Rank Bloog

Muse Board: Navy & Peach

CONCEPT TO CREATION: ELIN'S GOWN

This is the first post of a new series where you can follow me as we look at several gowns made from start to finish. We'll kick it off by looking at Elin's gown from our initial consultation to the excitement of her wedding day. It made me so happy to see Elin married in such an enchanted setting in a gown of my creation. The back drop of the rustic old Kalmar castle in Sweden seemed a perfect match for the vintage chic of the 'Mira' Gown she chose.

We started from this sketch planning the ballerina length skirt out of six yards of silk chiffon over a full crinoline underskirt. This Chantilly lace was chosen in ivory for the bodice

Elin's gown was fashioned out of yards of fragile ivory silk chiffon and delicate lace. While most custom gowns crafted by a designer take anywhere from four to six months to complete, Elin needed her gown in two months. Despite the time crunch, we still had enough room for collaboration with decisions regarding fabric, silhouette and style. This was, as most custom gowns are: typically 80-90% handmade. Hand made means machines do some work like the side seams, cross seams, etc. There are however stitches on these one-of-a-kind gowns only expert handwork can touch in order to produce that exquisite finish

With a great deal of hand work, the bodice here is nearly complete. With all linings and boning in place, buttonhole looping has been added to the center back as silk covered buttons are sewn on.

Bodice and skirt have been joined before adding the crinoline underskirt

Voila! Elin's gown is complete with the addition of a separate underskirt and tie belt.

Elin in her gown. Doesn't she look stunning?

Erika Gerdemark Photography

Ceremony Reading: The Irrational Season

From "The Irrational Season" by Madeleine L'Engle

But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take…It is indeed a fearful gamble…Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, so that, together we become a new creature.

To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take…If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation…It takes a lifetime to learn another person…When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling, and which implies such risk that it is often rejected.

Photography: Amelia Lyon

THE LIGHTWEIGHTS: A CLOSER LOOK AT SHEER FABRICS

Stephanie Williams Photography

What could be more feminine on a bride than lightweight, sheer fabrics. They have an airy, wispy look and feel that sets a light tone. While we're looking towards Winter, I know a lot of you are contemplating Spring 2010 weddings. Take a look at some of these gowns.

Digital She/Sweet Light Studios
Embossed silk chiffon gown with silk gauze train.

Chiffon-Lightweight and transparent, the delicacy of this fabric makes it best for billowing sleeves, cowl draped necklines, ruffles, ruched bodices and long, airy trains. See-through dresses worn over slips can be made of chiffon. Full skirts in chiffon are ethereal and can be layered.

Ron Greystar Photography
Lace and chiffon gown with detachable organza train dappled with rose petals

Organza-Shown above and below, organza is a light, springy and transparent fabric. Once considered suitable only for summer, organza is now year-round and widely used in gowns requiring full skirts, A-lines, trains, veils, drapes and overlays.

Stephanie Williams Photography
All over embroidered chiffon dress with full skirt

Ron Greystar Photography
Tulle-Fine mesh netting with hexagonal pattern that comes in silk or nylon. Tulle is standard material for bridal veils. Also used in bouffant skirts like the one pictured above, proffering that ballerina look Vera Wang popularized a few years back. While the big tulle skirt is classic, edgier versions of late suggest special effects like draping, rouching and pick-up treatments over more modified skirt silhouettes. Not to be overlooked for trains done in layers.

All gowns by Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal Couture

Engagement Shoot: Shiril + Jordan

Photography: Erica Berger

Some Details Of Mariah Carey and Her Wallpapers

Mariah Carey is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the third and youngest child of Patricia Carey, a former opera singer and vocal coach of Irish descent, and Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer of Afro-Venezuelan descent.

Mariah Carey is commonly dubbed as the "Queen of Pop".

Birth Name: Mariah Carey
Birth Date: March 27, 1970
Birth Place: Huntington, Long Island, New York, United States
Profession: Singer, songwriter, model, record producer, actress
Genre(s): Pop, R&B
Years active: 1989–present

mariah carey wallpaper

picture of pop queen mariah carey

singer and actress mariah carey in a bikini

hollywood celebrity mariah carey posing for photos

hollywood actress and singer mariah cary photo

KRISTA AND JEREMY: A DAY IN MONTEREY

Photography

Chyna Darner

Gown
Amy Kuschel

Venue

The Old Whaling Station

Catering
The Grapes of Wrath

Florist

Tempels of Carmel

I've been waiting to run this piece for a long time. Chyna Darner is a photographer whose work follows that flow of photojournalistic style I love so much. She caught Krista and Jeremy's marina wedding story so beautifully with her keen eye for detail . When I first saw these images, I was blown away by the simplicity of Krista's gown by Amy Kuschel. Also the sense of fun shown through this whole wedding is an inspiration . . .

All photos copyright by Chyna Darner Photography

HAIR RAISING IDEAS

source

Want to wear your hair up on your wedding day but don't want that same up-do look of every other bride? Check out a little bit of Sunday hair raising chic. A floral in the top image along with relaxed curls pull this look together. Below, braids are back and never looked better . . . .