Photos courtesy of Claire Pettibone

Cherry Blossom Bloom for Claire Pettibone in 2010

Romantic pieces of art best describe Claire Pettibone’s 2010 collection. Using the Cherry Blossom as her inspiration she captures the Japanese style with breath taking gowns. Using a soft and effervescent palette of snow white, metallic silver and gold with accents of pale pink and Empire Red, “Cherry Blossom 2010” was a luminous vision of purity and exotic innocence.

Go Green with These Eco Friendly Gowns

Alisa Benay gowns are more than just beautiful dresses. They uses eco friendly manufacturing processes when making their dresses to lessen their carbon footprint. “I want my bride to know that the day her dreams come true is also the day she makes the world a better place.  I want her to feel that not only is she the most beautiful woman in the world at the moment, but she has created a more beautiful world through the choices she made in her wedding day purchases,” says Alisa Benay.

Elegant and beautiful with classic sleek lines, Anne Barge, leaves no detail unattended.

Cream and beige perforated leather bags are a trend this spring. However, this style has not taken over. Textured and multi-textured patterns have also caught on and are growing in popularity.  One of our favorite designers, Spartina 449,  has a line of handbags to fit any time of day.  Whether it is morning tea or an elegant evening, the multiple styles can be carried to match practically any outfit. Keeping with the cream and beige color trend, Spartina’s “Outer Banks Collection” will certainly let them know your admiration for their role in your wedding.

Handbags have been given as bridesmaid gifts for many years, but until recently, had not grown in popularity. Practicality, uniqueness and the ability of each bag to have a personal touch, handbags are a perfect bridesmaid gift.

1. Upper Canada Keep your hands, elbows and legs well smooth and nourished with this pressed-olive-and-avocado lotion from Upper Canada Soap & Candle Makers. Free of parabens, mineral oil and synthetic dyes, this fast-absorbing lotion is a treat to tired hands after an evening of addressing invitations or an afternoon of putting together favors. www.UpperCanadaSoap.com

2. Michael Kors for Estee Lauder Get ready for your close up with Estee Lauder’s California-inspired collection, Michael Kors Very Hollywood Collection. Featuring lip, cheek and nail colors in pinks, blushes and golds, and dramatic eye shadows, this collection brings the Hollywood glam to your rehearsal dinner or wedding day. www.EsteeLauder.com

3. MAC From the thousands of product options to the Viva Glam campaign, there are so many things to love about Mac Cosmetics. Schedule a makeup session at one of their many counters to get a sense of how you want your wedding-day make up to look. www.MacCosmetics.com

4. Revolution Organics What’s not to love about a line of lip glosses and versatile beauty balm (that can be used on lips, eyes and cheeks) that’s 100 percent natural and contains 85 percent of organic ingredients? We’re smitten! www.RevolutionOrganics.com

5. Stuck-Up You’re not stuck up, but on your wedding day, you certainly want your hair to be. This mega-hold hairspray provides superior hold and volume, and you can still run a brush through your hair without wrecking the do. www.WhiteSandsProducts.com

6. Footzy Rolls Dance the wedding night away in the comfort of beautiful ballet flats. These rollable, foldable flats fit neatly in your wedding-day bag, and are stylish enough to complement any wedding dress. www.FootzyRolls.com

7. Urban Decay Smoke Out Smoky-eyed brides (and bridesmaids) will want to have this handy Smoke Out eye kit from Urban Decay in their wedding-day bags. Kits are available in brown/neutral, black/grey and deep green and include eye pencils, mascara and smoky-eye instructions. www.UrbanDecay.com

1. Smart Box Treat your maid-of-honor or your parents to a customizable getaway. Choose a theme – such as outdoor adventure, spa treatments, getaways or a gourmet retreat – and then let the recipient determine the details.
$49 – $369, www.SmartBox.com

2. RuMe Bags From a destination-wedding gift bag to a wedding-day emergency kit container, the versatile, easy-to-fold-up Rume Bags makes a stylish addition to your gift giving. Rume Bags are available in a variety of sizes, colors and modern patterns.
Prices vary, www.RumeBags.com

3. Nelle & Lizzy Charm Bracelet Give your bridesmaids a charming keepsake from your wedding day: A custom-stamped silver charm bracelet with the names of the wedding party from Nelle & Lizzy.
$35 and up, www.NelleAndLizzy.com

4. Urban Decay Pocket Rocket Lip Gloss Give each of your besties what they want: Scantily clad men and gorgeous lip color. Turn the lid of the lip gloss and – Oops! Mr.-Well-Dressed loses his outerwear! And true to form, Urban Decay’s slick, cushiony lip gloss colors accent all skin tones.
$19, www.UrbanDecay.com

5. Glowology Pamper your bridal party with the gift of smooth, glowing skin. Crafted from skin-nourishing ingredients such as clover honey, milk protein and lavender, the Glowology line from Noodle & Boo is perfect for even your most sensitive-skinned bridal party member.
$12 – $45, www.GlowologySkincare.com

6. Liz Ballet Flats Let your bridal party the dance the night away in comfort in the stylish, customizable Liz Ballet Flat. Available in silver, bronze and black, the leather ballet flat comes with interchangeable snap-on flowers in a variety of colors.
$64, www.SwitchFlops.com

7. Foot Petals Have a wobble-free wedding party with Foot Petals in their shoes. Designed to fit even the strappiest shoes, Foot Petals will your bridal standing pretty. And don’t forget to get a set for yourself!
$44.95, www.FootPetals.com

8. Spiegelau Wine Glasses Toast your wedding party with a bottle of bubbly and a pair of Champagne flutes from Spiegelau, the sister company of Reidel Cystral. Treat your maid-of-honor or best man to the 24-piece Spiegelau starter set, which contains six of each glass: Bordeaux, White, Pinot Noir and Champagne. Cheers!
$29.90 – $219, www.Spiegelau.com

by Jennifer Gibbs

The day a bride finds her gown is one of the most memorable throughout the wedding planning experience. She puts on the dress at the bridal shop and knows instantly that the dress was made for her. Her eyes swell tears, and before you know it, all the sales clerks are dabbing her face with tissues, crying right along beside her. However, the pathway to the perfect dress is usually rocky. The number of dresses she tries on before “the one” becomes far too many to count.

Trunk shows can help alleviate the stress of finding the right gown. “A trunk show is a special weekend where every piece of a particular line goes into a specific, bridal store,” Elle Warren of Angel Sanchez describes. “Because stores don’t usually have it in their budget to buy all of a line’s pieces, trunk shows provide a unique time that brides get a chance to see all the designer has to offer.”

Trunk shows create a surge of energy for bridal gown stores. “We get to hear pros and cons of our store from designers,” says Elizabeth Maxwell, co-owner of Faccio Bridal in Franklin, Tenn. , “and it helps us better serve our customers.” Beth Bowman, Faccio’s other owner, adds, “We really get to know designers at these shows, and once that strong relationship is formed, we stand behind the name.” Brides learn a great deal about budgets, gown construction and body styles. “The designers advise the brides that they should understand exactly what they are paying for,” Maxwell says. She continues, “Brides also discover which designer and silhouette fits their body the best.” “Most of our brides walk away saying ‘I’m so glad I came,’” says Bowman.

Seeing anywhere from 20 to 30 different gowns from one line, brides get a good sampling of what a designer has to offer. “Many have the misconception that trunk shows are high-pressure sales, but that’s not it at all,” Maxwell says. “It’s a fun time for designers and brides. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere, not stressful at all.” Bowman adds, “All the brides who attend come together and help one another find the perfect dress. The designer, sales associates and brides all become one united force—one big family.”

“We try to do a trunk show every weekend,” says Lee Price of Stephen Yearick. “When we started doing shows, we found them very beneficial, so we started doing them more and more.” Price finds it much easier to serve the customers if he can get to know them. “We get to meet the girls, and no one else knows bridal trends better than brides themselves.”

“Bride’s benefit greatly from shows too because they get to see the entire breadth of a collection: from skimpy to sexy, from slim silhouettes to full ball gowns,” Price explains. He goes on to say that the best benefit for a bride shopping a Stephen Yearick trunk show is that the designer’s representative will make changes to fit the needs of the bride. “Sometimes brides’ visions are not practical in terms of construction. At trunk shows we can make those visions feasible.”

It’s important for brides to know that designers try very hard to serve their needs and desires. Trunk shows give designers the opportunity to make magical things happen for brides. Price says, “We can make your dreams come true in a way that is practical as well as beautiful.”

“The best thing about a trunk show is that the bride can see everything the designer has to offer,” Warren concludes. Furthermore, the bridal shops benefit from having the designers give them specific information about their lines, helping them better inform the brides. Then again the designers benefit and can give brides exactly what they want. It all comes back to the bride. Everyone’s goal is to make her gorgeous for her wedding day.

Today’s trendy bride is getting bolder with brighter blooms and stunning, monochromatic bouquets. And with the onset of new trends comes the urge to tie it into fashion in some way. Well, our fashion-forward brides are doing that, too.

Some lovely ladies are choosing to sass it up in the shoe department. Instead of going with the same old, white or ivory satin, gussy gals are putting their pedicured feet into sexy heels that complement the flowers and not necessarily the gown.

So, if you attend a wedding in the near future where the bride’s flowers are a bundle of hot pink, red or orange, take a peek at her tootsies. You might find a splash of fun with some sexy peep toes in the same bright shade.

Anastasia tiara from the Ice collection, $250

Designer Mandy Greenan

by Kate Parrott

Try doing an Internet search for the meaning of “Tiger Lily” and you’ll find meanings aplenty: wealth, pride, prosperity, etc. But for Mandy Greenan, founder of D.C.-based bridal jewelry design company Tigerlilly, the word means so much more: luxury, versatility and one-of-a-kind design. The up-and-coming designer sat down to talk with I Do about how she began, this season’s hottest accessory trends and where Tigerlilly is heading in the future.

I Do: What piqued your interest in creating bridal jewelry?
Greenan: I never considered it until I got engaged in 2000. I’ve always made jewelry as a hobby, but when I started looking at headpieces for myself, I was totally inspired. I definitely felt an immediate and strong attraction to creating headpieces.

I Do: When did you realize you could turn your hobby into a business?
Greenan: I became really consumed with it right away. Every spare moment I had, I was making different types of tiaras and combs and exploring new materials. Things took off fairly quickly. I took a bit of a leap of faith and started doing it full time because I was so passionate about it.

I Do: When did you know that Tigerlilly had become a successful, well-known company? What was your defining moment?
Greenan: It was probably when we showed at our first wholesale market in New York in 2004. Nobody knew who we were, but we opened a dozen accounts in one weekend with some of the best stores in the country.

I Do: Describe the look and feel of your pieces.
Greenan: It’s actually hard for me to say what my “signature look” is. I love to mix things up every season and come up with totally new and interesting pieces. However, I do find that I often come back to nature with flowers, leaves and vines. I love the “Midsummer Night’s Dream” look—a really natural, magical vibe.

Anya lariat with Swarovski crystals in sterling silver or gold, $275

I Do: Speak to the versatility of your pieces. They can convert from bridal jewelry to everyday wear. Was this the goal you had in mind when you began designing?
Greenan: Custom, handcrafted bridal jewelry is an investment for most brides. A lot of brides fall in love with a design but can’t justify the expense when they’re only going to be wearing it one day. I totally get that, and I think about that when designing new pieces. Just last week, a bride called us and asked if we could make one earring for her. She was married four years ago, and she still wears her Tigerlilly earrings all the time and was so upset when she lost one. I love that she still gets so much wear out of them! We sent her a new pair.

I Do: Tell us about your trademark piece, the convertible tiara.
Greenan: I started out doing all custom work for brides, and I kept hearing over and over, “I wish I could wear this for more than just one day!” I was styling a photo shoot one day and was putting a necklace into a model’s hair, so it would look like a headband. It occurred to me that the length of a choker necklace is about the same as the size of a headband. At that moment, the Tigerlilly Convertible was born. Brides just love it because you can wear it on your wedding day as a headpiece, then wear it as a necklace on your honeymoon. Some brides wear it one way to the rehearsal dinner and another way for the wedding itself.

I Do: What are some of your favorite trends that you’re currently seeing with wedding-day accessories?
Greenan: I have a lot of brides wearing a traditional veil/tiara combination for the ceremony, then changing into a more daring piece for the reception, like a birdcage veil or feathered piece. I love the two different looks, especially because they are ordering really fun accessories in bright, bold colors for the reception.

Waterfall necklace from the Destination collection, $275

I Do: What do you consider to be the most rewarding part of your career?

Greenan: Seeing an entire, final look put together. Photo shoots, runway shows and seeing my designs on real brides is so much fun. We’re surrounded by all of this sparkly jewelry.

I Do: Where are your products sold?
Greenan: We currently do not have a retail location; we sell directly to brides from our Web site, www.tigerlillyjewelry.com. There are also more than 100 stores worldwide that carry Tigerlilly products.

I Do: What can we expect from Tigerlilly moving into the future?
Greenan: I want to be the Madonna of bridal accessories! I definitely want to continue coming out with new and innovative designs each season and expand the business in the new directions it’s taking. I’ll never stop custom work with brides, but I also love designing for runway and television.

Coco Myles is a leading online supplier of formal dresses that makes choosing, designing and creating a bridesmaid dress a breeze.

“Our focus is on making the bridesmaid dress purchase as fun, stress-free, and simple as possible,” says Coco Myles CEO Howard Bender.

Bridesmaids-to-be can either make their own Custom Creation by matching tops and bottoms in their favorite color or they can emulate A-List celebrities with dresses like the “Pretty Betty,” “Cam,” “Reese” or the “Bradgelina” from the Celebrity Inspired line from Coco Myles.

Coco Myles’ sheer ingenuity does not end there. By using the Fabric Reservation System, the Web site is capable of allowing brides to reserve fabric online to ensure a perfect color match even if their bridesmaids order dresses months apart from one another. This eliminates the dreaded chance that bridesmaid dresses are not cut from the same lot of fabric.

At recession-friendly prices, most dresses on CocoMyles.com are available for under $200.