Wedded Bliss Wednesdays: An Interview with my Wedding Dress Designer

What is the MOST important decision a girl decides for her wedding day?!!? Well, besides saying ‘yes’ to the ideal groom, I would say the WEDDING dress or dresses, if we are referring to myself!






I had the most AMAZING experience with Caroline Hayden, my dress designer….. Soon, I will discuss my inspirations for my dress but for now, let’s learn a little about Caroline.


1. When did you decide that you wanted to become a designer?

It was always on the short list when I was asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?"...along with concert pianist and veterinarian.

2. I know that you once competed in pageants in both Wisconsin and Minnesota, how has that experience shaped your work?

If you've ever seen a custom pageant dress hanging on a hanger, you know that there's quite a lot going on under the surface of the gown. Gowns have to fit very close to the body and be able to hold their shape with the heavy embellishments throughout, so I've learned a lot of tricks and technique to create the base of any type of gown.

3. Are you still involved in pageants?

I enjoy volunteering my time to help mentor local contestants in the Miss America Organization and I have a few custom clients each year for pageant gowns but no, I am not very involved anymore and the pageant gowns I do design are definitely not your 'typical' pageant gown.


4. What is your favorite silhouette?

We do a lot of at-waist seems and I love a full skirt.






5. Where do you find inspiration?

I am inspired a lot by shape and texture rather than specific time periods, places, objects, etc. When working with a bride, I listen to their inspiration and make sure the gown is still representative of my personal taste.


6. What designers do you envy?

I don't know if I 'envy' anyone else but I really admire the creative work of McQueen and Givenchy


7. If you could design a dress for a celebrity, who would you dress? Why?

Charlize Theron. She's gorgeous, fearless, and really knows how to work a dress.


8. What do you foresee in the future for your company?

I've been doing custom gowns for the past 8 years but in many ways feel like I'm just starting out! My next step is researching production options and trying my hand at ready-to-wear while continuing to design for special projects and custom clients. I hesitate stating any specific goals because I'm a firm believer in keeping your head down, heart open, and mind clear and seeing where life leads you.

Thanks Caroline for the interview. If you are interested in a custom-designed gown or to purchase any of her ready-wear check out her Facebook page or Website.

I can only sing praises about her professionalism and beautiful personality. I wish I was getting married again so I could have her re-design my gown... But, I wouldn't have her change one thing!





All Photos Courtesy of BellowBlue Photography!

Michelyn

Wedded Bliss Wednesdays: Matters of the Heart

Greetings BBB fans. I am excited to begin my journey with Wedded-Bliss Wednesdays. Are you excited?

Well, I figured I should start at the beginning of the wedding planning process. For us this began with the date of which I was provided two options: May or August. Given the fact that I graduated in May 2012, that took this option out of the equation. Jason also gave me two weeks in August in which we could have the wedding and also take a week-long honeymoon. So, August it was!

After solidifying and discussing our date options which were limited to college recruiting and camp season, I decided to start thinking about a theme...

I realized through this process that I am not very creative or innovative! I have plenty of friends who have taken themes from movies or time periods and really captured this within their wedding day.

 So, this got me thinking....

For years I have signed my name with a heart. This fact kept coming back to me... I knew I did not want the heart theme to be cheesy like so much of the wedding decorations can be, but I realized that hearts and love reflects Jason and I's relationship.

With that, we moved forward with "Matters of the Heart" being the underlying theme of our wedding. Side note, did you know that hidden Mickey Mouses are inserted subtly into the Disney World/Land theme parks. This little reference was discussed and brought up by my mother who had gone on a tour during a NFLPA conference a few years ago. 

We used the Disney mantra when incorporating hearts within the wedding and related events.  

So, hearts were present during the engagement session, on the invitation (which will be showcased next week), for the party favors, and other areas of the wedding.

Even purses!

And jewelery

Did you have a theme for your wedding?

Michelyn





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Wedding Resources

Today officially marks the 3 week countdown until we say “I do.” From the beginning of my wedding planning, I knew that I did not want to blog about each minute detail… Instead, I plan to share the wedding details after so I do not spoil it for any of my guests. Plus, I am not much of a do-it-yourselfer (DIYer), so there is not much to elaborate on. I do have one small project that I am hoping comes to fruition.

However, I have loved surfing the net for inspiration and ideas. When we finally get married, we will have been engaged for almost 14 months. (We were engaged on June 25, 2011 and will be married on August 11, 2012.) I must attest that much of my wedding planning occurred WAY before I said “yes” to the proposal and that most decisions were made over one weekend in early July when my mother traveled to Madison.

So without further ado, here are some of my favorite wedding websites:

Weddingbee. If you are a DIY bride then this is the website for you. Like I stated above, I am not doing much DIY projects but I truly enjoyed reading some of these stories and gathered many ideas, expecially for my invitation and escort cards.

Weddings Unveiled. I really enjoyed visiting this site for their “Real Weddings” tab which showcases pictures of weddings.

Bridal Bliss. Bridal Bliss is actually a page from Essence.com which showcases black couples on their wedding day. I always look forward to Wednesdays when a new wedding is showcased. And I have actually known a few of the brides (acquaintances).

Brides.com Although I loved visiting Barnes and Noble to peruse all the wedding magazines on the weekends, brides.com was my go-to choice when I wanted to “flip” through an e-magazine.

Project Wedding and Once Wed are very similar to Weddingbee in that they showcase a lot of DIY wedding ideas. Project Wedding also has forums and discussion boards in which soon-to-be-brides can discuss just about anything.

Pinterest I must admit that I did not use pinterest for any of my wedding ideas, but I have found it very useful for engagement and wedding pictures ideas/poses as well as wedding hair/make-up styles.  

TheKnot. Who doesn't use this website? I found it handy for many things. When I first became engaged I used the Budget Tool to estimate how much I should spend in each category (i.e., venue, stationary, etc.). I also spend endless hours reviewing their endless bridesmaid and wedding dresses. 

Lastly, I also used the very common website, WeddingChannel.com. Our wedding website and registries are linked through this site for free!

Here is a list of blogs that I also enjoyed following:

GetMarried

The Cinderella Project

From I Will to I Do

WeddingTulle

Wedding Planner & Guide

Manolo for Brides
WeddingsUnveiled(their blog)
Bridal Bubbly

There are a million other websites and blogs, but I thought it would be nice to provide some of the resources that I used. Are there any that you love that I should add to the list? 

Happy wedding planning.

(Source)

<3

Michelyn

P.S. Set a budget and know you will go over :)