Brittney Found The Dress @ The Dress!

Brittney found The Dress @ The Dress to wear for her 2011 Labor Day weekend wedding to her husband Chris. The couple met at work and the rest is history! Chris proposed on the beautiful Hawksnest Beach in St. John.  "He had a little speech prepared, which began by him asking me how long I wanted to travel with him for.  I thought he was asking me how many days I wanted to be on vacation with him, in a row.  Of course, that was not the case.  He wanted me to say “forever!”, so he could follow up with saying he wanted to travel with me forever, and continue on with his speech.  My confusion caused a funny hiccup, but he kept at it anyway, and after a few seconds of trying to process everything that he said (and thinking in my head that he had the sweetest, most sincere look on his face at that moment), I of course said 'Yes!'."

Brittney and Chris love the fall, and since the ceremony was outside, they thought September would be one of the safest months’ weather wise.  "We were picturing a sunny day with a cool breeze.  It ended up to be about 95 degrees and sunny that day.  The poor groomsmen were extremely hot standing up near the altar, directly under the sun.  But no one complained and the guests danced through the heat.  To this day, whenever I mention it being hot, people that attended say they don’t even remember the heat; they were busy having too much fun!"

The couple chose Galleria Marchetti for the ceremony and reception for their 175 guests. It was the last place they looked at.  Right away, they felt like it was the right fit. "The space for a ceremony was beautiful and garden like. The cocktail area was hosted on the darling patio, right next to the ceremony spot.  The reception area was under a great big tent next to the patio."  They loved that it was all in one spot, so guests wouldn’t have to worry about traveling from the ceremony to the reception.  They could just move seamlessly from one place to the next.  "Chris and I are also self-proclaimed foodie’s, so the meal was an important factor for us, and they did it right.  All in all, it’s a place that’s in the heart of the city, but it feels tucked away somehow in this romantic, garden setting."

Brittney chose a gorgeous lace gown called Paris. It was designed by Amy Kuschel and was handmade with love at her studio in San Franscisco. The hem had a tightly gathered tulle ruffle just peaking out from under the skirt and really gave the skirt a vintage look. It was the very first dress she tried on. "I knew from the beginning that I wanted a dress with lace. 
With an outdoor wedding in mind, I felt that lace matched the idea of the style of wedding we wanted.  I was open to vintage and classic looks.  I loved everything about it, from the detail in the French Chantilly lace, to the cap sleeves, to the hemline.  I kept trying on others for good measure, but my mind kept coming back to Paris." Brittney says, "It was one of those 'when you know, you know' moments.  It just felt right.  Amy Kuschel also sent me a signed sketch of the dress, which was such a nice keepsake." One of the perks to ordering her gown during a trunk show weekend. "As far as where I purchased, I liked how The Dress By Nicole was an intimate shop.  It didn’t feel like you were one in hundreds of brides being shuffled around."

Her bridesmaids wore short navy dresses with white wedge heels. Brittney chose dark navy blue, apple green, ivory and hints or gold as their wedding colors. They wanted to stay away from flashy colors, and stick with a “simple elegance” theme.

Her advice for other brides with their planning is that you should try to focus on one task at a time.  Getting the ceremony spot/church and reception site planned is the first big step, and major weight off your shoulders once reserved.  "After that, commit to the next task, and do your research and see it through until it’s booked.  If you’re looking at multiple vendors for each item (flowers, linens, transportation, hotels), keep a spreadsheet of information such as the vendor contact information, pricing, and any relevant notes.  It gets overwhelming to try and go back and find information in a sea of emails.  Also, most hotels require that your guests book a percentage of the amount of rooms you reserve.  So, try not to overestimate how many rooms you’ll need, or you might be shelling out cash for unreserved rooms.  On the other hand, you don’t want to greatly underestimate, and have the rooms booked up with many guests left that aren’t able to take advantage of the special room rate, or having to stay at another hotel all together.  I kept in contact with my two hotels and reserved more rooms when we were nearing zero rooms remaining."

Brittney's advice for brides on their actual wedding day..."A lot of blogs suggested getting a day of wedding planner.  Since we had an employee at Galleria Marchetti that was going to be there the whole time, I thought I could do without.  Looking back, I think this really would have helped to keep us on track and on time.  We started getting ready so early that morning, but the time really flies, and the trolley we bought to take the bridal party and groomsmen around to take pictures ended up waiting outside our hotel (without me knowing) for an hour.  Not only was not a lot of money wasted, but since we were that late, it cut down on the time we had to take pictures before the ceremony.  The photographer and I had a few spots in the city planned to take pictures, and we weren’t able to hit them because of the time constraints."

Her favorite moment of the day was probably the first look at Chris.  Since we took our pictures before the ceremony, the first look allows the bride and groom some private time to see each-other all dressed up for the first time that day.  "Chris cried! I think I was too overwhelmed to cry, but it was such a happy moment.  It kind of felt like an out of body experience, like the whole day did for me, but it was one I’ll never forget."

Brittney's favorite detail was that her mom bought a ton of mason jars, and filled them with fresh cut Hydrangeas from her parents’ house.  "It was such a cute idea, it looked great, and it was extra special since they came from my mom."

Hawaiian honeymoon in Maui and Kauai

Thank you again Brittney and Chris for sharing your day with us! If you would like to be featured as a bride that found The Dress @ The Dress contact us!

Lindsey Found The Dress @ The Dress!

Lindsey found The Dress @ The Dress for her August 2011 wedding to her fiance Josh. The couple met during her sophomore year and Josh’s senior year at University of Wisconsin. Josh’s fraternity, Sigma Chi, was hosting their week-long philanthropy called Derby Days where all the sororities compete in different events with one another.

"A bunch of my sorority sisters and I went to an event where the boys were being auctioned off  throughout the night. Eventually, Josh and 3 of his fraternity brothers did a dance to the song Foxy Lady on stage in front of the entire bar. Later on, I overhead two guys talking about my best friend and how they met her the night before and laughing. I thought they were making fun of her so I turned around and said 'Hey! That’s my best friend!' They reassured me they were discussing how funny they thought she was. They then told me they had been a part of the group that was up on stage for the dance and I did not believe that Josh had been up there. Immediately my best friend brought over photos and proved me wrong that Josh was in fact on stage!" And the rest is history!

How Josh popped THE question...when they met Josh was graduating a month later and moving to Arizona for his new job. They survived two long years of long distance and flying to see each other once a month. When Lindsey graduated from college, she knew she'd be going on to graduate school and decided to go to Arizona to be closer to Josh -knowing that he was the one she would marry one day.


"We had never really discussed getting engaged or when it would happen or our wedding but we both knew we were going to get married. A week before I was leaving to move to Arizona for school, I finished my last day at my summer job. My coworkers had planned on taking me out to dinner for my last day but had told me something had come up so we went to lunch instead. I got a text from my Mom on my way home asking how my last day went and she told  me that the garage was broken so to use the front door when I was coming home. I didn’t think anything of it and said okay. I tried to call Josh and he didn’t answer and then I got a text from him saying he was running and he’d call me later. I pulled up to my house and opened the front door and immediately my jaw dropped. I was greeted in the entryway with dozens and dozens of candles and rose petals leading throughout the house. As I followed the candles I looked out the back window and saw Josh surrounded by candles and flowers and on one knee. I was just in so much shock I stared at him until I finally walked out onto the deck. All I could say was “What are you doing here!” Because I had talked to him earlier and he had told me he was golfing all day…and was in Arizona! I just kept repeating that over and over again. Josh told me to come over to him where he grabbed my hand asked me to marry him! I immediately said yes! I just couldn’t believe how much he surprised me and was still in shock to as to how he pulled it off! Our families were waiting down the street at a restaurant to celebrate with us and he had told none of my friends because he didn’t want it to get back to me! That night I surprised many of my friends with the fact that I was engaged and we enjoyed the rest of our night with a big celebration with all our family and friends!"

Lindsey and Josh's engagement night

They got engaged in August 2009 but even after she moved to Arizona they were still living 2 1/2 hours apart because of work and school. Her graduate school program was two years long, and did not want to start the marriage off as a long distance marriage so they waited until they were living in the same area. So, even though they did not want a super long engagement they waited until she finished school in August 2011 and she had also always wanted a summer wedding anyway.
 
"We chose to get married at Hammerschmidt Chapel in Elmhurst because my sister had gotten married there and I fell in love with the church. It is such a beautiful church and I loved every detail about it. It was exactly what I had always pictured in my mind. We chose to have our reception at the Abbington because I had always envisioned a very elegant setting and that is the exact feel I received from the Abbington. I could see every detail of the wedding come together when I went to visit the Abbington and I knew the food was amazing!" It was perfect for their 200 guests.

Lindsey started her search for The Dress. "I had not thought very much about my wedding until I got engaged but when asked what I wanted my dress to look like after our engagement, the first thing that popped into my head was lace. I knew I wanted a very delicate lace dress. When I walked into The Dress by Nicole I was amazed at all the beautiful lace dresses in the store. But the intricate detail of the lace on my Air Barcelona Debora dress and train awed me. It was so delicate and perfect. The jeweled broach I knew was a must because it gave just enough sparkle to match my personality and make the dress stand out for me and knew it was the one! I then picked out chandelier jeweled earrings to go with the sparkle on the broach, a jeweled bracelet, and a jeweled hair piece that matched the broach on the dress that all added just enough sparkle and fit the elegant theme of the lace dress- all from The Dress By Nicole. To fit my personality and my love for pink I added pink glittered Kate Spade shoes that made every detail perfect and very much me!"

Lindsey's absolute favorite color is pink and she's am obsessed with anything pink! "I didn’t want my wedding to explode pink but when thinking about my colors all I could think about were different shades of pink. I wanted everything to be very elegant so decided to add a pop of color and put my bridesmaids in long hot pink chiffon dresses and a hot pink bow on the flower girls dress (also from The Dress By Nicole!) and kept the rest of the décor and flowers pale pink and white throughout the ceremony and the church so it wasn’t complete hot pink craziness!"

Lindsey's favorite moment of the day was when she finally got to see Josh at the ceremony. "The entire ride in the limo to the ceremony I just kept saying I cannot wait to see Josh! I cannot wait to see Josh! The second my best friend started singing 'Feels Like Home' as I walked down the aisle, I could not stop smiling. I just felt the most amazing feeling when I saw him and an overwhelming feeling of happiness. I will never forget the look on Josh’s face when I first saw him and the look in his eyes when he took my hands and said his vows. It is something I will never forget!"

Her favorite detail of the wedding was that she chose to walk down the aisle to the song “Feels Like Home.” "The song encompasses everything I love about Josh and the fact that our love makes me feel like I’m home and safe." Her best friend sang the song as Lindsey walked down the aisle. "I felt like it made our ceremony really personable and about us. I will never forget the feeling I got when I heard the music change and heard the beginning of the song as my best friend began to sing. Our reverend then based a lot of the ceremony service on the song and our love for one another and it really made our ceremony personable and about our love for one another."

 
Her advice for other brides..."is to not get all caught up in the craziness of planning the wedding. When you are way overly stressed looking at your checklist, deadlines and listening to what everyone else wants and expects of you, take a deep breath and remember what this day is all about…the beginning of the rest of your life with the man of your dreams. Remember your doing this to celebrate YOUR marriage and the beginning of your journey and that everything else will fall into place perfectly!"

And her advice for brides the day of..."Take everything in because they day is going to fly by! In the midst of all the dancing and cheers and all the visiting with family and friends at the reception…take a step back into the corner with your new husband and take it all in and watch everyone who loves you celebrating your special day. Take a few moments to be alone with each other and see how perfect everything is around you and the amazing celebration that is going on in your honor!"

Thank you Lindsey and Josh for sharing their beautiful day with us! I can still remember Lindsey coming in over Thanksgiving to try dresses on when she found The Dress! If you would like to be featured as a bride that found The Dress @ The Dress contact us!

What I Did On My Summer Vacation and Kicking Off the Fall Trunk Show Season!

Didn't summer go by fast? We've done some traveling over the last few months looking for some of the best new gowns to bring to you! We went to San Fransisco where we got to tour one of our favorite bridal designers, Amy Kuschel's, design loft and showroom on the 5th and 6th floors. It's located in a super cute historical building in the heart of bustling downtown San Fran.

It was a gorgeous showroom and we understand why their brides love them! Each gown is hand-made with love by one seamstress from start to finish. An example of the amazing quality and service that we get from Amy Kuschel, not to mention her vintage-mod designs! Our Amy Kuschel brides will tell you that they LOVE Amy's gowns, The Dress by Nicole will be hosting an Amy Kuschel Viewing Party October 26th-28th and see her gorgeous gowns!

Left to Right: Hope (Amy's right hand gal), myself, and Amy Kuschel

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Also while we were visiting we got to explore and enjoy the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit going on at Golden Gate Park in the De Young Art Museum. What an honor to see his art up close and personal! Whether you are a fashion fan or not, or even if you like him or not, you must look closely at these garments. They are absolutely amazing!

Another amazing corset made entirely of ribbons.

The amount of patternmaking, hand-sewing, hand-beading, and draping that go into his couture garments is jaw-dropping. He's dressed everyone from Madonna with her famous cone bra, Lady Gaga, and Kylie Minogue, to costumes for films.

Madonna's famous cone bra corset from her tour.

One of the many stylish rooms at the exhibit

One dress that really caught my eye was his unique interpritation of a wedding gown. Yes, it looks a little strange but you have to appriciate the amount of details and hours put into the dress. All the feathers, cording, beads were hand-stitched. It's gorgeous in a wacky kind of way!

 

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We are super excited about the upcoming events for the fall bridal season! This weekend, September 7th-16th, we have our 4th Annual Sample Sale. We will be super busy that weekend and appointments are booking fast! We will have select wedding gowns 20-80% off starting at $200! We will also have some moms, maids, flower girls and select accessories on sale too!

September 21st-23rd we are so excited to host an Aria Bridal Trunk Show! We are the exclusive retailer in the Chicago area for their gowns! This is a great chance to see a lot of their collection in a variety of sizes!

September 28th-30th we are hosting an Enzoani Blue Trunk Show. We will have a great selection of their most popular gowns!

October 19th-21st we are honored to have Kitty Chen's brand new 2013 collection straight from the runway at New York Bridal Week. The Dress by Nicole is honored to be the first store in the country to debut her new collection! Appointments are booked months in advance for this unique event!







Contact us today for your appointment for any of our events. Trunk Show weekends do book up fast so call us today @ 630-653-3737.

Kristen Found The Dress @ The Dress

Kristen found The Dress @ The Dress for her October 2011 wedding to her fiance Gerald. They met and fell in love as students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  She was on the Illinettes Dance Team and he was on the Illini Drumline, so they rehearsed and performed together as part of the marching band.  




Shortly after they had both started their first jobs out of college, Gerald popped The Question. They were looking forward to a few days off for Labor Day weekend.  Since they had Friday off, they decided to go out on Thursday to kick off the long weekend.  "I suggested going to a cute-looking neighborhood bar we had been meaning to try, but he insisted that we go somewhere 'fancy,' so he made us reservations at a great French restaurant (where we now go every time we have a special occasion to celebrate)."  On that Thursday, he sent Kristen a huge bouquet of flowers at work – which he had never done before, "so I began to get a little suspicious.  We went on our dinner date and everything was normal, but when we got home, he got quiet and serious.  He said, 'I have a confession to make.  I didn’t go to work yesterday – I drove down and had lunch with your dad.'  Then he got down on his knee and the rest was a complete blur!  I was so excited I could hardly speak, and was only able to say 'yes!' with an enthusiastic nod."



They chose an October date for their wedding because Kristen has always loved fall weather, and it reminds her of school and football season which are the things that first brought them together.  "My brother had been married in October several years before and had perfect weather, so I was hoping for the same (which, fortunately, we got!)."

The ceremony was held at The First Presbyterian Church in Monticello, Illinois, Kristen's hometown. She had grown up attending the church. "It is beautiful and quaint but not too small, so I knew it would be perfect for us."

The reception was at Allerton Mansion, which is also in Kristen's hometown, and perfect for their 150 guests.  "We looked at several types of venues, but fell in love with Allerton immediately because it is gorgeous and unique, and fit perfectly with the “vintage glam” style I wanted for the wedding.  We loved the cozy and intimate feeling of having the reception in an old mansion.  Also, the mansion and its surrounding park and gardens provided a beautiful setting for photos."

When Kristen was choosing The Dress there were a few key things she was looking for, and this dress had them all – strapless, sweetheart neckline, elegant lace, and a little bit of beading.  "Most importantly, I wanted a crystal waist detail or sash.  Nicole and her team pulled out the most gorgeous crystal sash, and as soon as I put it on with the dress it all came together perfectly." She wore a gorgeous trumpet skirt Enzoani Blue gown with lace appliques over vintage-looking netting covered in crystals, pearls, and sequins. She chose a matching veil with the same lace and a beautiful faux flower accented with Swarovski crystals, all from The Dress by Nicole.

"Like most girls, I had been planning my wedding in my head since about 8^th grade, and I always wanted my color to be a deep burgundy red.  That is what I was planning on, but I started wanting something different and less “weddingy.”  I was loving all the taupe, nude, and blush dresses that are popular right now, and decided it would be trendy yet elegant for the wedding." Kristen chose B2 bridesmaids dress that had layered two colors of chiffon to get the right shade of taupe for the bridesmaids’ dresses. She accented the gowns with white, ivory, and blush pink flowers.

Kristen's favorite moment of the day was, "once the ceremony and photos were done and we got to the reception, I felt a huge wave of relief.  There was nothing left to do or think about but celebrate and have fun!  It is not often that all of your closest friends and family are in the same place, and we had the best time dancing the night away with everyone."

Their favorite wedding detail was that they incorporated photos of themselves with family and friends in pretty frames as a part of the centerpieces at each table.  "It fit in with the “homey” feel of the reception, and it was fun for guests to walk around and see different photos at all the tables."

Kristen's advice for other brides while planning their big day..."We created a step-by-step agenda of every detail that needed to happen on the wedding day, and then stepped back and figured out what we needed to do and plan to ensure that each step happened exactly as we wanted."

Her advice for the day of..."Relax and let your friends and family help.  You’ve done so much work with planning, now is the time to enjoy it.  My bridesmaids and mom were so great and made sure I had a good breakfast, my hair was just right, and that every detail was taken care of." Kristen and Gerald's beautiful wedding was also featured in a central Illinois wedding magazine and blogged about on Behind Every Bride!


Thank you again Kristen and Gerald for sharing your day with us! If you would like to be featured as a bride that found The Dress @ The Dress contact us!