Archive for March, 2010

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Thumbs Up, All Around

March 30, 2010

So I probably had the best weekend ever here in Winter Park! We had a blast with DJ Carl and I got to see some familiar faces! My bride Meghan came back in with her friend Roslyn to help her find her wedding dress!!!

I had the priviledge of working with Roslyn and had so much fun with her family and friends. Meghan was the one that created the signs for every one to hold.  She created signs with thumbs up on them so the panel could judge. On the bottom of their signs, she tied a ribbon in a bow, with the colors that Roslyn is using for her wedding- gold and eggplant. How clever!! (good job Megs!)


The group was torn between two dresses and thats when Roslyn’s dad had the great idea of a Dress- Off! So Which one did she choose?? Well, I guess you will have to wait until January 22nd. But I will let you know this, as soon as she walked back out in “the Dress” everyone got goosebumps ( including myself) and tears were brought to the eyes! The dress def got thumbs up all around~

Congrats Roslyn~  You picked the perfect dress, I am so happy I got to help you find your wedding dress, you looked absolutely GORGEOUS!

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Adding Whimsy to Your Wedding

March 29, 2010

Hello fabulous readers!  As I mentioned several weeks ago I’ll be writing weekly posts on helpful tips for planning your big day.   From managing your budget to current tablescape trends, I plan to cover it all!  If there is a specific topic you’re interested in please, don’t hesitate to email me: Heather@stylishtraditions.com.  I would love to help with any questions or comments all you Solutions’ Brides have for your weddings!

Since brides are using so many creative ideas for their weddings I saw this cute DIY project and just had to share!

It seems that must have floral centerpieces are a thing of the past.  More often than ever tables are being adorned with whimsical items such as vintage vases, colorful trinkets and even vegetables!  What a fun way to turn a classic centerpiece into something truly original.  Can’t find the right items to go with your color of choice?  Here’s a fun tip on how to incorporate simple, one of a kind pieces with your tablescape.

You will need:

- Recycled glass bottles, vases, jars… try checking out your local flea market and garage sales for vintage finds

- Spray paint in coordinating colors… all white looks great too for an ultra modern feel!

- An old newspaper for the messy brides

Directions:

- Remove all labels adhered to the glass and make sure nothing sticky is left over

- Simply paint each vase until no glass shows through

- Voila!  Let them try and your new vases, candle holders, or are ready to add some originality to your wedding

Planning for I Do: Stylish Traditions Wedding & Event Design

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Meet Marissa!

March 27, 2010

Hello lovies! My name is Marissa, and I am the Assistant Manager in the Gainesville store. Weddings have been a major part of my life for the past year, ever since I started working as a stylist at Solutions. Before that time my interest in weddings was fairly limited, mostly due to the fact that my energy was solely focused on graduating from THE University of Florida with a degree in Marketing (Go Gators!) I was mainly attracted to working in the bridal industry because of my interest in fashion. Bridal fashion is such a unique part of the fashion community, and I love following how the trends have changed over time. Working at Solutions has given me the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of my favorite designers in bridal fashion, such as Anne Barge, Lazaro, and Erin Cole, and provide my fashion expertise with all of the amazing brides that come into the store!

Just a few things about me:

My favorite romantic movie is Love Actually (top left).  I love everything about this movie, but it also happens to contain one of my favorite movie weddings. When Kiera Knightly gets married to her husband in the movie they are surprised during their ceremony by a full band and chorus with the Beatles “All You Need is Love.” Gets me every time!

My favorite dress in the Gainesville store right now is Lazaro style 3000 (also top left). It looks amazing with our Watters rhinestone belt.

My style icons are Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn (bottom left). Sometimes it feels like everyone says that, but that is only because they are fabulous!

My favorite wedding colors right now are pewter and rose (bottom center.)  The Dessy Group’s Pantone Wedding colors are the perfect way to get these exact shades for your bridesmaids.

My favorite wedding related blog is Junebug Weddings “What Junebug Loves!” (bottom right.) The posts are always unique to others in the wedding blog community, and they always spotlight fantastic real weddings and wedding vendors.

My favorite guilty pleasure is watching Ace of Cakes (center right). The folks at Charm City Cakes can make practically anything out of cake. It’s ridiculous! My favorite was the Hogwarts castle cake. In my next life I want to be an awesome cake artist.

I look forward to blogging more with ya’ll soon! You can also follow me on my own personal fashion and inspiration blog at www.weddingsandsuchblog.blogspot.com (top right).

Love,

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Remember When….

March 25, 2010

Remember when we had our first date……. Melissa and Zach sure do and used their exact outfits for their engagement pictures! How cute is that??!?? I absolutely love this idea and wanted to sure with all of our brides!

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Par~tay

March 24, 2010

Oh my goodness I am so excited for this weekend! DJ Carl will be here at the Winter Park location for a super fun Saturday Social. This is a first for the store to host a DJ and everyone is thrilled. This will be a great time for all of our brides that are in to get to know DJ Carl and everything he has to offer to make such a memorable reception. Ask him questions, listen to his work, you may even find your dress and DJ all in the same place! Score!

The majority of brides’ think a DJ’s role is just to make a couple of announcements and play good music.  But that is not all it implies. DJ Carl goes above and beyond. He keeps the event flowing, communicates and articulates the right messages and plays a variety of music to ensure dancing throughout the entire event.  DJ Carl is professional, dependable and definitely personable!  He is the best! Be sure to stop by Solutions this weekend to check him out!

For More Tips on What to Look For When Hiring a DJ

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The Orlando Store Construction: Week 1~Part 2

March 23, 2010

I know everyone has been antsy to see our second installment of pictures from the Orlando’s store construction, so here you are… starting with the next sketch from our designer.

The hallway is very bare now (see below), but when it’s finished, it will be GORGEOUSLY decorated with our brand new Spring 2010 designer gowns.

I just got another batch of pictures from our contractor that I will be posting later this week!! Ah, I can’t wait to share!!! :O)

Love,

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Meet Michelle!

March 22, 2010

Hey all you brides-to-be! My name is Michelle and I am one of the stylists at Solutions Bridal in Winter Park (soon to be Orlando!) I joined the team of awesome girls here in December. I’ve always had a soft spot for weddings (what girl doesn’t?!) but after planning my own walk down the aisle and then helping my cousin plan her big “I Do” I realized I’d be smitten spending my days working in this industry. So I left my job as a morning television producer to explore my passion for weddings professionally!

The transition was a breeze… there are so many small details that go into finding your perfect gown and making sure it fits into the big picture of your wedding day. It’s just like taking all the necessary parts to make for an exciting, emotional and FUN show. So not only will I help you find your gown at Solutions Bridal… but your veil, shoes, accessories, bridemaids dresses, and flower girl dress too! Need a little inspiration for your big day? No problem! I’d love to take your ideas and help them become reality :)

When it comes to my personal wedding style, I’d have to say I’m definitely a fan of creating that romantic feeling. From a soft, flowy gown to natural makeup and curly upswept hair… your wedding is a day to celebrate love and I think your gown should reflect that! I’d love to share a few pics from my own wedding below…

No matter your style, finding your wedding gown should be something you look back on and smile about. I’d love to be the one to help you do it! Save the stress for the really daunting tasks in life. When it comes down to it, you’re getting to try on beautiful designer gowns and pick your favorite one to wear to the biggest, most exciting party of your life. So call us to make an appointment and let’s have some fun together!

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Meaghan’s Engagement Caught on Video ~ Watch Now!

March 20, 2010

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of helping a bride {Meaghan} find the perfect gown for her wedding day. But before we started the process of having her try on luxurious silk gowns, I asked her how her fiance, Jason, popped the question. She told me, “He asked me to marry him while I was in class… and the whole thing was filmed without me knowing and put up on YouTube!” So of course I had to find it online and share it with all of our readers. :O) Meaghan and Jason are a Master’s student and a Ph.D. student, respectively, at Clemson University in South Carolina.  

This is definitely the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time, and her reaction to his picture and ”Will you marry me?” being up on the Powerpoint slide is truly priceless! She’s going to be happy that she’ll be able to look back on this years from now and be able to watch this video over and over again!


So what did you think? Personally, all cuteness aside, I found it hard not to crack up whenever the person filming would laugh and also how the teacher got so worried and nervous that she said she almost threw up! Meaghan and I definitely had a good laugh about that. :O)

Happy Saturday, Lovelies!

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Meet Shannen!

March 19, 2010

Hello Loves~
     My name is Shannen, and I am a Bridal Stylist and Special Events & Marketing Coordinator for the Winter Park ~ soon to be~ Orlando Location. I love everything about the wedding industry. I feel like I have the best job in the world because I get to help brides find the most important dress of their lives!! How exciting is that???!!?? One thing I love about my work is meeting amazing brides every day. I enjoy learning about their relationships, engagement stories, and wedding plans. Sometimes I feel like I am their little wedding planner, because I help them find their dress, pick out bridesmaid dresses and help with vendors. Every day I learn so much about my brides and develop a close relationship with them and they will ask about my life in return, so I decided to create an inspiration board
to better display about who I am~ hope you enjoy and I look forward in working with you!

Starting from the upper left corner and then going Clockwise-
One of my favorite details of a wedding (besides the cake) is the venue. The Venue is crucial for setting the tone for the wedding. It creates a narrative that the entire event follows. I would love to have an outside wedding such as the one in this picture.

I am a typical girly-girl. I love getting dressed up, make up and shopping~ especially for shoes and purses! My favorite food is Mexican food, I could probably eat it everyday. My style icon would have to be
Jessica Simpson.

Now, for my favorite part of a wedding- the cake! I absolutely adore this wedding cake, isn’t it precious?

One of my favorite things to do is laugh, I enjoy watching stand up comedy and one of my guilty pleasures is watching Chelsea Lately every night. My favorite movie of all time is Dirty Dancing- “No one puts baby in the corner” and my favorite T.V. show is Sex and the City. And for my celebrity crush, Channing Tatum, I am obsessed with him….but don’t tell my boyfriend :)

My favorite Bridal Designer hands down would be Marisa by Tamara Kristen. All of her gowns are gorgeous with enough detail to WOW the bride without overwhelming the bride. Now, I am not engaged however; working in the bridal industry a girl is going to think about her wedding dress a time or two…and  this gorgeous high neck, mermaid, all over lace gown makes really makes my heart melt. LOVE IT!

When I’m not at work, I enjoy scrap booking, running, working out, going to the movies and hanging out with friends.

And now for my background. I moved to Florida from Nashville, TN this past August to live with my boyfriend of almost four years. We met in College at Tennessee Tech University and have been together ever since. My favorite flower is a sunflower, and I think it describes my personality as well, bright and fun! My family and friends are the most important people in my life, and of course my Morkie Poo~ Lilly. I am so happy with everything in my life right now and am truly blessed.

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The Orlando Store Construction: Week 1~Part 1

March 18, 2010

Solutions Bridal is making some major headway this week with all of our brand new changes. Yesterday, we introduced the blog to the world, and today, it is time to show you the first stages of turning a regular building into the gorgeousness that is a Solutions Bridal boutique. As most of you saw in my post yesterday, Solutions Bridal is opening up a brand new store in Orlando, FL. We are all very excited for what’s in store for our growing company! :O)

For the very first part, I want to show everyone one of the sketches that we collaborated on with our designer. This will allow you to understand what is going on in all the crazy construction pictures that I have to share with you.

And next you will see the first sketch come to life… well, sorta. Not the kind of pretty life that the sketch depicts, but more of a rough around the edges, humble beginnings kind of come to life. Read on and you will see. :O)

Thank you for humoring my excitement over these pictures… and even more, my SUPER enthusiasm over the new chapter we are about to begin in the life of Solutions Bridal!! By the way, I would be honored to know how excited you are too! Or shocked. Or glad. Or anxious. Whatever your feelings may be, leave us a comment and let us know. I will be posting up Week 1 ~ Part 2 in a few days, so stay tuned dear readers.

With love from your little ball of excitement,

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