Strut Bridal

Strut Bride Nicole V. in Lace Wedding Dress

Nicole V. was a recent bride who sent us photos along with a super sweet note that we just have to share:

Hi Ann! 
Just wanted to send you a few pictures from my April 30th wedding at Regency Garden in my gorgeous Eden bridals dress. 

If you remember, I wanted to add straps and found a great seamstress, Janet Kirkman, who was able to make them to match the dress exactly and did hand beading to match the bit of fabric that the factory sent.  She also made the dress more a-line and added crinoline underneath to make the skirt a bit fuller.  Finally finished it off with a french bustle for the reception. 

Everyone commented on how gorgeous the dress was and I sparkled when I moved.  Thank you SO much for Strut and giving me, a plus size girl, the opportunity to feel beautiful in a unique gown and not in the quintessential "plus size" dress.

 

Nicole

Pictures were by Matt Wheeler of Still Life Studios

We love getting photos of our Phoenix area brides to share. Real photos of plus size brides are hard to find, so thanks, Nicole, for sending yours! Here's the must-have wedding dress on a hangar photo:

 

Close up of the beading on the bodice. There was also beading around the waist, on top of the lace bridal gown.

 

Here's a better photo of the straps that Nicole added to her wedding dress, since so many of today's styles are sleeveless. We were able to buy her extra material that matched her gown to make the sleeves.
 
While this gown is traditionally more of a trumpet style wedding gown, Nicole added some tulle underneath to make the skirt a bit fuller. Other brides take it in at the thigh so it's fitted more like a mermaid wedding gown.

 
Regency Garden is located in Mesa. They have gorgeous gardens. According to their website, they have an open house every Tuesday night from 6-8pm, so be sure to check them out. It looks like they have great locations for photos, including this great one by their fountain:

 
Thank you, Nicole, for your sweet words, your photos, and for letting Strut be a part of your special day!

 

Personalized Favors for Bridal Showers and Weddings

We're always looking for creative ideas for our brides to use and found some great personalized favors that would be perfect for:

• Bridal bags (for out of town travelers)
• Bridal showers
• Bachelorette parties
• And more!

We love the idea of a ladies' tea luncheon gift complete with a few tea packets stashed in a stylish mug and accompanied by this personalized jar of honey:

 

Or what about a custom cocktail mix packet? This would be the perfect welcome gift for that Vegas wedding, but don't forget a little shaker and fancy glass! You can choose from margarita or cosmopolitan cocktail mixes:

 

Or what about a delicate floating heart on a chain for your bridesmaids? They come with a sweet card expressing how grateful you are for their support.

We also love these little gift packs that are perfect for girly get togethers!

 
Now, put these pretty items in a pretty bag and tie on a custom hang tag, like this Elizabethan-inspired one:

 
You can make custom coasters, tags, labels and more on MyOwnLabels.com!

Strut Bride Pam M. in Ballgown Wedding Dress

Pam has worked at Strut since July 2009, so she had lots of time to look at our wedding gowns as she helped Phoenix area brides find their dream wedding dress. And, once in awhile, she'd try on a gownor two. When it came time to finding her perfect dress, Pam tried on lots, but the second she put on the Eden Bridals ball gown wedding dress, she knew it was "the one". All images are by Emily Snitzer.

 
Pam and Jason were married in March at the Inspirador in downtown Chandler. It's a stunning venue with lots of different rooms for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner festivities.

 
Their colors were black and white with lime green accents. Both Pam and Jason love music, so they played up that theme on the custom votive covers from Etsy.

 
 Santa Barbara did the catering. The food was outstanding, but our favorite dish was the make your own mac n cheese.

 
 
Pam wore a taffeta and tulle ball gown wedding dress by Eden Bridals. It featured a ruched bodice with beaded belt, dropped waist line, and full skirt. Pam wore a petticoat under her wedding gown to give it more shape. Pam wore a custom headpiece from Veils by Leah.

 

The Inspirador has a modern, kind of funky room you can have you ceremony in. It features love quotes down the aisle.

 

 
 
Here's a photo of Pam's bridal party:

 
Every bride needs a fantastic pair of shoes (even if that means a pair of bedazzled flip flops!). Pam found her black heels on Zappos and added the I Do sparkles for her something blue.

 
 
Chris from SLiCE made Pam and Jason's tiered cookies n cream wedding cake with green fondant. It tasted delicious!

 
Pam's bouquet was by God's Garden Treasures.

 
Thanks, Pam and Jason, for letting us be a part of your special day! And thanks to wedding photographer Emily Snitzer for letting us use her images to show off Pam's amazing wedding gown photos. We love sharing photos of real plus size brides!

Strut Bride Heather T. in A-line Wedding Dress

Heather and James got married at the Regency Garden in Mesa in mid April. She wore a satin a line wedding dress by Allure Bridals. Like a lot of Strut brides, Heather wanted a little bit of coverage for her upper arms without the bulk of long sleeves or straps added to her gown. Instead, she chose to add a sheer wrap, and the effect was gorgeous:

 
 
In the photo above you can see the paisely detail on the bodice. Below is Heather with her wedding party.

 

We love how her bridemaids' bouquet coordinate with hers, but the bride's is by far the biggest! Finally, a photo of Heather with her new husband, James:

 
We wish you both the best!

Unusual Boutonnieres

Lately we've had some creative DIY brides in our Phoenix wedding dress store, and we love it when they bring in their projects (Rhian's felt flower bouquet!) or show us pictures (Alexis' handmade boutonnieres--one for each guest!). It gives us a great idea of the feeling and theme they're going for in the wedding.

So when we found this great photo of other craft ideas for clever boutonnieres--everything from paper to tile to feathers and fabric--we had to share with all of you who may be looking for a little inspiration!

 
Aren't they great? Feel free to leave a comment and tell us about your unsual wedding boutonnieres!

Strut Bride Nychole in an Anjolique Wedding Gown

Nychole will always have a special place in our hearts for a few reasons. First, she brought us homemade goodies at Christmas time. We're talking a huge box full of dozens of various kinds of cookies and chocolate, including Ann's favorite: peanut butter balls.

But we'll also remember Nychole because of this: she changed her wedding dress choice. She came in originally and picked a romantic gown from Anjolique. But her friends and family really loved a ballgown by Allure, so she put her deposit down on that dress. A few weeks later, though, Nychole called to see if she could change her wedding dress order. Luckily, we could, because her original choice was just perfect for her wedding at a cottage on the beach in Charleston, SC.

 
Nychole's wedding dress was an empire style wedding gown by Anjolique. It featured a sweetheart neckline with eyelash lace on the top. It has a tulle over lay, and underneath that, a layer with applique and beading, which gently sparkled in the light. You can see more of the lace applique detail in the photo below:

 
Finally, we'll remember Nychole because she moved east earlier this year to be with her fiance, who is in the military.

 
A few final shots of the newlyweds, as we wish you both the best!

 

 
 

Buying a Knockoff Wedding Dress from China... part 2

Lately we've been reading a lot about brides buying knockoff dresses from China. This topic is interesting to us because in the last week we've had two brides who bought knockoff wedding gowns from China and....

• One came in 2 sizes too small and couldn't be fixed
• The other wasn't going to receive her dress in time. In fact, when she pressed them for a delivery date, they said 2-5 weeks.

So recently on Weddingbee.com a bride posted her real knockoff wedding dress photos, and we thought her dress was so bad (please don't tell her we think it, but... just look!) we wanted to share.

A photo of her original gown:

 
It's a gorgeous fit in flare style lace gown with lots of fine beading and appliques over tulle. Now see what she received:

 
What happened to that fine bead work and lace? And the gorgeous lace trim on the bottom of her skirt? The good quality and construction?! Poor bride. Ladies, knockoffs suck.

Virginia's House--A Great Wedding & Reception Site in Glendale

Natalie Stahl, owner of Virginia’s House and co-founder of the West Valley Wedding Association, takes pride in the family-like atmosphere and attention she devotes to brides that marry in her home. Virginia’s House is the west valley’s original ‘boutique’ event venue.

 

Founded in November 1998, this charming wedding and reception venue is located in historic downtown Glendale. Virginia’s House is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places as the CH Tinker home, built in 1913. The grounds include the home, a spacious lawn with gazebo for ceremonies, stunning flower gardens, and a covered patio for receptions.

While Virginia’s House can accommodate parties of up to 125 people, Natalie notes that a trend she has seen for fall 2011 and spring 2012  is that “weddings/receptions are getting smaller (guest size). Our economic climate has forced people to pare down their parties while still keeping them memorable and fantastic.” 

 

This personalized experience is one of the reasons Virginia’s House has won WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Award in 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2010, they were awarded the Ruth Byrne Historic Preservation Award.

Unlike many venues that are new to the wedding business, Natalie has over a decade of experience “giving our brides the best possible wedding experience with the vendors that I love the most.” This experience, she says, differentiates Virginia’s House from other wedding reception venues. “We have been in business since 1998 and have learned the ropes. We have lots of weddings under our belt and lots of continuing friends because of it. We love our brides like family and try to stay in touch with them,” Natalie added.

 

Tips to Make Your Wedding Flowers Last Longer

Keep those pretty blooms from your wedding around a little longer with these great tips from God's Garden Treasures!

The flowers were delivered, and wow, they were gorgeous! It's been a couple days and you notice that they have started to droop a bit. Instead of saying, I wish they lasted longer, you can actually do something about it! Many spring arrangements arrive in containers filled with floral foam and it is essential that this foam is not allowed dry out. Add warm water daily to ensure your stems are always happily drinking.

Are your hydrandreas wilting before your eyes? Put the head of the flower in a bowl of water for an hour, then give the stem a sharp angular cut, and reinsert it into your arrangement. Don't do that with roses though! With roses, trim the outer petals as they die away, and cut the stem every couple days. Make sure you don't allow the water to turn cloudy and use the floral food each time you change the water. This can add days, and sometimes weeks, to the length of your gorgeous blooms. Make sure to order hydrangeas from a source that hydrates them properly, which is either a two- or three-step hydration process over a course of a few hours. Ask for a floral spray that helps hold in the moisture - we use Finishing Touch, by Floralife .

15 Creative Ways to Make a Paper Cone

The latest Brides magazine had a great little article on fun materials to use to make paper cones for your wedding. Paper cones are great for holding rose petals that your guests will shower on you after your ceremony. Strut co-owner Ann had paper doilies for her wedding, and they were put inside champagne glasses, which guests picked up as they were on their way to be seated.

 
If one of those fun materials doesn't strike your fancy, think about your wedding colors, theme and/or materials for inspiration. If you're an art buff, try posters prints of your favorite artworks. Love to go bird watching together? Find old books with those pretty watercolors in them. Remember, this is a great way to make your wedding reflect your mutual interests, so have fun!