Happy Holidays from LWD!

Tis’ the season of giving, so what better than to receive a gift of glorious, glamorous, sparkle-n-shine inspiration to help spread plenty of holiday cheer this season? Whether you’re planning a holiday party, or sprinkling on the final sugary details to your winter wedding, we hope to help inspire you to make every little detail an absolute delight!

Bling in the holidays with a few of our favorites from the winter blog wonderlands aplenty…

Think 'Pretty in Pink' Cheer!

The Perfect Party Dress is a MUST!

And don't forget a mistletoe-ready mane!

Ring in the Bling!

Prance like a Party-Perfect Princess!

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and VIXEN...

Wishing for a Wonderland of Winter White...

Festive table decor - just add tinsel!

Make everyone on your list an Angel...

Deck the halls with sticks and candles...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM LITTLE WHITE DRESS BRIDAL SHOP!

We’re so ecstatic to announce that Little White Dress Bridal Shop has added  a new designer to our 2012 line-up…

(drum roll please)…and it’s Jenny Packham!

A graduate of St. Martin’s College of Art in London, British designer Jenny Packham is known for her glitzy evening wear. A favorite among celebrities and socialites – and previously NEVER before available to Colorado brides - Packham favors dramatic silhouettes and elegant details in her beloved designs.

Glee star Lea Michele looked just dreamy at Glamour‘s Women of the Year Awards in New York City Monday night, November 7, in a fresh-off-the-runway Jenny Packham crystal-embellished gown and platform peep-toes. Packham recently also stirred up some starlight fashion on Gossip Girl!

Glee's Lea Michele in Jenny Packham

But not only do the stars shine in Jenny Packham. Here are a few of her dramatic and glamorous ad campaigns of 2011…

Jenny Packham's Hemera

Jenny Packham's Eden

Jenny Packham's Kiss

Stay tuned for more info about our Jenny Packham Trunk Show, currently scheduled for February 24-26, 2012 at Little White Dress Bridal Shop.

Are you ready for Runway Highlights from our trip to New York International Bridal Market last week???

Here, for your fashionista indulgence, are the TOP SIX 2012 Bridal Fashion Trends from the runways…

1. Hints of color!  While ivory remains the color of choice for most all bridal gown designers, some colored embroidery, fabric, lace and ribbons added here-and-there was a delightful sight in upcoming 2012 bridal gown styles.  Claire Pettibone’s use of “toile”, a French antique fabric/pattern that typically depicts a picnic scene by the lake, in her new 2012 Beau Monde collection is the perfect touch for that special hint of color!

2. Lace!  Kate Middleton’s wedding gown has certainly influenced the 2012 collections with a beautiful selection of all lace wedding gowns in all silhouettes (ballgown, A-line, fit-and-flare, and mermaid), options for full lace, and ¾ or cap lace sleeves on a variety of styles from most all designers.

Badgley Mischka 2012 Collection

3. Sashes!  What began as THE accessory in 2011, continues in full force in 2012!  The same wedding dress can have multiple different looks – appealing to completely different brides and their weddings – just by changing the sash.  Several new sash/accessory-only designers presented at market this year, but wedding gown designers who also make their own sashes seem to take the cake for having the most WOW-factor.  The sashes by Sassi Holford, Badgley Mischka, and Liancarlo are AMAZING!

Badgley Mischka's 2012 Collection, with a sash

4. Matching Veils!  Designers are catching on that the perfect veil can most definitely complete The Look for today’s bride, creating a head-over-heels gown AND veil experience that creates the ultimate Must-Have situation for brides.  It’s true! Adding the perfect veil is an emotional experience, and more designers are including a selection of veils in their new 2012 collections to ideally match up with their favorite gowns.  Check out the Must-Have gowns and matching Must-Have veils arriving at LWD in January/February!

Badgley Mischka 2012 Collection with Matching Veil

5. Jackets, portrait collars, one strap options, wraps!  Similar to the sash, adding a jacket, portrait collar, strap or wrap can individualize each bride’s wedding gown to create her very own look and style on her wedding day.  These “accessories” are becoming key pieces in the 2012 collections. Check out the St. Pucchi jacket below!

St. Pucchi 2012 Collection

6. Hi-low skirts!  (hem-lines hitting just below the knee in front, transitioning to the traditional longer skirt and train in back)  Not yet an official “trend” for 2012 bridal styles, but definitely introduced and VERY well done in Claire Pettibone’s 2012 collection, so it’s a new trend to watch.  It makes sense – fabulous SHOES (colored, vintage, boots) are SO popular with today’s bride, so hi-low skirts on wedding gowns show them off in grand style!

High-low Hemlines for 2012

Want more from the runway???

Please join us at LWD on November 8^th starting at 6pm for Front & Center, where we’ll unveil MANY MORE HIGHLIGHTS, fashion trends, photos, videos, designer interviews and more from the front lines of the fashionable New York runways. Please RSVP to 303.814.8972!

Meet Mike. Mike is shop owner Cate Malone’s husband and right-hand-man for all things LWD.

Mike accompanies Cate on all buying trips to ensure – well, let’s be honest – that she doesn’t shop TOO much while she’s away! And to make sure only the highest quality gowns and accessories are selected for LWD. He’s quite the style icon, some might say.

Since Cate and Mike – along with LWD Bridal Consultants Malea and Courtney – are leaving tomorrow for New York’s International Bridal Market….AND because they’ll all be sharing a rented condo together for the next few days in the Big Apple, Mike set a few ‘House Rules’ for the troop while they’re away.

(this is Mike, with Cate)

Mike’s House Rules for NYC:

1) I am not your dad, husband (except for Cate) or boyfriend. I am, however, a gentleman. I will carry your bags up one flight of steps and only one (of the 5 that it takes to get to the 5th floor walk-up we rented).

2) There are only 1.5 bathrooms, so limited time for each of us. I will be bringing an egg timer and posting a time limit by activity. Shower – 5 mins. Teeth brushing – 3 mins. Hair curling and straightening – bring a razor…and so on. If you have a Sonic toothbrush, lower your standards to a manual toothbrush for the weekend.

3) We are on a tight schedule with meetings every hour and taxi rides between buildings. Take dramamine for taxi’s, protein bars to keep your strength up and gum to keep your breath fresh. I know where to get the mimosa’s, so breakfast every morning is covered.

4) We have dinners and/or parties every night, so no complaining about hauling around the old people (eh-hemm). Get us home and tucked in by 11pm and you can have the rest of the evening to club, or whatever you young, married people do.

5) Please bring your favorite pain killer for morning after #4 above. There will be no excuse for failure to perform.

6) If , after #4 above, you don’t come back to the condo until morning because you’re out galavanting the fashionable streets of NYC and people-watching, bring bagels. There will be no excuse for early morning arrivals without bagels.

7) Have fun!

Follow us on Twitter using #LWDatMarket as we glamorously galavant our way through NYC and Bridal Market!

This month, NYC is buzzing with bridal bliss as the city hosts New York International Bridal Week and Couture – THE biggest buying hotspots, where retailers and designers come together to celebrate and reflect on the successes of previous years, while building anxious anticipation for the must-have wedding trends-to-come in 2012! There are runway shows and intimate cocktail parties with strolling models overflowing with champagne and the ever-present “oohs” and “ahhs” that accompany a typical fashion-fueled event in NYC.

So, as we prepare to ourselves for the loads of eye candy we’re already guaranteed to be sweet on – layers of lace, tousles of tulle, aisles of organza, seas of satin and so much more – we fondly reflect on some impressionable trends of the past century…

Bridal in the 1940's

1940′s: A common trend of this decade was the sheath dress, thinner waists and cap sleeves.

Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, kick-starting new Bridal Trends in the 1950's

1950′s: The emergence of ballgown-esque dresses with shorter hemlines, quite similar to the poodle skirts that were popular for everyday wear, along with defined necklines, cap sleeves, very intentional sharp angle cuts in the fabric, and a smaller waistline.

Carolina Herrera's 1968 Bride Style

1960's Bridal

1960′s: Enter the revived empire wedding dress, a high-waisted dress, gathered near or just under the bust with a long, loose skirt, which skims the body – especially flattering to pear-shaped women.

Bridal in the 1970's

Margaux Hemingway's 1975 Wedding

1970′s: Two major trends marked this decade: an off-the-shoulder shawl or high neckline (as pictured above, many times used to make spaghetti-strapped dresses more modest) or Grecian-inspired gowns.

Donna Karan herself captures Bridal Style of 1980's

1980′s: Three words: Big Hair, Big Shoulders, Big Day. :)

Carolyn Bessette's Bride Style in the 1990's

1990′s: Big and bold are two words that come to mind. Elements of the late 80′s – noteably big shoulders, puffy sleeves and bows – stayed for a few years, embellished with excessive embroidery and beading, before brides started asking for more free-flowing, fluid materials, sexier and streamlined looks, plunging V-necks, strapless necklines and sleeveless gowns that showcased bare arms.

Color is IN in the 2000's

Portia de Rossi stunned the guests in a pink blush ballgown during her vows to Ellen DeGeneres

Gwen Stefani WOWed in a pink, hand-dyed gown

2000′s: Color! In many ways, adding color is reflective of the new millennium trend toward individuality. Also, silhouette becomes a focal point with the introduction of the ‘Fit & Flare’ gown.

2010 is a Bridal Style Decade Remix!

2010 Bridal Style - Destination Diva

2010′s: Don’t call it a comeback! This is when we see past styles from every decade emerge with sexier, slinkier silhouettes, belted waistlines, tea-length and asymmetrical necklines and waistlines.

What's To Come In 2012???

2012: What’s to come this year???

Happy 2 Years at LWD, Courtney!

Happy 2 year at LWD, Courtney! Today we celebrate all that you’ve brought to our shop, our brides and our LOVE of all things bridal!

A few reflections on her past two years at Little White Dress Bridal Shop:

On First Impressions: “From the moment I said ‘I DO’ to my wonderful husband almost 3 years ago, I knew that I wanted to work in the bridal industry, and that my life was never going to be the same. Having a love for fashion and design, working in the bridal industry seem liked the perfect fit, so when I walked through the doors of Little White Dress – when we were still in Castle Rock! – to interview, I knew that this was my dream job! Over the past two years, I’ve really enjoyed helping brides and being part of the process that helps them find their absolutely-perfect wedding dress. It’s so rewarding!”

Biggest Change: “I now read more wedding magazines than interior design magazines, which is what I went to school for! And – I have to admit – I am obsessed with wedding gowns!”

Favorite Dress: This one’s hard for me! I really feel that all of the dresses we carry at the shop are beautiful, and they each become so much more radiant when tried on! That said, one of my absolute favorites is Matthew Christopher’s “Sasha”…it’s all sparkle, glitz, glam and oh-so-chic!!

A Few Favorite Brides: I’ve had the amazing opportunity to have worked with SO MANY wonderful brides over the past two years, and every single one of them has been special in her own way. Katie Workman – who recently got married – is such sweety and just glowed in her Claire Pettibone wedding gown. Rachel Hoffenberg was so much fun to work with, and and I always enjoyed seeing her and her Mom at the shop. There are just so too many great people to name!

Favorite Moments: When a brides literally starts crying in sheer happiness because she has found The One!

Looking forward to many more happy moments with Courtney! Haven’t met her yet? Stop in and say hello…and meet the entire team while you’re there!

What’s more gorgeously organic than a backdrop of fine art, natural habitats and wildlife?

We recently coordinated an AMAZING shoot at The Wildlife Experience - located in Parker, CO – with Keri Doolittle Photography.  This venue is BEAUTIFUL and oh-so-diverse in terms of photo opportunities, so we took full advantage of the landscape! 

Below are a few images from the day…