carrie Bradshaw

We had an ongoing joke the summer of our wedding where he would ask me what I was most excited for and I would say “I can’t wait to see you at the end of the isle..but I really cannot wait to wear my dress.” I knew he was going to love it and he did!

Our three adorable flower girls also wore Valencienne, I asked Kim to create the “poofiest” tutus she can think of- and I think they came out wonderfully! The girls went through a similar process as mine, only not so detailed. They went for the one measurement fitting and a second to actually try the completed dresses on. Our girls wore those dresses like little angels.

Some may say it is just a dress and is not that important. The truth is it is just a dress- but every bride deserves to look and feel her best on that special day. It is just like any other fashion or clothing item where it becomes an expression of yourself and your style. It is ONE day so why not?! The work that Kim and the team executed on this dress was incredible and it actually became a piece of art. The beading was all hand done and it took them weeks to complete. The lace was intricately placed to give shape and emphasis to my body and all the accessories made by hand were perfection. I was dressed head to toe in Valencienne and couldn’t be happier!

Thank you Kim and Valencienne- I know this is just the beginning of our friendship!

AnnaLisa

Sarahs’ mom, Mrs Pavan, first contacted me by email explaining the situation and the rules of the game, it was pretty simple, ‘My daughter is arriving from Korea. She needs a custom designed gown,  she is 6’5 and she will be here for a very short time. We have to design it and have a first fitting and possibly a second. She is here  for  only 10 days and then she will be going back to Korea. At this point I cannot really say when she will be back for other fittings. Can we do this and if the answer is yes, how can we make this work?’ I thought ‘all good questions…’

I needed a time out, before answering this email – I thought ‘well when she comes in my hope would be that Sarah would fall in love with a sample that I already had in my store so she could try something on and if we needed to redesign some parts of it we could but at least she could leave with a clear idea of what she would be getting. Knowing that Sarah is 77’’ tall my concern was my silk fabric only comes in lengths of 45 or 54 inches so the design concept would be very important, Sarahs gown would need to have a seam either under the bust or somewhere else on the bodice to accommodate her length. No A-line gown for this girl unless she wanted a a cocktail dress instead and then I thought ‘why worry about that now’.  I never shy away from a challenge so I sent my email back to Mrs Pavan with a simple and short ‘’We can do it’’.  I decided that this should be approached like a game of Volleyball – Mrs Pavan was the head coach and I was going to be team captain. My Valencienne team consisting of pattern maker to hand finisher to seamstress was going to win points to give this star player the dress of her dreams. This endeavourer had to be planned immaculately and we had zero time for a penalty.

Give us your time constraints and Valencienne will not let you down. Losing is not in our vocabulary which is why I believe Sarah and I got along so well-  she obviously strives for perfection in her sport, she was the top scorer in the A1 Italian League and the top attacker in Europe. She is the 2012 Summer Olympics NORCECA qualification tournaments, ‘Best Scorer’. Sarah now plays for Brazil and is one of their most valued players.

The big day arrived and it was time for me to volley up the perfect dress. Sarah flew from Korea; over 6000 miles to find her dream wedding gown and I was not going to let her down. She had a real sense about what she wanted and how she envisioned her day. The ceremony was at Cave Spring Vineyard and the reception was at Inn on the Twenty in Jordan. It was going to be a magical, country, outdoor wedding complete with antique cars and vineyards. Although time was short, we had a wonderful afternoon and Sarah tried on a few sample gowns. She fell in love with one gown in particular named ‘Faith’ which was rather funny as all morning I was saying to myself have faith Kim it will all work out, this is no big deal LOL. We changed a few minor things to the gown, we added more Swarovski crystals, we changed the neck to a halter and of course we took measurements and checked the length measurement twice. Production started immediately, the pattern was made, canvas cut and sewn as we only had five days before her next fitting. She was leaving to go back to Korea very soon. The plan was working out very well, the coach was happy, the team captain was a little stressed but that’s my job, our star player ‘the bride’ was delighted and thrilled as the design process came to life. The Pavan family, I and my Valencienne team worked very hard to ensure that Sarah had her dream wedding and that her stunning wedding gown fit her magnificently and that every detail was thought about and executed to perfection.

Planning a wedding from 6000 miles away is no small feat. Designing a gown with no room for error is terrifying not because of the stress of making the gown it is that we depend on suppliers from around the world we are fortunate to have had the same suppliers since we started the business 28 years ago so we have an amazing relationship however you can only control so many things. This is where Faith comes in; I think we can all agree that Sarah picked the perfect dress for her complicated but beautiful country wedding. Sarah wrote me this short note to include into my blog-

Thank you Kim for making my dream dress a reality. With all of the time and height constraints, you were so wonderful and understanding; I can’t imagine trusting anyone else to undertake this task. I got so many compliments on the dress and every time I look at our pictures, I feel so much joy at having been able to wear such a beautiful gown on my wedding day, Thank you so very much.

Sarah Pavan

As we all know there’s always a story and it goes something like this… Sometimes a bride will walk into the my store and I take one look at her and a wedding gown design just pops into my head. I saw Carla and thought OMG, she reminds me of a vintage advertisement for Taittinger champagne. I was trying to remember what famous model had been used and it was driving me crazy. When I spoke to Carla I explained my vision and asked if she knew what I was talking about – I said that the ad was very famous and vintage and if I showed it to her she might recognize it. She asked me to describe the dress and I think she was sold from that very moment. I said ‘let me sketch it quickly for you’ and my pencil hit the paper. Carla was beaming from ear to ear, explaining to me about her vintage wedding theme and how I had captured her vision.

Valencienne is proud to play host to our brides contributions so Carla has put pen to paper in order to share her bridal experience with all of you. She has also included some vintage wedding photographs and we are just thrilled – I hope we can all agree that Carla and Valencienne went together as perfectly as a dry martini and an olive.

July 2011

It is eight weeks post wedding. If I’m being completely honest, at least twice a week since I donned my gown I have gone to visit it in its dust bag. I pull down the zipper, push back the protective casing, and admire the beautiful French lace and Swarovski detailed straps. After getting my fill and returning it to its bag, I promptly put on my fountain veil and saunter around the house. Last Sunday I wore it while dusting, which I do recommend as it really brightened up such a mundane task.

I realize that this may sound extreme to you, and at times I have wondered if its wrong to love a dress this much, but I have since concluded that this is really as it should be. A wedding dress should knock you off your feet, keep you up at night, and make your head spin in just the right way – much like the person you’re marrying. You should never want to take it off, and in fact I am currently brainstorming a way in which I can wear my dress again (a fundraising event perhaps?). I am very lucky that I found my dress, and that’s why I am so honored that Kim asked me to be a guest blogger and share my wedding dress shopping experience. I hope that other girls out there can avoid some stress via my story and find the dress of their dreams.

Contrary to popular belief, most girls do not spend their childhood fantasizing about their perfect wedding. However, I’m sure that any girl has a vague idea of how they want to look, or who they want to “be”, on their wedding day – a vixen, a princess, a diva. I should tell you right off the bat that I found wedding dress shopping nerve-wracking. Especially as I did not have a clear picture of the dress I wanted. I was only set on the feeling I wanted, and also very aware of the fact that in my lifetime, my wedding would probably be the only opportunity I had to wear a gown. Personally, I adore the glamour and attitude of Old Hollywood – light a cigarette, have a martini, swear with enthusiasm, and your troubles are no longer troubles…at least for a while. For my wedding I wanted to recreate that sleek 1940s feeling, and throw a party that Frank Sinatra would approve of. Naturally, my dress also had to capture the spirit of those glamorous times; my dream was to feel as beautiful as Ava Gardner, who I believe is the ultimate bombshell.  I began my quest for an “Ava” dress by visiting some of the most popular bridal shops in Toronto: Dina Alonzi, White, Ines Di Santo, Pearl Bridal…the list can go on and on. Although I found some very pretty dresses, none felt right. Even the dresses I thought might be contenders weren’t really; they all left me feeling like I was settling. I am not someone who has the finances to be a “fashionista”, but I love shopping and was truly excited to begin the search for my dress. Wearing a gown and feeling truly glamorous is at the top of my list for sensational things to do. After all of the failed wedding dress shopping attempts though, I felt really discouraged.

As the time ticked ever closer to our wedding day, I was desperate to buy a dress. Eventually, I narrowed my options to two gowns that had a vintage vibe. On what I called “Decision Day”, with a few of my loved ones in tow, I just couldn’t pull the trigger on purchasing either of them. No matter how much I tried to force it, neither dress was my dress. It also didn’t help that during the visit, one of the candidates was being passed from girl to girl to girl. While it was finally my turn to try it on and I was assessing myself in the mirror, another bride jumped in front of me and squealed, “I just bought that dress! Are you going to wear it with a veil? I’m still undecided!” Even though she was friendly and well intentioned, the exchange just cemented the fact that this was not my dress, nor my bombshell moment – Ava wouldn’t buy a gown this way.

Feeling completely disheartened, I took to Google and began searching for wedding dress boutique reviews. Valencienne Bridal came up numerous times with seemingly unreal appraisals. Brides claimed that after all of their failed dress shopping attempts they had met with Kim, and after chatting for a while, Kim had miraculously sketched their dream wedding dress. Am I a skeptical person? A giant resounding: “YES! I am.” But after all of the wedding dresses I had tried on, I figured I had nothing to lose by checking out Valencienne for myself.

I walked into the store about thirty minutes before closing time. After taking a look at the beautiful gowns, I mentioned to Kim that I was thinking about a custom gown but didn’t know what it should look like exactly. To my surprise she said, “All you need to know is the vibe! You remind me of the girl in that vintage champagne ad.” That’s when I completely relaxed, in a few minutes she already got me and I knew she’d make my wedding dress. She pulled a few of her creations for me to try on, and after doing so and discussing each one, we sat down and she sketched my wedding dress and veil. It was incredible! Finally, I was going to look and feel the way I wanted to on my wedding day. Just like when I first met my now husband, I spent a sleepless night with excitement.

The especially amazing thing about the wedding dress experience at Valencienne is that after designing your dress, your vision slowly starts to come to life. For me this was especially magical as my Grandmother was a seamstress for 71 years. Watching the dress be slowly built, stage by stage, was priceless. I felt like my Grandmother was with me at each fitting.

Reflecting on my wedding day brings forth a lot of wonderful memories and some learning. Perhaps there were decisions that I should’ve rethought, and undertakings that I shouldn’t have let get under my skin. When it comes to my dress though, I do not have a doubt in my mind that working with Kim was a wonderful decision. My wedding dress made me feel fabulous while remaining completely myself. Both the dress, and the experience itself, is something that I will always cherish.

Credits 

Photography – Renaissance Studio Photography

Wedding gown – Valencienne Bridal

Cinematographer – Calico Cat

Reception – Liberty Grand

Decor and Flowers – Luc Leclerc Liberty Grand

Make Up – Melanie Lino

Car rental – Erin Mills Limo

Church – St. Agnes Church

A wedding at Palais Royale in Toronto is enough to make most brides swoon, but add a some luxury decor and flowers we’ll take your breath away. Our gorgeous wedding shoot was recently featured on Wedluxe and we are tickled to share it with you too. Our clear acrylic head table artistically layered with glowing luminaries creates a romantic glow any bride and groom would love. If that’s not enough to take your breath away, our lavish crystal shade centerpieces cascading with flowers of roses, peonies, and ranunculus just might! Or maybe the matching crystal tower centerpieces will catch your eye! Our tufted panels are a dramatic backdrop and give a couture and detailed look. We chose some of Toronto’s finest vendors in the wedding industry for this shoot and we think it is a fine representation of what Toronto has to offer stylish brides. All design, flowers, centerpieces, draping acrylic table, charger plates and panels available from Rachel A . Clingen Wedding & Event Design. For incredible wedding decor and flowers in Toronto, Muskoka and Niagara visit Rachel A. Clingen Wedding & Event Design.

A warm thank you to all who participated in this creative project.

Creative Producer, floral, decor, table, chargers and draping – Rachel A. Clingen Wedding & Event Design

Photographer – Mango Studios 

Stationary – Paper Damsels  

Cakes – The Caketress

Jewellery – Tara Fava 

Chocolat Martini Glasses – Lilas Cocos

Ghost Chairs, french provincial chairs – Contemporary Furniture Rentals

Location – Palais Royale

Hair and Make-up – Judy Inc  Models – Fulcher

Suit – Garrison Bespoke

Gown & Head Piece – Valencienne

It is true, women certainly glow when they are pregnant. With no time to spare she asked me to create both her wedding gown and her bridesmaids gowns. Demetra sat down with her mother and her mother in law, Ida Pusateri, to start the design process. Everyone was so involved – it was such a memorable day. I remember thinking ‘this is so lovely – you get married and two families join’ and in this case it really was special.

Satin silk chiffon was the choosen fabric with French corded lace for the top. We also appliqued the French lace artistically down the sides and back of the gown so we could create a beautifully fitted shaped bodice but leave enough room in the front of the gown for the baby. The gown had layers upon layers of chiffon and was enhanced with delicate beading. Her veil was long and elegant and the edging was scolloped french lace to coordinate with her gown.

Demetra’s bridesmaid idea was for the gowns to be light and airy. She wanted them to be elegant, she wanted us to customize each bridesmaids gown to suit their individual taste and personality. A lot of thought had gone into the colour of the bridesmaids gowns. They wanted the yellow to be strong enough that when photographed, the colour remained, but soft enough that it would enhance the complexion of the skin tones and accent the flowers.

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I will remember Demetra fondly and all her fittings – I felt like I played a part in the most perfect love story.

Demetra and Sam’s wedding truly was a fairytale wedding. Featured below is an except from Elegant weddings’ magazine to show the grandure of the day and what an incredible wedding it was.

Source it :

Wedding gown and Bridesmaids : Valencienne Bridal

Photography: Click Photography

Artage Pictures

Florals centerpieces and gardens created by Pusateri Floral Design

Tent , Draping and flooring was designed by : J J L Events

Food and Catering: Pusateris fine foods

Hollywood Fantasy Wedding

September 7, 2011

In June 2010, Sam and Demetra became husband and wife, with their family and friends joining the celebration of their new beginning. Their aunt and uncle generously offered their home for the joyous event. Using 8,000 square feet of tenting, J J L Events and their expert teams went to work to transform the spectacular space for the wedding day. Every detail was chosen with precision and care, to create an unforgettable day for the couple as well as every guest. Everyone was made to feel like they were part of the fantasy.

It took two weeks to build Demetra and Sam’s dream. Several tall mature trees added to the majesty. And also to the challenge. Tents were custom-made to fit in and around the whole space. The entire area was floored, including the pool, which needed an opening for the spectacular waterfall. Friendly neighbors allowed catering access from their yard. For optimum service to the party, J J L Events We built stepped platforms up to the balcony and had access through the railing.  Decorated canopies led guests from one beautiful space to the next, allowing them to be comfortable, and part of the celebration, at any location.

For special effect, the dining area was hidden with romantic sheer fabric that cascaded down to the ground. On cue, the 60-foot fabric wall was drawn back to unveil a breath-taking dining ‘room’. Guests moved from an elegant reception to a glamorous, enchanted forest. The repeated question, “did they bring the furniture outside or the trees inside?” kept guests in amazement all night. Meticulous lighting showcased the gardens and centerpieces that were created by Pusateri’s design team. Decorated canopies led guests from one beautiful space to the next, allowing them to be comfortable, and part of the celebration, at any location.

Coming from Mediterranean backgrounds, food is very important to Sam and Demetra; they worked with Pusateri’s chefs to design their exclusive menu. Dessert was no exception. Each guest was served gelato in an individual ice sculpture with initials S&D and a five-foot-tall handcrafted croquembouche tower was the wedding cake. Laced with delicate sugar design and artistic detail, both were created by Chef Don Duong from Dessert Trends.
This beautiful wedding was captured by Click Photography and Artage Pictures.
With dedication, expertise and hard work of J J L Events and Pusateri’s, the Hollywood fantasy, aka Sam and Demetra’s wedding, was an experience like no other, a night to be remembered.

Theme Wedding By: J J L Events

I also learned that she loves fashion and has great personal style. She had a very definite idea of  exactly what she wanted her wedding gown to look like and how she wanted to feel on her special day. She showed me a picture and said ‘Kim, here is the idea of what I am looking for’. I smiled to myself because the model in the advertisement was not even close to how stunning Mariana was. I thought ‘We can do so much better’ and I could not wait to get started. I had a corseted bodice in the store that was fairly close to her picture – not exactly the same, mine was more elaborate. It had micro beads and silver Swarovski crystal. It was made of a magnificent French corded lace and when she put it on she exclaimed ‘this is stunning, this is it!’ .I sketched that and then created a very fitted skirt that was draped to enhance her very small waist.  We decided to make the gown a two piece so that Mariana could wear the bustier again. The skirt was made of peau du soie and was enhanced with a little lavender ribbon that matched the bridesmaids gowns.

. Marianna was married on  July 2   2011 and the reception was at The Thompson Hotel. The flowers were designed by Lisa DeRose of De Rose Designs  and The photographer was Chand Munro.

Next years bridal trends are Peplums,  textured bodices and lots of tulle and the colour trend is red and Black gowns. The details are stunning – exposed backs and lots of lace (Thank you Kate Middleton).

Designers such as Oscar de la Renta concluded their shows with striking red ball gowns.

Vera Wang ditched the White and ivories this season and opted for a more striking look of Crimson and Scarlett red.

  Valencienne is happy to report that these looks are on our  store floor including a jaw dropping red ballroom gown.  We chose a peplum dress for  our 2011-2012 ad campaign and we are glad to report that we were ahead of our time. Valencienne has already designed two new lace gowns to stay on trend for 2013. One which we named ‘Grace Kelly’ which is simple elegance with a beautiful lace bolero that buttons down the back. The other gown is form fitting and sexy to reveal a beautiful open back. Every year we design our gowns hoping to capture the up and coming trends and use inspiration from the couture shows in Paris. I had to smile reading twitter on Saturday and seeing Peplums are on fire here in New York. Here at Valencienne Peplums have been ‘Haute’  since 2011. While in New York we see designers push the envelope with the most outrageous styles to get the attention of the buyers and make a statement and even set the trends. Having designed gowns for 27 years, I find those statement pieces, although amazing to look at,  are not necessarily for every bride.  Its fantastic that Valencienne  gets the opportunity to incorporate a current trend and make it more wearable for your body shape and your wedding day.

   Her sister Amy said, ‘I told you Kim would understand you’. Ashlee’s Mom sat quietly observing our exchange and then asked if I could make her a gown. She said that she too had her own ideas of her perfect mother of the bride dress and I soon realized that I was in the company of three very strong women with definitive ideas. This was going to be a winning combination and a very special relationship, one that would hopefully go beyond Valencienne.

WIN

It’s a word that means different things to different people and on this day, the 10th of September 2011, it meant many things to Ashlee – she was Marrying the man of her dreams – Jack.

She had trained her  horse ‘’Reconnect’’ throughout the year while she planned her wedding and entered it into the stakes race at Woodbine the very same day of her wedding. With the stars aligned for Colebrook farms her horse came in first to win the Stakes race. What a rush to be getting a bride ready for her wedding, only moments away, while the bride and bridesmaids are tuning in to the TV, hoping to get a glimpse of there prize horse. Her father, ‘Mr B’ was driving around  nervously in his golf cart making sure everything was perfect. He had been preparing the farm for months previously and it was clear that this whole family seeks perfection. I could not wait to see what the stables and training arenas looked like after they had been transformed by the Decor company ‘To suit your fancy’.

PLACE

The grounds of Colebrook farms is set amongst a magnificent country side. They house a few hundred horses, many training facilities, and lots of land for the horses to roam. Its a magical place and no wonder why Ashlee told her dad as a little girl that when she gets married it would be here. What she probably did not mention to Daddy was that the farm would need hundreds of hours of work to make it Country Elegant. Looking at the pictures below I think we can agree Ashlee got her dream wedding.   

SHOW

Well weddings are all about the show, the beauty is in the details like the dress, the decor or the flowers. A wedding day is a production in many cases – they can take over a year to plan. Ashlee’s wedding gown had 18 meters of silk peau du soie that was from Italy and it took a number of months to arrive. The embellishment was designed by Valencienne and it was created in Dubai. The silver thread embroidery is actually silver bullion and took four months to create. The crystal work was all Swarovski and was ordered from Austria. Ashlee’s wedding dress actually took ten months from start to finish however ‘Mrs B’s mother of the bride gown only took five months.

It was a beautiful, double faced Aubergine colored peau du soie. The top neckline and cap sleeves where encrusted by hand with Swarovski crystals, seed and bugle beads which took over two weeks.

     Each year I have a chance to design many extraordinary wedding gowns for clientele from Toronto and for people who fly in from different parts of the world. My brides always ask, ‘ how do you continually come up with new ideas?’ and I say ‘I really cannot explain it’. The ideas just keep coming (thank God) …however as I write this blog I realize that my answer is too simplistic of a comment, it is not about THE WEDDING DRESS for me, Its all about the people involved, they inspire me to strive for perfection.

I love to tell stories to my brides – appointments are usually one hour but very often go longer.Its so important to create special relationships – I like to hear my brides talk about their jobs, holidays, home renovations, pets, etc. I like to hear about their taste in fashion, what books their reading and what really makes them ‘tick’ as a person. During that conversation, the dress is born. It is at that moment that the magic happens, that moment that every bride longs for. When they see the dress come to life right before their eyes because a creation has been designed especially for them and their individual personality.

Ashlee is a dramatic person – when she talks she is so animated it just makes you smile. The video  honey and dear made for Valencienne was not rehearsed, that was pure Ashlee doing what Ashlee does best – she engages people with her vivacious personality. She is strong yet she is feminine and has an inner strength that is very powerful and I felt that I  had captured Ashlee’s unique personality in this gown. ‘Mrs B’  told me, the other day that it was the absolute most perfect wedding gown for Ashlee and it could not have been better. That type of complement fills me with such pride because, although I design the gowns, it makes me proud of my incredible staff that take such pride in making our bespoke gowns. I feel so blessed to have these special relationships. So in closing Thank you Ashlee and ‘Mrs B’ for helping me realize what makes me tick and in essence, what keeps me in the race.

      The beautiful wedding photography was shot by Zack of  Mango Studios

       Video by Andrew and Emily of Honey and Dear

       The wedding coordinator was Stephanie Gareri of Do this do that

       The Decor and Flowers was by To suit your fancy

       Wedding location Colebrook farms 

        Wedding dress and Mother of the bride gown  Valencienne Bridal