Monday, September 28, 2009

Bella Bride: Debbie & Pete

Debbie and Pete embraced their Catholic and Vietnamese heritage in a traditional ceremony with gorgeous shades of violet, fuchsias, and chartreuse greens. The couple selected Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church and Thanh-Thanh Restaurant for their big day.


The lovely bride chose an exquisite St. Pucchi gown that added elegance to the special day. Her bouquet was a mixture of vibrant wedding toned floral blended with pristine ivory blossoms that popped with her dress. The floral included vanda orchids, calypso blossoms, cymbidium blossoms, hydrangeas in violet, and a variety of roses.



The bridesmaids wore custom-made lavender sequined dresses that looked beautiful with the bouquets featuring purple hues of hydrangeas, orchid sprinkles, and garden roses.





The reception decor was absolutely stunning with dramatic draping and lighting. The couples monogram lit the dance floor as well as a festive display of fireworks inspired gobos on the ceiling to accompany the couple July 4th wedding date.


We loved the beautiful arch of dangling chartreuse and fuchsia orchids that were draped for portraits of the happy couple with their wedding guests!




Art Bakery created this gorgeous gold toned cake accented with fuchsia orchids to incorporate the vibrant wedding colors. Cristal champagne was selected as the bride’s drink of choice that evening.


The head table was draped with a fantastic amethyst toned silk underlay covered with a gorgeous beaded overlay. The table was adorned with a variety of floral arrangements in glass vessels. The floral included phalaenopsis, cymbidiums, hydrangeas, oversized elephant ears, and coiled bunches of flexi grass.





The centerpieces were a collection of glass bubble bowls stacked and filled with varying combinations of all vanda orchids on the bottom and curved calla lilies at the top. The unique design added a theatrical flare to the tables.

We loved this wedding and all the details and decor that Debbie and Pete wanted to complete their fairy tale wedding. We are so happy to have been a part of their special day and wish them the very best!

Photography: Perez Weddings
Ceremony: Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church
Reception: Thanh-Thanh Restaurant
Wedding Planner:  Bella Flora of Dallas
Gown Designer: St. Pucchi
Gown Retailer: Stardust Celebrations
Drapery: Quest Drape
Lighting: Lite Dallas
Band: The Midnight Beat featuring Bao Han
Bakery: Art Bakery
Videographer: Pro Edit Productions
Floral, Linens and Decor: Bella Flora of Dallas

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

A do for "I DO"

Today’s brides have a multitude of veil choices, including the option to not wear a veil at all. Combinations of vintage and modern chic wedding accessories are making a statement in this season’s fashion trends. The infamous, vintage birdcage veil from the 1950s has been making an appearance to add a shabby chic flare to any bridal couture.

Andrea Polito Mann showcased the vintage chic birdcage veil on her wedding day.


Photography by Andrea Polito Photography (http://www.politoweddings.com/)

While some brides prefer to accessorize with fresh flowers, feathers, or bold brooches to add a modern, clean look to a simple bun hairstyle. The decision to wear a veil or no veil must revolve around the dress because the accessory of your choice should complement the dress.

Bella Bride- Marci Brice Dodier accessorized with a beautiful white flower to complement her loose tousled bun.


Photography by Thisbe Grace Photography (http://www.thisbegrace.com/)


For instance, if the dress is more intricate the bride should accessorize with a more traditional accessory such a finger-tip or cathedral veil. If the dress is simple the bride can really go all out and accessorize with more trendy accessories. So have fun with the wedding day accessories but like any accessory it must complement and accent your style.

A sparkling brooch can add elegance and grace to any outfit.


As well as accessories, hairstyles can also add a fashion statement to a bride’s overall look. Wedding day hairstyles have been seen in a variety of ways over the past years revolving around the traditional half-up, half-down, up dos, or loose ringlets to straightened hair.


Bella Bride-Tally Shimoni Goldfarb chose a traditional loose ringlet half-up, half-down hairstyle to complement her elegant lace gown.

Photography by Thisbe Grace Photography (http://www.thisbegrace.com/)


But this season braids, coils, and messy tousled waves have been seen to add a trendy flare to the wedding day hairstyle.


Bella Bride- Desiree Young Hopper chose to wear her hair in a traditional up do with a white highlight for an additional trendy flare.
Photography by Huy Nguyen with f8 Studio (http://www.f8studio.com/)


Jenna Bush wore a fashionable braid during her wedding nuptials in May.

Photo credit: Associated Press

Photo Credit:
Andrea Polito Photography
Huy Nguyen, f8 Studio
Thisbe Grace Photography
Associated Press
Brides.com


Enjoy the Trends!

Team Bella



Thursday, September 17, 2009

Bella Bride: Caroline & Will's Rehearsal Dinner

A classic rehearsal dinner filled with soothing colors of ivory, green, eggplant, and chocolate was created for Caroline Santos and Will Richardson in February. The couple selected The Crescent Club at Rosewood Crescent Hotel which displayed an extraordinary vision to start their wedding weekend.








A stunning head table was composed of a low lying and tall floral displayed in chic glass vessels. Charming tulips, lush hydrangeas, garden roses, sweet stocks, and beautiful orchids created a gorgeous palette of color. The table had a warm candlelit glow from votives and pillar candles which complemented the champagne linens beautifully.





The tables were adorned with a spectacular collection of glass vases filled with an enchanting blend of green, eggplant, and ivory toned floral. The selection included fanciful parrot tulips, peonies, hydrangeas, roses, hyacinths, and exotic orchids. An accent of soft gold linens and votive candles completed the tables.




For a dramatic addition to the decor, every table was covered with a soft candlelit hue which contrasted brilliantly with the soft warm glow of the room.

Floral and Event Design & Décor- Bella Flora of Dallas
Venue- The Crescent Club
Planner- AK Events
Lighting- Lite Dallas

Photographer- Andrea Polito

Happy planning,
Team Bella

Monday, September 14, 2009

Bella Bride Trend- Jazz It Up With Color!

Over the past year, we have seen many Bella Brides jazzing up their wedding day accessories with colorful heels. This addition of color gives the bride the opportunity to express some personality and fun into their wedding day attire and has become more and more popular. Many are complimenting their shoe color to the colors of their wedding. You'll also see it on the runways as well. This trend came to the forefront after Sarah Jessica Parker wore blue Manolo Blahnik pumps during her wedding day bliss in “Sex and the City: The Movie.”


“Something Blue” Satin Pump by Manolo Blahnik (http://www.manoloblahnik.com/)




Here are a few of our very own Bella Brides who wore colorful heels:

Desiree Young Hopper wore radiant red Manolo Blahniks on her wedding day. (http://www.manoloblahnik.com/)










Photography by Huy Nguyen of f8 Studio (http://www.f8studio.com/)



Shaley Hoover Espinosa wore hot pink Kate Spade heels to compliment the pink hues of the wedding. (http://www.katespade.com/)











Photography by Stephanie Fay (http://www.stephaniefay.com/)


Enjoy the new fashion trends! Happy Planning!
Team Bella



Photography Credits:
Huy Nguyen f8 Studio
Stephanie Fay

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Wedding Show: I do! I do!

Earlier this week, we were thrilled to participate in the "I Do! I Do!" Wedding show held at the gorgeous Arlington Hall at Lee Park. We love wedding shows as they allow for the creative juices to really flow. This time around, we wanted to play with table top decor and "take it off the table" so to speak. Here are a few pics from the table design in soft shades of pink, cremes and ivories.







We simply loved the end results and had a great time meeting so many beautiful brides to be, not to mention being surrounded with such awesome vendors!

Behind the Scenes with Bella: Bouquets

Everyone loves flowers. The naturally awesome colors, sweet fragrances, unique shapes....flowers rock! When designing flowers for a wedding or event, no one really sees the process of creating a gorgeous bouquet or centerpiece like the one pictured below.



The process from concept to actual design is a very time sensitive one with production starting weeks before a wedding. With this post, we'd like to share a glimpse into how things "happen" with bouquets.

After the concept and color schemes are nailed down, flowers are then ordered from various sources sometimes as far as Holland and New Zealand. Once flowers arrive via air cargo it is extremely important to nurture and care for the stems after having traveled out of water for days at a time. Some flowers travel safely with little to no worries (i.e. orchids), but others like hydrangeas, sweet peas, peonies need to be re-cut to ensure they are absorbing water properly.



After flowers are processed and allowed ample time to "breathe", we then begin to allocate each stem to each designated area. (i.e. bridal bouquets, boutonnieres, etc. ) Once that is complete, we then hand wire blooms from a multi-bloomed stalk (i.e. cymbidiums, mokara orchids) to ensure we get the best use of the stem.



The formation process is next which involves designing and ensuring balance in color, form and overall care for each stem. We like to saturate the blooms heavily with a mixture of water and floral preserve during this time so they can be stored safe and sound for the big day.



Depending on the day of the wedding, we then proceed to wrap the bouquet with a fine ribbon treatment to coordinate with the overall design. The final product is always a joy to present to the bride knowing that a great deal of time and patience went into the creation of a fabulous bouquet. Below is a snippet of a bridesmaids bouquet for a super fun wedding at The Dallas Museum of Art.



... and here is the beautiful bridal bouquet designed with a soft textured blending of ivory garden roses, baby majolica roses, fluttery white orchids and dashes of lilac toned sweet pea for a subtle pop of color.



As you can see, the bouquet is just one area of the wedding where details really do make a big difference. They are photographed with the bride and become cherished tokens from a truly memorable day.

In upcoming posts, we will continue Behind the Scenes with Bella Blogs to showcase the other aspects of creating a wedding. From concept development, renderings, linen selections, lighting design, the list just goes on and on!

Until next time! Happy Planning!

Team Bella

Thursday, September 3, 2009

"I Do" Chic in the Big D

Attention Bella Brides- Strap on your Manolos and Louboutins and join us for a chic event on Wednesday, September 16 at 6 p.m. We hope to share conversations and cosmos with you!