Strut Bridal

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!

 

Brides Against Breast Cancer Recap

When Bob and I first talked about helping out with Brides Against Breast Cancer, both of us thought we'd get a handful of donated wedding dresses.

Maybe a dozen.

And we'd feel pretty good about that--helping both breast cancer patients AND low-budget brides.

Imagine our surprise when we ended up with 133 wedding and formal gowns.

Here's proof!

It was so many dresses we ended up stacking boxes in the back hallway after running out of room on the racks in the backroom. So, clearly, we have a LOT of thank yous!

• To our Phoenix area (and beyond!) residents that parted with their new and used wedding dresses, we say thank you. We know it's hard to get rid of something that brings back so many memories just by looking at it.
• To our local media that supported the drive, we say thanks! We had the sweetest reporters and (patient) cameramen from Fox, ABC and NBC in the store. And the Arizona Republic published our call for donations in their main paper as well as subsidiaries.
• Huge thanks to Tara Clark (and Denise!) of Events by Tara Clark for coordinating the sale weekend.
• The Almond Tree loaned us the biggest, heaviest three-way mirror for the event (and thanks to my little brother for lugging it to and fro!).
• Lisa of Destiny's Bride donated more than twenty couture gowns valued at over $133,000. This is an amazing addition to the sale's couture collection.
• Our friends at Uptown Bridal brought in sixteen gorgeous wedding gowns, too!
• Our vendor partners Arizona Weddings Magazine, Phoenix Bride & Groom magazine, Fresh From the Kitchen caterers, Events by Tara Clark, Reverend Mary Riley, Community Florist, Apropos Creations event planner, and more, for working with area brides who visited the sale.
• The Cottonwood Suites and Resorts graciously donated their space and time for the event.
• Our volunteers! We had legions of help from area residents, including an energetic group of high school girls.

If I've forgotten anyone, please let me know. In the end, I believe they sold almost 40 dresses, which pleased the event coordinators.

We hope to bring them back to Phoenix in the future!

 

Strut Bridal Salon in the News

We just wanted to take a minute and say THANKS to all of the awesome folks that have helped spread the word about Strut bridal salon in Phoenix:

We heart Chastity and her blog AND her book (you can pick up a copy at the store). She had sweet things to say about her trip to Arizona.  

Kira from Fashion Phoenix came for Chastity's book signing and wrote a nice post about us. We love Kira's view on fashion: you don't have to follow trends, just wear what works for you (amen!).

When Chastity was in town, she was featured on Channel 3's morning program giving tips on dressing for body types (hint: belts!). You can see her segment here.

We haven't even met the (surely) nice folks at ScoopFactory, but they were kind enough to spread the news about us, too! We signed up for their daily newsletter (Ann loves to try new things/places/foods/activities).

Finally, Sandra from KTAR did an interview with Ann last week. Our FedEx driver said we didn't sound dumb, which is good enough for our first official interview!

We've celebrated our first three months in business by... well, there's been no time for celebrations, people! Our October and November brides really need to be ordering their wedding dresses now, to allow for plenty of time for alterations. We've been really busy and just want to say thanks to our Phoenix-area vendor partners and our brides everywhere. As nice as everyone has been to us, we also want to say that we're grateful to be able to provide a place where curvy girls and plus size brides can find the dress of their dreams!

Join Us at the Phoenix Pride Wedding Expo!

We're so excited to do our first fashion show ever, and to be a part of Phoenix Pride's 30th anniversary celebration. Come join us at 4:30 Saturday and Sunday in the air conditioned tent. You'll see about a dozen of our best styles for curvy brides. Then stay and catch awesome acts like Joan Jett. I plan to eat my way through the festival, so look for me at the food booths!

Find more information online about Phoenix Pride!