Strut Bridal

Construction Update--Parking Restrictions

We're so excited that our shopping area is getting a face lift as well as new tenants. But that also means we'll have a few months of construction. You'll have to pardon our dust during this time and check this post often for updates on where to park when you come wedding dress shopping:

JANUARY 31st UPDATE:

Parking restrictions. The best place to park will be in the lot to the EAST of us. That means you'll turn into the parking lot BEFORE the purple My Florist Sign. Then, walk behind the purple building and follow the sidewalk to our back door. It's the one that has the clear window and 542 on it.

There's no access to our front entrance. The next phase of construction will be to take out our old sidewalks and put in cobblestone, which means we won't have access to our front door. So if you park in the lot off 7th Avenue, you'll need to walk around to our back door (and you may have to go through the alley to access it).

If you have any questions, just give us a call!

Liz's Vintage Tea Length Wedding Dress

Liz came to Strut with a very definite idea of what she wanted for her wedding dress: something tea length or short, and vintage-y, like 1950s or 60s. We put her in several options but she loved a beautiful tea length gown by Sincerity. Here she is walking down the aisle:

Liz and Zak were married 11/11/11 in the Gold Room ballroom at the Biltmore. They had an afternoon ceremony with cocktail hour afterward. 

Liz's tea length wedding dress featured a modified sweetheart neckline and tulle skirt with applique. Plus size brides looking for a tea length gown might find some too full, but we simply remove a layer or two of tulle from underneath to give a smoother appearance. This tea length wedding gown featured a slightly lower waist compared to others; this also makes some girls look smaller through their midsection. We encourage brides to try on several different styles to see what looks best on them.

Congrats Liz and Zak. You both look so happy! Best of luck, Liz, finishing your Master's Degree, and with teaching a class!

Doris Jean's Lucky 11-11-11 Wedding

Doris Jean and Luis got married on 2011's hottest wedding date: 11/11/11. She came shopping at Strut over a year earlier, looking for an elegant gown with a longer train, and recently sent us photos of her wedding.

We love her bouquet--it has a mixture of textures and flowers, and some of the flowers have the rhinestones inserted in the middle. We love how just a bit of her bouquet cascades down.

Doris Jean's wedding gown had a very dropped waist, like a fit and flare style, with embroidery and sparkles from the top of the bodice to the end of the train.

 

She and Luis were married outside at Estrella Vista. In addition to buying a house and getting married, Doris Jean and Luis have more big news: they're expecting! Best wishes to you both!

9 Great Reasons to Choose a Destination Wedding

Although the weather in Arizona is great for about eight months of the year, we still dream of dipping our toes in the ocean and sipping exotic drinks after saying our "I dos". 

Image from http://www.costaricaluxurywedding.com/index.html

Here are nine great reasons to choose a destination wedding:

1. You can introduce people to your passion: Whether you're picking a vineyard or mountain top ski resort, the place you two pick can say a lot about the things you love and can amp up the emotion everyone feels on your special day. 
2. Free wedding planning help: Many destination wedding sites have wedding coordinators that help with the details for your big day. This can be a big savings, both financially and for your emotional state!
3. Fewer vendors to coordinate: Again, many destination wedding sites create packages to help you cut down the stress and difficulty of picking a florist a photographer from sometimes thousands of miles away. You can usually customize a bit within their packages. But you'll have fewer decisions to make and fewer vendors to coordinate.
4. Fewer guests and lower costs: Because not everyone will be able to travel to your wedding, you'll be able to keep some costs lower by having fewer guests. Which leads us to #5...
5. More time with the people you love: Fewer guests means you'll have more time to spend with each person. Many times couples throwing destination weddings will plan additional events, such as a welcome dinner or casual cocktail night on the beach, so you'll be able to connect with more folks.
6. Vacation time! Your friends may be able to turn your wedding trip into a vacation. This means more fun for everyone.
7. A honeymoon built in: Many beach-bound couples stay several days after their nuptials and turn their trip into a wedding and honeymoon all in one. This can result in savings if you were planning to take a separate trip.
8. Less family drama: With nobody on "home turf", and everyone in vacation mode, there's often less family drama for destination weddings.
9. Amazing photos: Can you really top a snow-covered mountain top, a lush waterfall, or sunset on the beach? Destination weddings can provide amazing wedding photos!

We always recommend working with a travel professional who can help you plan a destination wedding. They'll put together great packages and help coordinate travel for your friends from all of their different points of origin!

 

FAQ: What's the Difference Between a Fit and Flare, Trumpet and Mermaid Wedding Dress?

We get this question a lot from brides who wonder which wedding dress style will look best on them. Recently Brides magazine answered this question with a great visual showing the difference between a fit and flare, trumpet, and mermaid wedding gown:

You can see that the difference between them is basically where it flares out from your body, either just past the hips, mid thigh, or around the knee. We tell our brides that mermaid wedding gowns place the most emphasis on the hips because they come back in at knee, so you'll be showing off the full curve of your hips in this style. Brides that want to de-emphasize their hips will want to chose one of the other silhouettes.

We also often say that mermaid wedding gowns are the sexiest style because they show off your shape the most. As the article noted, they do restrict movement. So if you're looking for comfort over style, you might want to chose a trumpet or fit and flare. 

Lately we've noticed an increase in requests for mermaid gowns, and we're thrilled that our Arizona brides are exploring these options. We'll be looking for more mermaid gowns at the upcoming bridal market next month!

Kim's Wedding Dress with Straps

Kim was a California bride who came to Strut for more plus size wedding dress options. She had a small wedding in Santa Cruz in August and wanted something comfortable and a bit flowy.

Kim chose a slim aline wedding gown with empire waist. It had white, sparkly straps with ruched bodice and a beaded privacy panel (it covers the area between the breasts in a v-neck for more modesty). Her colors were blue, yellow and white.

Congratulations, Kim and Stephen!

FAQ: Can You Order Any Night Moves Prom Dress?

We've heard that Strut is the only dress store in the Phoenix area that is carrying the 2012 Night Moves Prom collection. While we specialize in curvy girls size 12+, we can order gowns in any size, starting at 2!

Keep in mind that they have only a set number of Night Moves prom dresses in stock, so if your size and color isn't available, we'll need 8-10 weeks to have your dress custom made. So, SHOP EARLY for the best size and color selection available for your 2012 Night Moves Prom Dress!

Jessica's "Wild" Wedding

Most of the Strut girls have a pet (or two!) so we loved the fact that Strut Bride Jessica is a manager at PetCo, has 13 pets (13!), half of them rescues, and she chose to get married at the Phoenix Zoo!

Jessica's wedding was small, with fewer than 100 guests and four bridesmaids. She and Jason were married outside with an indoor reception. Her wedding colors were natural, likes taupe, browns and greens.

Jessica chose a ballgown wedding dress with a ruched bodice, sweetheart neckline, and yes, pockets!

Her gown had just a small sweep train, which made it perfect for an outdoor wedding.

She wanted a simple yet elegant wedding dress without a lot of sparkle. We loved the deep sweetheart neckline, which can showcase a stunning necklace, like her multi-strand of pearls.

Our favorite photo--the zebras look staged, don't they? But the weather AND animals cooperated for Jessica and Jason's wedding at the Phoenix Zoo. Jessica's photos came with the sweetest note:

Thanks so much again for all you did, helping me with my dress. It really was the best experience I could have imagined!

Congrats to you both!

 

How to Find Your Prom Dress

Prom season is here, and that means it's time to start shopping for your 2012 prom gown! Here are three ways to find your prom dress in Phoenix:

• You can buy your prom dress off the rack if you love the color and we have your size, or
• We can check inventory to see if they have your size and color in stock, or
• We can special order your prom dress. But there's a catch--it takes 8-10 weeks to special order a prom dress, so you have to SHOP EARLY!

Before you start shopping for prom dresses, you should look through magazines to get a good idea of what prom dress style you'd like. Short prom dresses are still popular for 2012, but chiffon gowns and ball gowns are also in high demand. 

If you're looking for a plus size prom dress, then you've come to the right place! Strut has the area's largest selection of plus some prom gowns in today's hottest styles. We have exclusive dresses you won't find anywhere else, and we register all of the dresses we sell. 

Special prom dress shopping hours are Tuesday and Saturday from 4-9pm by appointment, so call us at 602.252.4414. Our expert stylists will help you find an amazing prom dress!

Jillian's Ruffled Fitted Gown

Jillian was looking for an elegant and classy gown for her Newport Beach wedding in October 2011. She was referred to Strut from another local wedding dress store, and we found her the perfect fitted wedding gown with layered ruffles on the bottom.

Jillian added the beaded sash to accent her waistline, and, yes, we think we see Jordans on her husband, Michael! Best wishes, you two!

Your Favorite Wedding Dresses Are In Stock Now!

One of our favorite vintage-inspired lace gowns is this one by Allure:

The style number is 8764, and it's a lace slip dress. This means that there are actually two pieces, the lining and then the lace overlay. What makes Allure 8764 so spectacular is the floral detail on the lace straps and the stunning keyhole back.

Because Allure 8764 is a wedding dress style that doesn't have a lot of structure to it, it does make it a tougher plus size wedding dress to wear. If you want to try it on, we recommend strong foundations, like Spanx, for a sleeker silhouette.

Another Strut Bridal Salon favorite is Justin Alexander 8465.

It's their signature tea length wedding dress that spawned dozens of imitations. But this is the original: Justin Alexander 8465 features incredible Venetian lace with tons of beading on it. You can't even see that stunning detail in the photos, so visit our Phoenix bridal store to try it on.

Justin Alexander's 8465 comes in natural/cafe (shown) and all natural.

You may have seen this stunner at the Phoenix Bridal Show in January. We had it on a dress form in our booth:

Available in white and ivory, this is a fantastic plus size wedding dress because it accents the waist (and covers up tummies!).

Wedding dresses are shipping in June already, so don't wait to order your favorite! Call us at 602.252.4414 to set up a time to visit!