Strut Bridal

Strut Brides Featured on National Bridal Blogs

We always say we have the coolest, sweetest, nicest brides in Arizona. Add to that really creative! Other people think so, too, since we've had two brides featured on national bridal blogs. Woohoo!

Strut Bride Andy H. was recently featured on Pretty Pear Bride. She was married last fall at a beautiful outdoor wedding. Cool fact: her wedding photographer was another Strut Bride, Brianna! They met while both modeling our wedding dresses for a TV news segment! Andy rocked her ruffled wedding dress. Check out her advice at the end of the post--she tells other plus size brides not to lose weight for anyone:

Your advice for other plus size brides: Go to Strut Bridal! Ann from Strut made me feel the most beautiful I had ever felt! She helped set up my bridesmaids with dresses that made them feel just as beautiful as I did. I have found several stories of brides travelling to Strut from all over to find a dress. The dress makes the day and sets the tone of your life together. I met my photographer, Brianna Morris (Brim Photography) through Ann and even had an opportunity to be on the news with them! Also, don’t stress about losing weight for the wedding! You are beautiful the way you are. Your fiancé loves you, your family loves you, and if you will look amazing on your wedding day! (Given you find the right dress and a great photographer). If you end up losing weight, make sure you have a good seamstress on hand and money set aside. Last minute alterations are not cheap and if they are, could cost you looking your best.

 

Another bride, Shannon, was recently featured on Offbeat Bride, a website for brides planning somewhat alternative weddings. We love that Shannon showed how you can customize your wedding dress to fit any theme. We LOVE her clever DIY touches (check out those banner favors!!). 

Shannon also had kind words about Strut, saying, in her advice to other plus size brides:

Bridal Dress: Strut Bridal Salon I was having panic attacks about dress shopping. For a very big girl like me, I expected it to be the worst experience of planning a wedding. It ended up being one of my very favorites and it was all due to this local store. If you are plus-sized and are within driving distance of Phoenix, you NEED to visit this shop

We're so excited to see plus size brides in their gowns featured on these websites--we don't see enough diversity in wedding photography, so this warms our hearts. If your wedding is featured online, we'd love to link to it, so let us know!

And congrats, again, to Andy and Shannon!

Wedding Dress Donation Drive Nov. 1-25th

Strut is collecting once-loved wedding dresses for a wedding dress donation drive Nov. 1-25, 2012. Wedding gowns of any size and style from 2000 and newer will be collected in our Phoenix, Arizona bridal store during regular business hours. 

The wedding dresses that are collected during the donation drive will be sent to a store in Oregon called Brides for a Cause. The donated wedding gowns are sold, and the proceeds go to Wish Upon a Wedding, which is a non-profit organization that helps fund weddings for couples experiencing a terminal illness.

When you drop off a new or gently used wedding dress, you'll receive a 10% off coupon to give to an engaged friend. They'll get 10% off their wedding dress purchase at Strut. Although Strut specializes in plus size wedding dresses, they can order wedding gowns in any size.

Call 602.252.4414 with any questions, and watch our segment at 5:50am on Channel 12 News Friday, November 3rd!

Win a FREE Bridesmaid Dress for Your Bestie!

You love her like your sister--you've known each other for years, you've been through thick and thin, and she's a rockstar helper with all things wedding. Pay her back by winning a free bridesmaid dress for her! 

Here's how:

1. Email pic of you and your best friend to service(at)strutbridalsalon.com with a short description about why she's so great. We'll post it to our online photo album.
2. Ask your friends and family to Like the Strut page and Like your photo (they can comment, too, but we'll just count Likes).
3. The bride with the most Likes wins!
4. Get over 200 Likes on your photo and all of your bridesmaids will get 20% off their dresses!

Official rules:

September 2012 Contest
1. Voting begins as soon as the photo album "Me & My Bestie" is posted on Facebook. Voting ends at 11PM Pacific on Sunday, September 30th, 2012.

2. To “vote” for a bride, your friends and family need to “like” the Strut Facebook Page AND “Like” your picture in the album “Me & My Bestie”.

3. The Bride’s Picture that get the most “likes” at the end of the contest is our prize winner. The bride's best friend is entitled to one free bridesmaid dress. Dress may be purchased off the rack or ordered in any size and color available. Customization and rush fees are additional. Social occasion and prom gowns are excluded.

4. All participants that have over 200 Likes on their picture will receive 20% off the retail price of bridesmaid dresses for their entire bridal party (customization, rush and shipping fees are additional). This discount cannot be combined with any other discount or offer.

5. Prizes are NOT transferrable and must be used prior to your wedding date. Prizes not claimed within 30 days are forfeited.

6. There is no cash value given if you decline a prize or opt not to use it.

7. If you wish to comment on your picture, please ONLY comment on your own picture and let’s keep the comments positive. If problems arise between contestants on our business page – any contestants involved will be disqualified.

8. Strut retains the right to modify the rules.

That's it! Good luck, ladies! We can't wait to see those photos of your best friends!

Models Needed for Wedding Magazine Photoshoot

Ladies, we need your help! We're looking for six curvy ladies to be fit models for an upcoming magazine photo shoot. We want brides in a variety of sizes from 12-30 and shapes, from hourglass girls to pears and apples and even those of you who claim you don't have a waist at all! 

The purpose of the shoot is to show your shape (in the "before" pic) in a flattering wedding dress style (the "after" pic).

Here are the details:

• You MUST be available from 10am-noon on Saturday, May 12th;
• The photo shoot will be at the store (please don't bring friends, family or children);
• You'll need to wear jeans and a black shirt for the before photo;
• We'll put you in a dress that is flattering; you won't be able to choose the gown.

The shoot should be quick, easy and fun! We're looking for six models (but be aware that some ladies might get cut due to space constraints) of various sizes and body types. If you'd like to be a wedding dress model for us, please send your photo to service(at)strutbridalsalon.com by the end of day on Monday, May 7th. We'll send out confirmations on Tuesday.

Thanks so much--it should be super fun. This wedding magazine is the only one in the US that focuses on plus size brides, so let's help them out!

Knock-Off Chinese Wedding Dresses

We love Etsy, but lately we've noticed that counterfeit wedding dresses are even popping up on a site known for original, handmade goods. In upcoming wedding magazines you'll likely see some ads by national retailers cautioning brides against buying wedding dresses directly from Chinese manufacturers. 

We've heard the horror stories from desperate brides who either don't ever get their wedding dress, or receive a terrible version of the original. Thanks to the Facebook page Brides Aware, we've found some awesome (by awesome we mean sad and terrible) photos of Chinese knockoff wedding gowns to share with all of you.

The original:

The knockoff version:

And finally, the most horrific:

If you plan to buy a knock off wedding dress, be sure to order VERY early in case you're not happy with the product. You'll want to have enough time to replace it. And be sure to Google reviews of the website you plan to buy from. But please know that these factories are working off photos of the gowns, and they don't have the same quality materials or even the patterns to work from.

Happy Holidays! Strut Is Closed for a Long Weekend

To celebrate the holidays and allow our staff time to spend with their family and friends, Strut will be closed December 24-27th. We'll be back open on Wednesday, December 28th. We wish all of you a Merry Christmas!

Strut Listed in Brides Magazine

We were flipping through the December Brides magazine and came up an ad that listed us! Usually retailers pay to be listed on wedding dress brand ads, but we didn't, and were tickled pink (Strut pink, of course) to be chosen!

This super fitted lace fit-and-flare gown is from the their Spring 2012 collection. We have it in our Phoenix store and love it. Many times brides want a lace gown for a vintage or romantic look. Lace can be tough for a plus size bride to wear because it is soft, not structured, so it tends not to provide much coverage over curves. But this lace wedding dress has a sturdier lining, so it covers tummies better.

The lace train is gorgeous, and we love the vintage-looking beading at the waist. You need to see it in person to really get the details! Don't love the dark ribbon belt? You can order it in ivory or just remove it entirely. 

Give us a call if you'd like to try on this lace wedding gown!

What a Million Dollar Wedding Dress Looks Like

Twilight star Nikki Reed recently married American Idol singer Paul McDonald in October in California. But did you know that her dress reportedly cost over one MILLION dollars? Check out the photo, and then the breakdown of the cost:

Her gown was made of silk, which costs more than synthetic fabrics. It also took more than 100 hours of hand stitching to fit her fit-and-flare wedding dress.

While center of the bodice featured a 5 carat Tacori diamond, that giant rock was surrounded by 12 pear-shaped stones. The 12 diamonds supposedly symbolized the months of the year and the circle of life (slightly ironic for a woman who got wealthy playing a vampire that lives forever, right?). All in, there were 30 carats on center of her bodice alone.

Finally, the back of her wedding dress featured 1-- diamond buttons. Because silk covered buttons just wouldn't do, Nikki's dress had over 105 carats down her back and to the end of the 6 foot train.

So, what do you think? Over the top or elegant? And do you think she owns the dress or just borrowed the stones from Tacori? Did you love or hate the design? Leave us a comment below!

New Plus Size Panty Line--Meet the Designer!

Every girl has a few splurge items--the pricey boots or jeans, the really nice little black dress, the quality bathing suit that makes you feel like a super star... Well, meet your panty splurge. Introducing beatrix privé, a new line of top-quality thong underwear made just for your curves.

 

beatrix privé makes its national debut with a two-day trunk show at Strut Bridal Salon in Phoenix on Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5.

The line features luxury thong underwear created exclusively for women sized 16-20.

“Plus-size women no longer have to choose between ‘Granny Panties’ and ‘Trashy Panties’ ” says beatrix privé design director Jenny Davis, a fashion stylist and lifestyle magazine editor. For two years, Davis worked with real plus-size women to develop a comfortable, flattering and fabulous signature thong underwear design using colorful, luxury materials like silk charmeuse and imported lace.  

The seven colorways in the beatrix privé debut collection, all made in the USA, are limited editions and will not be produced again once they’re sold out.

Davis will personally present the line on Nov. 4 and Nov. 5 during an in-store event from 10 am – 6 pm at Strut Bridal Salon (542 W. McDowell Road, Phoenix, 602- 252-4414). Prices range from $38-$42 with discounts for multiple purchases. The event will also include samples from My Goodness Cakes and custom jewelry from the J. Bond Wedding Collection.

For more information on beatrix privé, visit  www.beatrixprive.com or  www.facebook/beatrixprive

Strut Noted for Plus Size Wedding Dress Collection

We're thrilled to be featured in the recent edition of Arizona Bride Magazine, which lists Strut bridal salon as the go-to wedding dress store for curvy and plus size brides in Arizona. Strut co-owner Ann was interviewed for the "Ask Us Anything" section of the magazine. Check it out!