Tips for transporting a gown to a destination wedding:

1) Carry the dress in the fabric hanging bag provided by your bridal salon. Keeping the dress seperate from other items will prevent possible snags or damage.

2) Never check your gown! Carry your dress on as a piece of luggage and ask to hang it in a coat closet or fold it in fourths and place it in an overhead bin with one side against the wall and another piece of luggage protecting the other side.

3) If you must ship it, make sure to send it to a commercial address and set it to arrive before you. If you are getting married on or near a holiday, allow extra shipping time and always insure the gown for the full amount!

4) If there is beadwork or flowers, wrap the areas in tissue paper prior to transport.

5) Upon arrival, have your wedding planner or family member refer you to someone competent to steam or press your gown. Hotels that host destination weddings should have someone on site to handle this request.


No matter the destination, transporting your gown can seem daunting but with the simple tips above, it will be as easy as your walk down the aisle.

Wedding Gown Preservation - why it is so important right after the wedding!

The other day we had one of our beautiful brides bring her gown in for preservation. It has been almost a year since the wedding and due to her school schedule, she had just now found the time to bring her gown to us for cleaning and preservation. It had been a while since she had looked at the gown so we opened the bag and she was astonished at what she saw! There were stains on the gown, both in the front and back that she could not explain. After discussing the wedding with her and telling her that some of the sneakiest things at a wedding that can stain a gown are champagne and sugar she realized what had happened!
During the cake cutting, she and her groom had smashed each other with cake therefore some had fallen down the front of her skirt. Unknowingly, she brushed it away with her hand and created a larger problem. After looking at the back of her gown, you can also see where her groom rested his hand for pictures and where someone had placed their thumb to adjust her zipper.


Even though you may not see any stains with your eyes, trust us, there are invisible stains lurking around. Make sure you have someone designated to take your gown to be preserved immediately after the wedding while you are away enjoying your honeymoon. The preservation process costs less than taking it to a local cleaners and includes cleaning, pressing, preservation and three nested boxes to protect your gown for years to come! For more information or to schedule a time to bring your gown for preservation, feel free to contact us at any time!

Vendor Spotlight: Fantasy Floral Designs

It's time for another wonderful vendor spotlight! This week we have Amanda Heer from Fantasy Floral Designs. She creates stunning floral for events and specializes in gorgeous Vintage Brooch Bouquets! These bouquets are like pieces of art. Each one is customized for the bride and they will stay beautiful forever!

Are you drooling yet? Not only is Amanda an amazing floral designer, but Fantasy Floral Designs has been featured in The Knot Best of Weddings several times and it is well deserved! To contact Amanda and find out more information you can check out her website and blog!

Adele Wechsler Trunk Show

Come to Bliss Bridal Salon February 24th-27th for the Adele Wechsler Trunk Show.

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Adele Wechsler gowns are undeniably beautiful pieces that are inspired by "the bride who cares about the world within which she lives". The ECO COUTURE line offers brides an eco-friendly option "with all the luxury of a couture gown".

With you Adele Wechsler gown purchase, you will receive a watercolor sketch of your gown by Adele, the bride's monogram initials in the gown, and a tree planted in your honor. You do not want to miss out on this special opportunity.

*Gowns range from $2,000 to $4,000.

Did we mention we had a new website?

It's true! We have a new website!

It features all of the gowns we have chosen for our collection in the salon as well as bridesmaids and even online ordering for Sara Gabriel Headpieces, Sashes and Veiling! You can “like” something to Facebook, you can create your own Wish List, and you can email it to a friend or mom! We cant tell you how excited we are about this and all the things to come. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!

Vendor Spotlight: Making Up with Leah

Today, we have a super special post for you. Get to know Leah from Making Up with Leah and pick her brain about why a professional makeup artist can put you at ease on your big day!

5 Reasons to Hire a Professional Makeup Artist for your Wedding

1) Before the wedding, you will have plenty of things to worry about. The last thing you need to worry about is if your skin breaks out from stress or ending up with bags under your eyes from lack of sleep! Knowing that a trusted expert will be on hand to give you flawless skin you are dreaming of for the wedding will provide you with the peace of mind you need!

2) A makeup artist will have the skills to create the look that you have envisioned for your day and know the techniques to flatter every feature. Whether it is a subtle, soft and pretty look or a dramatic look, making a bold statement, she should be able to talk with you and understand your thoughts and perceptions for your “day of’ look.

3) A professional will know the very best products and techniques to use, so that your makeup will stay on and look great all day or night. She will also know how to tailor those techniques and products for your skin type as well as your event’s conditions. It is important that she take into consideration the humidity levels, temperature, and how many hours of dancing you plan on!

4) With all the stress of those hundreds of details coming together on that one day, you deserve to be pampered. Get the royal treatment! Let an expert take charge of you looking your very best!

5) You booked a great photographer for your wedding, and it is probably a significant portion of your wedding budget. You are trusting them to capture those special moments on film for you. You need a makeup artist to make sure you have beautiful skin, and perfectly chosen colors and flattered features in those photos. It will make you feel more comfortable while all the eyes and cameras are on you, and mean less retouching for your photos, and maybe even save you money on photo editing. There are lots of reasons to hire a makeup artist for your wedding day. It is important to look at pictures of her work, and see if you she has created looks that resemble what you are interested in. Also, talk to her and make sure you feel comfortable that she will listen to you. A trial run is always a fabulous idea! It's your day, and you need to know that she will treat you like it, so that you can relax and enjoy looking beautiful!

Make sure you visit Leah's website here if you have any questions or want to schedule a consultation!

Your wedding gown! When is it really time to start shopping?

Over the past few weeks, it has become apparent that some of our brides are unaware of the "gown time-line" so we thought we'd take a moment and break it down. This is a rough time-line and will vary by month as well as by designer. However, be concerned about any major deviation from this time-line as this may forewarn you of a store's stability. (IE. an overall exaggeration of the time-line for all dresses - not specific designs or designers).

 

Typically, it takes 12-16 weeks for a gown to ship (not arrive) from the designer. It can take less time but a well planned bride always works off of worst case scenarios.

Once your gown arrives in the salon, you will need to schedule an appointment to pick up your gown or begin alterations. (add 7-20 days here).

Alterations can take anywhere from 6-8 weeks depending on your schedule, their schedule and the amount of work to be done. This includes multiple visits to the alterations specialist.

Add all this up and you are looking at approximately (6.75) 7 months - just to get the dress ready to wear!

Now, factor in bridal portraits since this is the first time you will wear your gown (assuming you are taking bridal portraits). Then, factor in climate. Climate - why climate? Well, we do live in Texas. July-September equals HOT! (read: glistening bride and not in a good way) December - March equals all things dead. (plants) so, if you want outdoor portraits, this could drastically change your time-line.

Example: You are getting married in October. You are taking bridal portraits and want them outdoors so you probably want to take them April - June. To have your gown ready in time, you need to have it purchased by November. Amazing how quickly time gets away from you!

From December until the end of February, the time-line gets longer as you have to factor in the holidays. Gown production teams typically take three weeks off during this time which means that your time-line needs to expand by three weeks during these months.

Now, this time-line is "worst case scenario" but a well planned bride will work off this to alleviate as much stress as possible. It can be done in a shorter time frame with some creative bridal consultants behind you that know their stock and their designers but why take a chance

Start early, be prepared to buy at your first appointment (we didn't say you had to - just be prepared to) and the gown shopping experience will be Blissful!