Our Favorite Things: Dresses

Photo by Corina Lecca

I'm continuing my never-ending (!) review of our favorite things from 2009.

The wedding gown...

It's often the first thing a bride chooses in the wedding planning process. And why not? For many women, they've imagined themselves in a wedding gown since they were a little girl. (I know I did!) There's just something about seeing a woman in a wedding gown that feels somehow... important. Magical.

Here are some of the magical gowns worn by our brides last year!

First up is Sarah, married last May in the Rose Garden at Ault Park. Sarah is a fashion model in New York City, so when it came time for her to choose a dress, she had many couture options available to her. She chose to wear a gorgeous Oscar de la Renta wedding gown (which fit her like a glove, given the samples of these dresses are made to fit her body, specifically!). The dress is white guipure lace with a portrait neckline and full skirt - or as Sarah likes to describe it, "yummy guipure handmade lace." Stunning!

Sarah's photos courtesy of Jen Francis from Essenza Studio.

Wow, I love the intricate lace detail in her dress.

I can't write about Sarah without sharing that she is the oldest of NINE siblings in her family! Yes, all from the same parents and YES, her parents are still very happily married. It was hard to take care of Sarah on the wedding day because, as the oldest, she was always taking care of everyone else! Her family is truly beautiful in every way and it was apparent that there is an amazingly tight bond among all of them. Naturally, her family was very involved in the wedding day, but there were two extra special family touches. First, her father not only walked her down the aisle and gave her away, but also officiated the wedding! Secondly, her sisters sang to her as she walked down the aisle. What a lovely moment. Here's the beautiful bunch on that special day.

Next is Leslie, who wore a Lazaro gown, of the JLM Couture line. Leslie had a unique shopping experience for her dress: she flew to New York City to be filmed by a crew with the TLC cable wedding show, Say Yes to the Dress. The camera crew was also present on Leslie's May 2009 wedding day to capture Leslie and her dress in action. Leslie's Lazaro gown is an ivory alencon lace on net over silk satin organza. Below is a photo of the scalloped V-neckline and cap sleeves that made for a delicately feminine bodice. So pretty! (I also really just love this photograph below. Leslie looks so beautiful and it's just a terrific photo by April Rentz of Bluebird Photography).

Another beautiful feature of the dress was the woven bias ribbon at the natural waist line....

...yet my favorite aspect was the back of the dress, featuring a tiered, pleated tulle sweep train.

It created beautiful movement as Leslie walked. Below is a picture of her and Adam on their wedding day.

Leslie's photos courtesy of Bluebird Photography

Next is our second Sarah, who wore a Judd Waddell strapless silk a-line dress. Sarah is so petite and fit that this dress was perfect for her. Below is a picture of her and Brian walking in Garfield Park, in downtown Cincinnati--always a popular location for wedding photos. Photos by Chad Moon.Sarah carried an all-white Calla Lily bouquet, which coordinated very well with the style of her dress. I really love the beautiful accent lace on the bodice, pictured below.

I'm excited to say that Sarah's sister, Jennifer, is getting married in May 2012. Her family has hired me for that wedding as well. (Yes, that's more than two years away!) I really enjoy working with families multiple times--I feel that much more qualified to represent their style and taste, and we all have the comfort of familiarity to enjoy.

Finally, we have Amber, who wore a dramatic gown from Romona Keveza's 2010 collection (pictured on the model in the opening photograph of this post).

What an amazing photograph (below) by Laura Leppert of Amber descending the staircase. Amber's long veil was perfect with this dress.

The front of the dress was strapless but with a twist: a swath of material extended from the top of the bodice around to the back. Unique, and soooo pretty!

Here are Amber and her husband, Michael, recessing after their Plum Street Temple ceremony.

Below is the back of the dress, which was, again, very unique. The offset streaming material was charming and elegant, as you can plainly see.

(A post about Amber and Michael's beautiful wedding is forthcoming!)

So, those were 4 of our favorite gowns from the past year - it was so hard to pick because I have a thing for wedding dresses. :) I also just realized that 3 of the 4 dresses had lace--shows you what my tastes are!

I can't wait to see what our 2010 brides will wear. I'm pretty excited about some of the coming trends: Asymmetrical (like Amber's), Black & White, and even knee-length dresses! Watch this space for more Wedding Gown Gushing from Dora...