Sarah Found The Dress @ The Dress

Sarah found The Dress @ The Dress for her March 2011 wedding to her husband James. They met when he moved to the area for a new job and started going to Sarah's Sunday school class right before the holiday season. "At the New Year’s white elephant gift exchange party, he thought I was married to my brother (we arrived together, we have the same last name, he lived with me, we argued about if the white elephant fishing pole toiletpaper holder should come home with us)! Fortunately, within a few weeks, as he became friends with my brother, he realized he was mistaken. But it did take him a year and a half to actually ask me out," says Sarah. 

How James popped THE question... I went to Hawaii on vacation with my friend Heather; all the while thinking I knew when he would propose. Within a few days of coming home, he took me to Alinea in Lincoln Park for a date to remember. The ring was delayed by a day (they called him on his cell that the ring had arrived once we were already on our way to our big date). After no proposal that day, I thought he would wait until my birthday months later. He surprised me the next evening at India Palace. I thought he was going to get takeout so I went to the gym and then to his place. Instead, he took me back to where I had told him he should get engaged in the next year. (At the time, he was just a friend so I had not meant to me.) He got down on his knee and proposed, saying that I should get married this year. I was so shocked and excited! 

The couple chose the ceremony and the reception to be held at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. They chose College Church because, "it is beautiful and where we first met." The site had plenty of room for their 200 guests. Sarah wanted a March date because spring weddings are her favorite and springbreak was an easy time to take a honeymoon.

Sarah wore a gorgeous LaRichi trumpet gown with hand-painted blossoms on silk organza. There were glittering Swarovski crystal buttons all the way down the back down through the train. She chose "the dress" because it had sparkles and spring flowers. The light, airy gown was perfect for her spring wedding. She chose an Amy Kuschel platinum ribbon sash with metallic embroidery and beadwork to accentuate her tiny waist.

 Her shoes were hand-made silk satin by Hey Lady trimmed with more Swarovski. She also wore a gorgeous veil and an exquisite back-comb trimmed with Swarovski crystals and rhinestones.

 

 She chose her wedding colors to be hot pink, chartreuse, and platinum. She liked that, "chartreuse had springy feel and platinum is classic." The colors were a perfect combination in her flowers and added the dash of color.

Sarah is a musician herself, so it's only natural that her favorite moment of the day was listening to the ceremony and reception music.
 















Her favorite detail was her cake. "It turned out so beautifully with the hand-crafted flowers and the Champagne vanilla was excellent."

Sarah's advice for brides while planning, "Insist that the wait staff leave food for you. The servers cleared our plates while we talked with guests so I hardly tasted any food at our wedding!" Her advice for brides the on the actual wedding day, "Do a first look before the wedding. We saw each other for the first time at the start of the day alone with only the photographer and it was a very personal moment. It helped me get my sentimental tears out before the wedding ceremony too."

Thank you so much Sarah and James for sharing your day with us! If you would like to be featured as a bride that found The Dress @ The Dress contact us!

Jeanie Found The Dress at The Dress

      

Jeanie found The Dress @ The Dress for her 2011 New Year's Eve Wedding to her husband John. The couple met through mutual friends. She had a birthday party at her house for a mutual friend and one of them decided to invite John (who had just gotten home from a 3 week tour of Europe). "It was a perfect time in our lives for both of us," says Jeanie.

How John popped THE question... "I always told John I’m impossible to surprise so he would have to be pretty crafty to surprise me when he proposed. It was a Monday night and I came home from work with a pizza, to my father and John waiting for a plumber to look at something around the house. The plumber never showed up (which I thought was weird, but no big deal). So my father left and John and I ate dinner then decided to go to Petsmart (since my dog needed food. Yea, real romantic, right? :) On the way home from Petsmart John turned a different way, which I didn’t think twice about. He then pulled into a park nearby (which we went to on one of our first dates) and said he thought we could take a walk (we did that frequently so I didn’t think anything of it). There were kids playing in the gazebo so he said let’s just sit down and talk so we did and then I started getting suspicious. I looked at his pockets and didn’t see a ring box-so figured I was just crazy. The kids finally left and we walked in the gazebo and were looking at all the names on the inside- he then grabbed me and told me how much I meant to him and got down on one knee...I don’t remember the rest, I was SO excited!!!!"

Jeanie and John chose to hold their ceremony at Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church in Orland Park, Illinois where Jeanie attended growing up. New Years Eve was chosen because, "we figured everyone is always looking for a good party for New Years and we never wanted to have a super long engagement." Jeanie also LOVES Christmas time and how beautiful everything is always decorated. "We chose the church I grew up in for our ceremony, it’s stunning!"

 
The couple chose Grotto Italian Steakhouse in Oak Brook for their reception. "Good food was one of our biggest priorities so I looked at Italian restaurants (since I am Italian) and Grotto happened to fit everything we dreamed of!" It was perfect for their 190 guests. Jeanie chose their wedding colors, black and white, with a touch of red. "I thought it was perfect for the time of year and also very elegant and timeless."

Jeanie chose The Dress @ The Dress because, "I wanted something different, yet still elegant. The second I put it on with the belt I knew it was perfect!" She wore a gorgeous organza Aire Barcelona gown with a ruched bodice and ruffled swirls on the skirt. She chose the perfect sparkly ribbon belt to accent her waist and a feather flower in her hair. She pulled in the winter theme with a faux fur wrap and her bridesmaids wore taffeta empire waist style gowns with pleating on the bodice to match Jeanie's. She found it all at The Dress by Nicole.

Jeanie's favorite unique detail at the wedding was the cake. "We decided to have cupcakes with custom damask wrappers stacked to look like a big square cake. They were chocolate with peanut butter mousse and were SO good!"

"My favorite moment of the day was when my father walked me down the aisle and we turned the corner and I saw the man of my dreams crying as he watched me walk towards him."

 

"My advice for other brides is to not worry about what other people will think or say. It is your day, so make it everything you ever wanted-it goes by EXTREMELY quick!" Advice for other brides on the actual wedding day... "Enjoy every single moment. Do not worry that something will go wrong-just spend your time enjoying everything you do with your new husband, family, and friends," says Jeanie.

Thank you Jeanie and John for sharing your day with us! If you found The Dress @ The Dress we'd love to feature you! Let us know!

Noel Found The Dress @ The Dress!

We are starting a new theme with our blog and featuring our fabulous customers that have found The Dress at The Dress by Nicole! Every few weeks we will post the details about her special day and her gorgeous dress. If you are interested in becoming featured as one of our "She Found The Dress @ The Dress” brides please contact us at nicole@shopthedress.com and we'd love to hear about your day! 

 

Noel found The Dress @ The Dress for her October 2010 wedding to her fiance Jeff in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. They met in high school through mutual friends and started dating shortly after.

The ceremony was at St. Hubert's Church, where Jeff grew up attending. They chose October for their wedding because October is Jeff's favorite month and Chicago weather can be unpredictable, but fall is usually pretty stable. Noel also loved the fall colors and knew it would be beautiful that time of year. 

The reception was at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle and they wanted to be surrounded by the gorgeous oranges, yellows, and reds of the fall trees. They also chose that reception location because it was one of the most unique places they had seen and it was perfect for their 200 guests.

 

 

 
Noel's favorite moment of the day was being up at the altar with Jeff, smiling at each other, saying their vows. "I just remember being really, really excited that we were getting married,” says Noel. “Another moment might seem silly, but with all of the rush of getting ready, I never actually looked at myself in a mirror after I was all ready.  Finally when I was in the bathroom at the reception, I walked by a mirror and realized ‘Oh my goodness, I’m wearing my dress, this is my wedding!’ I was so happy, and never wanted to take the dress off." 

Noel chose a gorgeous mermaid Kitty Chen Couture gown with ruched taffeta and beaded lace appliques. The skirt was layered tulle trimmed with lace and the bodice had a corset back that accentuated her gorgeous figure. The gown was topped off with a beautiful cathedral length veil with scattered Swarovski crystals, rhinestone clusters, and silver edging. 

 I was lucky to attend the ceremony of their wedding and it was absolutely gorgeous! My brother was one of the groomsmen and has been friends with the couple since high school. Noel is a dance teacher so the church was filled with her young students and their parents. Also because the couple grew up in the neighborhood, there were many neighbors and friends that attended the ceremony to support the couple and get a glimpse of the beautiful bride.

Noel's favorite/unique detail of the wedding: "I LOVED my seating chart at the reception.  Since Jeff and I had been together for so long, we decided to theme our tables with different milestones throughout our relationship; school dances, vacations, graduations, first dates, first homes, etc. My aunt is an artist and she designed the most beautiful timeline of our relationship that designated who sat at which table.  I now have that hanging in my home.  It’s so important to me because not only does it capture so many of Jeff and my moments, but it also has the name of every person who attended our wedding."

Timeline table seating chart painted by Noel's aunt

 Noel's advice to other brides while planning is, “to be sure to take your time and enjoy!  Try not to get stressed about sticking to timelines - when you have to book the photographer, the florist, buy shoes, etc. There are so many things to do, but if you rush through everything, you get lost in planning a very important event that will only happen once in your life.  Also, shop for the dress as much as you can!  There is nothing more fun than trying on dresses!!"

@ The Morton Arboretum

Her advice for other brides on the actual wedding day is, "people kept telling me to take it all in and don’t rush through the day, so I tried really hard to listen to that advice.  It wasn’t all a blur to me.  I remember every moment because I enjoyed every moment.  Also, take a few minutes to spend some time just with your husband.  At one point after dinner, Jeff and I sat outside by ourselves to kind of just say hi and talk.  There are so many people who want to see you during the day that it becomes easy to forget to spend time with the person you just married!" 

Thank you Noel and Jeff for sharing your day with us!

The Prom Dresses are Out in Wheaton!

We're in our last few weeks of our bridal trunk show season with a Kitty Chen Trunk Show this weekend, Jane Wang Trunk Show February 24-26, and an Amy Kuschel Viewing Party March 2-4. We're shifting our focus to PROM! We are getting more and more dresses in every week and should have everything by the beginning of March. Our Wheaton North, Glenbards, and West Chicago ladies should shop now!
Your proms are some of the first of the season! Remember, we won't sell more than one dress in one color to your school!

We're also excited to be part of a historical bridal event, Beautiful Brides: 130 Years of Wedding Fashions and Traditions Saturday, March 3rd with Trinity Episcopal Church. Join us for a unique event to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the historic Trinity Chapel. We’ll start in Millett Hall with a viewing of over 25 historical gowns, wedding accessories and photographs spanning 130 years. The conclusion of our event will be a fashion show in our historic chapel featuring bridal fashions from 2012 collections provided by The Dress by Nicole. Hurry and get your tickets today! Shows at 9:30am and 1:00pm.

Exciting New Dresses Arriving!

Kitty Chen Florence

Luna Novia

 We are getting more and more dresses in everyday at The Dress by Nicole! We have our entire 2012 collection now in-stock from Enzoani Blue and Kitty Chen Couture. We've also started to receive Luna Novias by Rosa Clara which is Aire Barcelona's sister collection and sometimes more affordable depending on the dress. We also got another amazing Jane Wang gown this week! The details and construction in her gowns are some of the best that I've seen out there in the bridal industry!

Aria

We also got in a few budget conscious dresses by Aria, very simple, very elegant and sometimes with a mod twist. We've been adding gorgeous beaded belts or trim and they are completely transformed!

Aire Barcelona Kate

We have many trunk shows coming up the next couple of months starting with Aire Barcelona January 20th-22nd. We will have an AMAZING Aire version of Kate Middleton's dress here that weekend! Don't miss your chance to be a princess that weekend!

Riva

 We're also excited to jump into our 4th prom season for 2012. We will have fabulous gowns by Riva, Faviana and Mignon/LM Collection. We are also busy taking applications for our Prom Dressers where prom ladies can earn a FREE prom dress! See our website or store for details. Prom dresses will be out January 31st! Become a fan on Facebook of our The Prom Dress by Nicole page!

The New Collections Are Upon Us!

Amy Kuschel Sabrina style

We traveled to New York Bridal Week a few weeks ago and were able to see more of the 2012 collections that were not shown in Chicago.

Our first stop was to see Amy Kuschel's 2012 collection. As usual she did not disappoint! One of our favorites has to be the the lace, keyhole back gown "Pearl". She also unveiled her Sabrina gown with a brand new lace pattern. The lace has gorgeous ribbons sewn on top with amazing details and it's available with three different necklines! We can't wait to get the new dresses in store, and that should be around mid-February.

Amy Kuschel Pearl style

We also ordered some more fabulous LaRichi Couture gowns that we are excited to get in. One of which is a keyhole back with ballgown skirt! Their unique fabrics and amazing beadwork is exactly what our brides are looking for! This is a collection you have to see in person, they tend to not post their gowns on their website for fear of being copied. Makes sense, because they are truly special. You have to see these in person!

Luna Novias Irina

We stopped by the Rosa Clara and Aire Barcelona showroom and decided to pick up a new collection by Rosa Clara called Luna Novias. The designs are very similar to Aire Barcelona but they are more affordably priced so it's perfect for our brides that love Aire but are on a budget! We hope to get those in January/February just in time for our Luna Novias trunk show January 27th - 29th.

KITTYCHEN Charlotte

We also received our first 2012 KittyChen Couture style Charlotte! We are one of the first stores in the country to have this dress. Kitty shows it online in the antique blush color but ours is in the ivory. If you love Kitty Chen, you HAVE to see this one in person!

Aria 121FB

Check out the Aria Collection we just got in store. The simple but sophisticated gowns are perfect for the bride that doesn't want a lot of sparkle and they are also great for being a blank canvas for adding an amazing belt or accessories! They are priced $900-$1400 and are perfect if you are on a budget!

Aria 286FA

Prom is also around the corner! We are looking for Prom Dressers and are taking applications!!! Don't miss out and apply today!

The Busy Trunk Show Season Continues...

We are extending our Enzoani Gorgeous with Curves Trunk Show through this weekend, Sept 30th-Oct 2nd! So if you missed us last weekend you can still come to see the curvy gowns and enjoy 10% off ALL Enzoani orders regular and plus sizes.








One of our most anticipated events is also happening this weekend. We are hosting an Amy Kuschel Viewing Party. What is a viewing party? It's kind of like a mini trunk show, we're getting in a small sampling of styles that we usually don't have in the shop and offering 10% off all Amy Kuschel orders this weekend! You will also get a fashion sketch of your gown hand-signed by Amy Kuschel free with purchase! We're just about filled up for the weekend so make your appointment today!