A Bitter Sweet Announcement...

The time has come for me to hand over the Wedding Gloss wand... I am excited to announce that Wedding Gloss is currently looking for a new owner - someone who can commit the time and dedication that it deserves. Wedding Gloss has created many great relationships and has an amazing amount of potential. If you are interested, please contact me directly at Mauranda@ConsultWithVIP.com or (802) 858-9126.

Wedding Lip Gloss

Understated elegance with personalized flair describes my personal aesthetic and so also my labor of love: Carli Windsor Custom Favor Design. Whether your event style is town and country chic or downtown hip we’re the company for you.

Out of exasperation and sheer necessity this company sprung forth. When the search for bridesmaid gifts left me uninspired, I decided to take matters into my own hands and develop a cute, stylish and practical gift worthy of my beloved bridesmaids. And so by utilizing the resources available to me as a cosmetic packaging developer I created a custom lip-gloss compact personalized to fit the style and décor of my own wedding (as well as my bridesmaids’ dresses). Thus was the birth of my company.

Each perfectly sized palette has three shades of Paraben-free lip-gloss hand-designed by a highly skilled team of Color Specialists based around the latest color trends of the season. From a collaboration of your personal input and our guiding hand, will emerge a beautifully crafted and personalized compact that is sure to put a smile on every Bridesmaids’ face as well as keep those smiles looking fresh and pretty.

Carli Windsor

Custom Favor Design

Trends in Wedding Dresses for Spring 2011

With all the recent buzz over the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and especially Kate's wedding dress, I thought that it would be good to look at some of the current trends in wedding gowns. Obviously, one of the newest ones is long sleeves and lace.

This is a throwback to a classic style from the 50's which you can see in the beautiful photograph above of Grace Kelly. With one simple act Kate Middleton has now influenced the current world of bridal gowns and I think that we should be seeing more of her style in the near future. There has been so much talk about her dress that you can visit one of many websites totally dedicated to it here.

Wedding fashion has been influenced by the royal family in England for over one hundred and fifty years now. Many of our current wedding traditions, like white wedding dresses, wedding cake, and bridal bouquets, were set my Queen Victoria when she was married to Prince Albert in 1840. You can read more about these wedding traditions in my posts 'It's All About the Dress', 'Let Them Eat Cake', and 'Bridal Bouquet Photographs for Spring.'

Photographing many weddings and bridal portraits allows me to watch the new dress trends up close. While I have not seen all of these ideas materialize here in Houston just yet, I wanted to list a few that I have seen appearing lately. Besides the long sleeves and lace trends here are some other fashion trends for wedding dresses this spring.

1. keyhole neckline

I have seen a great deal of these on dresses lately. Instead of just having a regular strapless dress this neckpiece gives the bride the ability to add some sparkle or pearls to the top of the dress but still give a revealed and open neckline look. Sometimes there is no embellishment, just fabric.

2. billowy skirts

These wedding dresses take on more of a ballroom air with lots of volume in the skirt created by layers of tulle. Even though they have more material, the tulle and the layers give them a light, airy look.

3. sheer coverage

Sheer necklines are coming in, bringing with them an elegant and slightly sexy look. These could include V-necks, one-shoulder, or bateau styles. the bateau style is the one that closely follows the collarbone and has a little more of a conservative look.

4. modified mermaid style

I recently photographed a bride with a modified mermaid style dress from Maison de Mode in Houston. It had a very sleek and elegant look. The dress produces nice clean lines which are great for design in photographs. The modified mermaid style makes it a bit easier for the bride to move around on the dance floor because the dress flares just above the knee.

5. embellished belts

I have been seeing many brides with wedding gowns that have these beautiful sparkly belts. Chelsea Clinton helped to fuel this trend. These belts can be very dramatic when placed against a simple white dress. Most of them are silver and jeweled. They are a lovely addition to any dress, but I think that they are the most effective when they compliment simple dresses.

So there are some wedding gown trends for this spring. I will be interviewing some local wedding gown experts and photographing some wedding gowns in the near future so I will have lots more information for you soon. Stay tuned.

Gary Miller

Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer

www.redphotophotography.com

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Bridal Bouquets for Spring

Since we are now into Spring I thought that it would be a good idea to post some lovely fine art photographs of brides and their wedding bouquets. Flowers pay such a special role in any wedding. They really add beauty and some great smells, but they contain a great deal of historical meaning and semiotics. The tradition of the bridal bouquet goes back to Queen Victoria and her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840. She was one of the largest influences on modern day bridal traditions. Victoria is the main reason why brides still traditionally wear white dresses and why wedding cake is served at the reception. You can read more about these in my posts 'Let Them Eat Cake' and 'It's All About the Dress.' Queen Victoria ushered in a very modern age for the time. During her rein the industrial revolution was in full swing in Europe. She was very much a celebrity of her time and just like with celebrities of today, people followed what she did and wanted to be as much like her as possible. The traditions set forth at her wedding to Albert have remained strong even to this day. It is amazing how many influences from the Victorian era still exist today.

Prior to Queen Victoria's marriage it was still common to have herbs and spices at the wedding. Remember that these items would have been a great deal rarer than today and they held a higher value in society. They were a sign of prosperity, fertility, and happiness. Victoria replaced these traditional items with fresh flowers, especially marigolds. At the time most of the components of the bouquet were edible. The bride carried her bouquet with her as she walked down the aisle. One component of the bouquet was dill. It was regarded as the herb of lust, and the bride would eat some of it was she walked down the aisle. Later, during the reception, the groom and the wedding guests would eat this dill also. This was to insure fertility in the marriage.

During the Victorian times flowers came to symbolize secret messages of love and each flower had a different meaning. This was based on a scientific language known as 'Florigraphy.' Many flowers were given means, both good and bad, that still remain to this day. This is where the concept of roses symbolizing love began and the idea of different color roses being used for different occasions. Today flowers at a wedding are chosen more for their colors and shapes than for their meanings.

I am still fascinated by all of the tradition and ceremony that surrounds marriage. I will continue to make posts that unlock some of the hidden meanings of the wedding ceremony. Stay tuned.

Gary Miller

Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer

www.redphotophotography.com

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

More Wedding Gowns with Lace & Long Sleeves!

We are DELIGHTED to have this collection to show you from La Chatuise Couture (it was their 2009 Collection).  Long sleeve (some with lace as well!) wedding gowns that are fit for royalty!  Beautiful accents of crystals and fine detailed lace makes these wedding gowns something to swoon over! Please take a minute to catch your breath because these dresses will take your breath away!

Ready, set, go!

Venice from Lachatuise Couture Collection Modest 2009

Passie from Lachatuise Couture Collection Modest 2009

Rimini from Lachatuise Couture Collection Modest 2009

Catalina from Lachatuise Couture Collection Modest 2009

Find them on Facebook:  La Chatuise Couture

Be sure to tell them that Wedding Gloss sent you!  

The Royal Wedding - The DRESS!!!

It has been an exciting start to the day as I have been honored to have watched a moment of history as Prince William married his college sweetheart, Miss Catherine Middleton. Today has been filled with anxious moments by many viewers of waiting to see what Kate would wear, who the designer would be, how her hair would be, if she would indeed do her own makeup, what Kate's sister Pippa would be wearing, how the Queen would be dressed, and if all of the royalty would be calm, at peace and full of smiles and tears of joy.

We'll sum it all up for you here.

Kate looked breathtaking, wearing an amazing wedding gown with lace, a full skirt, long sleeves, a scallop and heart shaped neckline and with a long train, designed by Sarah Burton for Alex McQueen.  Kate's hair was down with the front half being pulled back (with a bit of a poof), accompanied by the Queens Cartier “halo” tiara.  The Queen was given this tiara on her 18th birthday and it was made in 1936.  It is too early to say if Kate borrowed it from the Queen or if the Queen handed it down to Kate as a gift. It looks as though Kate did do her own makeup which looked beautiful and flawless, while still looking like her, which is what she wanted.  She had mentioned that she wanted Will to 'recognize' her on their wedding day.

Photo from www.zimbio.com

Kate's sister Pippa wore a cowl neck and ivory dress, also designed by Sarah Burton for Alex McQueen, that was elegant and remarkably simple.  Kate's mother, Mrs. Carole Middleton, wore a pale blue outfit designed by Catherine Walker.  Her hat was designed by Berkshire-based Jane Corbett.  The Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker-Bowles, wore an outfit designed by Anna Valentin. The Queen wore an Angela Kelly designed yellow dress. The Queen looked remarkable in a bold yellow, however I wish that smiles were more frequent from her on this joyous occasion.

Speaking of the outfits, I speculate that what took place today will change the wedding industry with leaps and bounds as far as trends and what has been known for years in the US.  For starters, it is normally unheard of and extremely frowned upon to wear white or ivory to a wedding, unless you are the bride.  With Kate's sister Pippa wearing an ivory gown, this will probably carry over to become a new trend in the US for upcoming weddings.  I don't feel that it will as trendy as how wedding gown themselves will look in the coming months, or days for that matter.  Kate's dress had form fitting, long sleeves with lace details.  With many people buzzing about how gorgeous the dress is, I can see this becoming an instant trend here in the US.

It amazed me how at peace everyone looked and how mellow many seemed to be.  I did see a little shake from Kate's hand as she took her 4 minute walk down the aisle, however other than that, it looked like a walk in the park.  That confidence and poise, along with her adorable smile, is what makes Kate glow and sparkle everyday.

Check back for more on the Royal Wedding!

Lace & Long Sleeves: Will it trend?

ROYAL WEDDING DRESS ALERT:  Will it trend?

While lace has been a trend for years and years that has never really totally left the scene, sleeves WERE a thing of the past.  Now that Kate is wearing an amazing lace, full sleeve gown, things are going to be changing.

Take a look at some of the full sleeve dresses we found.

Long Sleeve, Lace Wedding Gown

Simple column scoop neck chapel long sleeves Justin Alexander Couture Wedding Dresses Style

Long Sleeve in Ivory

Blythe - Long Sleeve Lace Short Wedding Gown

I'm sure that there will be many, MANY more lace and long sleeve wedding gowns to come... 

* If you have a long sleeve dress to share, please email Mauranda@WeddingGloss.com *