Sometimes it is the little details that make the difference in selecting the dress. This was the case for Jackie Logsdon.
"I tried a few dresses on, but this one I knew was "the one" once the ladies from Casablanca added the belt. I immediately sent a picture to my mom, who lives in California. She called me and agreed it was the one. I had them sew the belt into the dress."
Jackie's gown is the Fanal gown from Pronovia. The belt is also from Pronovia.
Selecting a wedding dress was a difficult process for Michelle Sato since she was in the process of moving from Washington DC back to Hawaii.
"While I thought I knew what I wanted from perusing magazines, it turned out that I would never have picked out the dress I liked the best. The dress sat at the natural waistline and had lace accents but was not lace all over. It also had silk buttons and a low back and flowing skirt. From then on, that was exactly the style of dress I wanted."
One day while shopping online at the Allure site, Michelle found a dress with everything she was looking for. " I think people thought I was crazy buying a dress sight unseen, but it was the first dress that really called to me. It was a little more casual than the dresses my friends and family liked, but inthe end, it suited an outdoor wedding really well. It had the ball gown feel, but the organza was appropriate for an outdoor wedding."
In the end, Michelle purchased the dress through Bridal Boutique. To her surprise, the cost to tailor the dress was almost as much as the dress itself.
In addition to Michelle's couture, her bridesmaids made a statement with hair accessories. "The bridesmaid's hair pieces were my one big splurge for the wedding. I really wanted simple, sexy dresses. I loved the fit of the dress we found and wanted something that turned them into more of a fashion piece. My sister actually found the headpieces at Nordstrom, and I HAD to have them (despite the cost). I love the fact that they could be used again as a part of another, non-wedding outfit."
Amy Blaylock found her wedding gown a few months after her engagement to Matt Thatcher.
"We hadn't even discussed type of wedding, where the wedding would be, and when the wedding would take place at that point. But I was home visiting my family in California so thought it would be fun to look at dresses with my sister and mother."
With a mermaid-type gown in mind, Amy tried on 10 dresses before falling in love with the Sottero Midgley Adorae dress. After finalizing wedding plans in May 2011, she was lucky to find her the dress at La Bella Bridal in Hawaii.
Hiding under the gown was a pair of knock-out shoes. On her 30th birthday, Matt surprised Amy with a pair of silver Manolo Blahniks. "But I had fallen in love with the fuchsia colored ones....He surprised me one day by exchanging the silver ones for my fuchsia colored ones. Such a great guy!"
Amy and Matt exchanged vows at St. Peter and Paul's Church on September 3. They celebrated their marriage at the Kahala Hotel and Resort with an intimate group of family and friends.
Jayme Kiyonaga saw THE gown hanging among the many others as she was walking back into the dressing room.
"It matched the theme of my wedding - simple yet elegant. I walked out to show my mother, aunties, and grandmother who were with me and after one look, we all knew it was the one."
The gown, Abilene in the color ivory, is from the Provinas 2011 Collection from Casablanca Bridal & Formals. "Gladys and her girls are absolutely fabulous!"
"The dress shows its beauty. However, I was given the best advice from
my florist regarding the tie in the back. Rather than tying a bow, he
suggested to tie a knot similar to tying a chair sash to make it look
more elegant."
Jayme wore her stunning gown on July 30, 2011 when she married Reid Nagao at the Halekulani.
Months of anticipation, waiting to see HRH Kate Middleton's wedding gown, and most would agree the gown was not only beautifully elegant, but it was befitting a future queen.
Hopefully the sleeved dress, designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, will start a new trend and brides will consider other silhouettes besides strapless.
Friends and family call Marebel Ingan "Bella" which is an appropriate nickname for a beautiful bride. Bella shared the story of her wedding gown for our Coutour Notes.
I started to look for my gown three months into my engagement. I looked at pictures and tried to find the shape I thought I would be comfortable in. My search lead me to everywhere on Oahu and in Seattle. I tried dresses ranging from $100 to $10,000 trying to find the shape and designer that would best fit me.
After the sixth time at Casablanca, all dresses seemed to look and feel the same after searching so hard and long.
Funny thing is the dress found me! After putting on "A- line" dresses with sequins and bling the sales person asked me if I wanted to try a 2011 Pronovias dress for kicks. She told me it was totally different from what I was looking for but since I was there I should try it.
Jasmine Anchaleechamaikorn is a petite girl with a very long name. On September 6, 2010 she married Michael Kebo at the Bayer Estate.
Bridal n' Special Times in Pasadena, California is where Jasmine found her unique gown by Allure Couture. Here she shares her process in finding the right dress.
"Before trying on any wedding dresses, I had a few requirements: sweetheart style, open back and buttons going down the train. This dress met all of the requirements, it was unique and made me feel like a bride. I love the textured roses and the mix of fabrics that were used to make this dress.
I had no idea what to expect when I first began my search for a wedding dress. Honestly, all of the dresses looked the same to me in the beginning, but this dress was different. My mother was the one I brought along with me to help me decide on a wedding dress. Originally, she didn't care for the dress too much compared to some of the other ones I had tried on. This totally confused me, but I took my time to decide and went with the dress that I really liked and made me feel special. At the last fitting, the dress was perfect! I tried on the dress and my mother had tears in her eyes. She loved the dress and so did I!"
Taryn Fujii married Shaun Young on 10.10.10 at the Kahala Hotel and Resort. She shares her saga of indulging herself with her dream shoes.
I'm so excited that you asked about my shoes. I'll take any opportunity to talk about shoes...my weakness!
The shoes I wore for the Chinese tea ceremony were designed by Christian Louboutin. Since I was in high school I've always wanted shoes made by the designer with the signature red soles. The problem...they are extremely expensive. So, over the years I reasoned with myself and tried to find justification to buy these shoes that I only see celebrities wearing. My plan- buy them for my wedding...if I ever got married...I would splurge on my shoes and buy a cheap dress. I figured and still believe that wedding dresses are only worn once, so why spend a lot?! I can use the shoes again and again. So, these shoes are my dream shoes.
I got engaged in July 2009 and since then, I was going to Neiman Marcus Ala Moana every month to check out the Louboutins. This is the only store I know of that sells them in the state. Honestly, I didn't fall in love with them when I first saw them. The shoes have glitter on them. I am anti-glitter as far as shoes go. My mom was the one who actually told me to try them on. She always tells my sister and I to try things on because often times they look better on yourself than on a hanger (this applies to anything- watches, shoes, hair accessories). What can I say? My mom is always right. I put them on and knew I wanted them. The glitter is very fine glitter, not big and chunky so it is barely noticeable. Neiman Marcus didn't have my size because with those shoes they only stock one pair for each size (according to the salesman). Since, they sold the pair in my size, they had to fly a pair in from their Beverly Hills store twice because the wrong size got delivered the first time. I felt like I had to wait forever, but it was only 2 months. Originally, I was going to wear these shoes throughout the wedding. But as the wedding approached I started doubting my good fortune and kept asking myself, "What if it rains?" I wouldn't want these almost $800 shoes to get destroyed.
The solution- I wore two sets of shoes for my wedding. The cream colored ones were made by Badgley Mischka. As soon as I saw them at Nordstrom Ala Moana, I knew I needed to wear them when I walked down the aisle. I really liked the heel height (not as high as the Louboutins, but about 4 inches) and the faux flower by the open toe. I don't like closed toed high heels. Even though I consider it a high end designer shoe, I was surprised when I found out they were under $300. I was sold!
I am very lucky to have a wonderful family. My mom ended up buying me a beautiful wedding dress. She is not a believer in the 'cheap gown, expensive shoes' idea.
As a side note- I haven't worn either shoe since my wedding. I don't have any regular clothes that would match them (I guess I wasn't thinking that far ahead). I'm still looking though. It's always an excuse for me to roam Ala Moana Shopping Center.
Every bridal gown is as unique as the bride wearing it. Our new blog category, Courtour Note will highlight some of our brides and the gowns they chose for their wedding day.
Daniella Moran wed Jeremy Benson on December 21, 2010. She found her gown at Panache Bridal in Beverly Hills, CA. The designer of the dress was Pronovias, a designer from Barcelona.
In her own words Daniella describes her dress. "Originally the dress had no sleeves, which was beautiful, but I needed to put sleeves on it in order to go to the temple with it (which was before the Halekulani). The boutique was wonderful, and I had all my alterations done there. And the dress had a built in corset, which was interesting, haha. But I loved it for its simple elegance-no beads, gems, stones, just beautifully wrapped and rouched fabric."
"What's Up This Week"
Food, babies, brides, restaurants..a month of photographing everything.
