Threads, Thrills and Theatrics

Hello my lovlies!

Happy Friday (thank goodness!).

So as you have gathered, most of what I do is wedding-related but I am also an avid event planner. Right now, I have several things on the go, one of them being Cirque du Manique. I cannot say in words how excited I am to be collaborating with Marsina King from Manokin Design and Danielle Mossfeldt from Death by Shoe. These lovely ladies are good friends and fellow geniuses (ha ha, what, you didn't know I was a genius!?). We have been working night and day on bringing you the best show we could possibly put together.

A portion of proceeds go to Red Cross Japanese Tsunami Relief, you will be treated to tapas, a signature cocktail, cupcakes, carnival goodies, fortune telling, living statue freak shows, live singing and dancing, a swag bag and of course, a fabulous fashion show. We are hosting this spectacular evening at Sociale Bar & Grill in the heart of Downtown Calgary, June 25th.

A huge thank you to our beautiful and accommodating venue, Sociale, Shutterbird Photography, Peel Salon & Spa, The Little Cupcake Shoppe and Pumped! Shoes and Other Yummy Things for all your hard work and effort in making this night a success. We cannot wait to see everyone out for this night of Threads, Thrills and Theatrics!

Buy your tickets now as there are a limited number of tickets!

Lovely Lacey Kate

Okay, so by now you are most likely feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the attention on the Royal Wedding, but what do you expect? In a world where the news is cluttered every night by murders, natural disasters and other horrific headlines, it is nice to see something so beautiful plastered all over websites and newspapers.

I have counted down the days until the royal nuptials. Ever since I was a little girl I thought Prince William was quite the dreamboat, and ever since he introduced his lovely Kate to the world I have be enthralled by her impeccable fashion choices, bright personality and charming ways.

When I saw Kate for the first time (at 3:45 in the morning, yawn!), I told my daughter "look at her, she is the perfect princess, so beautiful." And she was. She wore exactly what I envisioned she would and she was the epitome of class, grace and elegance. In fact - there have been many comparisons to Grace Kelly, and what a role model for beauty she is!

Sleeves and lace are nothing new, but the popular strapless, mermaid style has really been on top for years and I am so happy that this may turn a leaf in bridal fashion. Another way to have two looks in one, is to have a wedding cap or bolero with lace sleeves - and then for the reception you can still go strapless if you can't decide between the two looks! If you are wanting something Kate-inspired, check out just a few of the stunning options you have to pick from:

Manuel Mota "Opera"

Romona Keveza "L186"

Maggie Sottero

Sassi Holford "Chloe"

Monique Lhuillier

Claire Pettibone "Sky Between the Branches"

Valentino Sposa "Euradice"



Congratulations to Will and Kate on a beautiful wedding and the happily ever after everyone dreams of!

Guess The Dress - A CONTEST!

Hello my lovelies!

I have some very exciting news! The ladies of Ruby Woo and I are collaborating on a very fun contest. We have decided to challenge our readers to guess the style of gown Kate Middleton will wear on her big day.

To enter the contest, you must:

1) "like" Ruby Woo and Urban Vows on Facebook
2) Post a comment below and include a link of any dress you can find on the internet that will resemble Kate's dress. That's it!

On May 1st, Ruby Woo will be hosting "Ruby Woo for Japan Tea Party" where the winner of this contest will be announced. It runs from 1pm-4pm at the Art Gallery of Calgary (117-8th Avenue SW)and is a free event.

Oh right...what do you win? $500 towards your Ruby Woo dream dress as well as shipping within Alberta! Start Googling my lovely bride-to-be's! Good luck!

Rules: No restrictions on where you live, but buyer will be responsible for shipping outside of Alberta. Contest closes noon on Thursday, April 28th. Urban Vows and Ruby Woo will decide a winner based on Kate Middleton's wedding day attire and who comes closest to guessing the actual dress. Winner will make arrangements through Ruby Woo for ordering, measurements and designing the dress. Winner will be announced at the May 1st event, but winner does not have to be in attendance to win. Winner will be contacted via email. Contestants do not have to be engaged or getting married, if winner does not want a wedding dress, they can put $500 towards another dress of their liking - or can transfer the $500 credit to a friend who is getting married (you can use this as their wedding gift even!). Certificate expires one year from contest end date (May 1st, 2012). Good luck!

Photographer: Rob McKay

Model: Luressa Diehl

Make Up Artist: Polly Shum

Hair Stylist: Savin Lucy Pearson

Take Five with Ruby Woo

Yesterday I had the pleasure of chatting with the lovely Teang Tang, one of the two partners that own Ruby Woo, a whole new face in the bridal gown game. We met at Fashion Central's DeVille, she treated me to a Chai Latte and we got down to business...fun, pretty, silky white business.

Ruby Woo is an extremely exciting concept. As you may assume, I am a big fan of Say Yes to the Dress, and one of the most voiced complaints is "I like the top of this one, and the bottom of this one". Well, in flies Ruby Woo to the rescue! They custom make intricate, ornate and couture gowns, made to the specifications of each and every bride, so it fits your body, budget and personality to a T.

When I say budget, how does $1000 flat sound? I know for a fact, to buy off the rack in Calgary you are usually looking at at least that amount, plus many more hard earned dollars on tailoring. Ridiculous right? These dresses are so gorgeous and they will make anything - bring them a picture of the dresses you like and in a few months, it's all yours!

I decided to do a fun little interview with Teang about her company and the wedding dress business.

B: "Teang, who in the world of wedding designers would you say inspires you most?"
T: "Marchesa, we love Marchesa, hands down our number one favourite designer. Her pieces really accentuate the female form. The cut, is impeccable! For wedding dresses specifically we love Pnina Tornai, her pieces are wild and fun."

B: "What trends are you seeing for 2011/2012 brides?"
T: "We're seeing a lot of ballgowns, one shoulder and shorter dresses on the runway I personally love the shorter wedding dresses...they are fun and playful!

B: "If you could dress any of the celebrity for her wedding, who would it be?"
T: "Kate Middleton - Once pictures of her dress are released to the public, we'll be receiving requests for "princess-inspired" creations. Her dress will be popular in upcoming weddings."

B: "Okay, that rolls into my next question, what are your predictions on Kate's dress, it's the talk of the town what style she'll be wearing".
T: "I think she'll be in something form fitting, elaborate, a super long train...think Marchesa India dress."

B: "What makes a Ruby Woo dress so special?"
T: "It's made to fit every inch of your body, we make you look phenomenal! The inspiration behind our company is that little girl inside of you that imagines her wedding day. That little girl has this vivid image of a dream dress in her head but doesn't quite know how she's going to get her hands on it - Ruby Woo brings that little girls imagination to life".

What a great idea, and a seemingly simple solution. I have high hopes for Teang and her partner Ivy Su. With everyone's busy lives and work schedules, blocking off hours of time for shopping and fittings sometimes isn't practical or possible. Ruby Woo to the rescue!

Stay tuned - Monday, April 18th, we'll be announcing a contest that will earn you a chance to win the wedding dress of your dreams from Ruby Woo!

Photo Credits:
Dresses: Ruby Woo Wedding Couture Inc.
Model: Xia Martens
Photography: Rob McKay
Makeup: Polly Shum
Hair: Lucy Pearson
Shoes: Pumped Shoes

These are a Few of My Favorite Things!

When I like something, I really like it and the term "dog with a bone" comes to mind. I don't let things go easily and I don't forget about something when it's peaked my interest. I have been like that my whole life. I see a coat in a window display that I fancy, I dream about it, draw about it and when someone's talking to me I imagine "they'd look so much better talking to me right now if they were wearing that magnificent jacket". So with that said, here are a few of my favorite things!

1) My favorite wedding video and videographer:

Rainbows from Confetti on Vimeo.

Not a joke, I have watched Confetti Film's "Rainbow's" video a few too many times, I could probably rehearse the vows. I adore the couple, perfect style, perfect venue and the talent behind the camera is undeniably the best I have seen. It is stunning, I kind of can't handle it.

2) My favorite wedding dress designer:

Claire Pettibone - her dresses are so unique, so intricate and beautiful. The first time I saw her "Kristene" dress I felt the need to do a thousand squats to ensure my behind will look good in that hot little number. Did you notice the train? It's in the shape of a heart, lovely!

"Sky Between the Branches"

"Kristene"

"Cloisonne"

"Chantilly"

3)My favorite stationary: This one was hard - as couples get more and more creative, I am seeing lots of superb, out-of-the-box wedding stationary suites handcrafted by themselves. If you're not one to craft, I adore the Little Bit of Heart website for vintage and whimsical stationary.

4) My favorite hair? Oh this is a TOUGH one. First of all, I am a hair girl, my hair looks different almost every day so I don't really have a signature look. I do naturally gravitate towards pictures of blonde, messier styles, as that's what I would see myself in. Now, this one was featured on a fellow wedding site the other day and I fell in love with it. I do often sport a braid in my hair somewhere, but had never thought of just doing this one big magical braid across the back. So pretty! And this would work with all sorts of hair colours, types as well as accessories and veils.

5) Favorite bridesmaid dresses: Okay, I am cheating, just a little bit. I cannot pick just one from this site, so I am going to pick a line of bridesmaid dresses that I would shriek from happiness to be able to wear. BHLDN is Anthropologie's new bridal line and it is gorgeous! Unique, vintage, and definitely wearable again, your girls won't mind being in one of these!

"Savoy" $220

"Coral and Sand Tube" $300

"Starburst Pleated Shift" $200

For Japan With Love

Tomorrow I will be joining my fellow bloggers in a day of silence to remember those victims in Japan who have lost everything in this past weeks unimaginable tragedies. Our hearts are with you. Please donate what you can and spend time with those you love for those who cannot.

xo

Luck of The Irish

Picking a lucky wedding day is pretty much the ONLY reason I would personally ever have a St. Patrick's Day wedding, and even that would never be enough to convince me. I like different, but I am not a fan of using your wedding day to stock up on four leaf clover garland at the dollar store and make a mockery of such an important life event. This being said - I know there are people who do choose holidays for their wedding, and this is okay too, but having the holiday as an accent and not front and centre is the key to pulling this one off.

I have taken this opportunity to show you some beautiful pieces to accent a green wedding, but maybe why you wouldn't want to have an all green wedding day. I don't know, I am not a fan of the palette below, but rather pieces within it. The Vera Wang wedding gown in the top left corner? Wow. I love Vera Wang and as soon as I saw this hot little number, I knew she must be the mastermind behind it. I love her whimsical, fluffy tulle dresses, and that she makes hers in a few different shades, light green, light peach. I will never give up my white or ivory dress, but absolutely adore seeing them on brides. So fun!

Whatever you choose, just make sure your wedding day is true to yourself, timeless and something you know you'll look back on in fifty years and still think it was the most beautiful day of your life.