RE-STYLED WEDDING GOWN

I had a bride contact me since she wanted to wear her Mom's wedding gown and veil on her special day, but wanted to update them a bit and wondered if I could/would do it for her.   Since I've always wanted to work on a project like this, it was a resounding YES!   I was excited to be a part of the transformation.

The gown was in amazingly good shape....a little staining on the lace on the hemline, but other than that it looked great.  As for the fit, both Mom and daughter were very similar in size and height, so I really didn't have to worry about alterations.  

The bride knew that she wanted a deep "v" in the back of the dress, removing the zipper from the top of the neckline to the waistline seam. Other than that, she was open to ideas to make it more current.

The bell sleeves were so unique and are certainly current again, so those absolutely had to stay. But, the high collar in the front was definitely going to have to go!

I discussed a simple, yet classic "v" neckline for the front as well.  I also suggested the vertical bands of lace on the front and back bodice should be removed, making the gown more classic and simple. The train was very wide and long making it a definite keeper. A "one button" bustle swept it up nicely!

The veil was very dated with a typical "juliet cap" from the '70s/'80s. I suggested a simple lace trimmed elbow length veil to allow the beautiful sleeves of the gown to shine through and also showcase the clean neckline.

We chose to use the lace that was on Mom's veil for the new veil, as well as using pieces of it on the garter set. I even had enough leftover so she could give some to her florist for her bouquet.

The bride will be changing out of this gown after the first dance to a sassy little reception dress I made for her.  I'll be sharing that next!

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

I loved the flavor of this dish!   My sides to go along with the meat were asparagus and roasted potatoes.  Yum!!!

I reviewed a number of recipes online and chose to combine elements from several of those I found.

INGREDIENTS:

ROAST

*2 ½ lb. pork loin roast or pork tenderloin 

2 Tbsp. Herbs de Provence

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1 Tbsp. light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. lemon juice 

CHUTNEY

1 (16 oz.) can whole cranberry sauce

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 cup diced onion

1 clove garlic minced

Mince onions and garlic and brown in an olive oil and butter mixture in a medium skillet on medium high heat.  Remove from heat and drain on paper towel.  

In a medium bowl blend the cranberry sauce, lemon juice and browned garlic/onion mixture until well incorporated.  Cover and set aside until ready to serve.  

In a small bowl, mix together the herbs, onion powder, brown sugar, olive oil and lemon juice. Season both sides of the meat with salt and pepper.   Rub the olive oil mixture over the (top side) meat.   Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, add 2 Tbsp. olive oil.  Sear the meat on all sides using tongs to flip the meat from side-to-side.   Slide the skillet into a 450 degree oven for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temp is 155-160 degrees.   Let rest approximately 5-10 minutes; serve with some chutney mixture spooned over the top.  Guests can add additional chutney as desired. 

Enjoy!

*  I went with two pork tenderloin versus the roast.  Also, if you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can roast the meat in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes per pound.  

WALTZ LENGTH VEIL

A waltz length veil is truly a unique length and it may be one of my favorites.  Perfect when you're looking for elegant, but maybe not too formal.  It can also work well when the train of a gown is elaborate and long and you want a statement veil but one that doesn't compete with the train.

This particular bride is wearing a true ivory lace gown (with a champagne underlay).  In searching for the perfect lace, I stumbled on a shop in Latvia with an absolutely exquiste lace that was labeled as ivory.   When I received it, it was clearly an off-white, not a true ivory.....but the lace was gorgeous. So, I went about dying the lace in a tea bath.  I have to tell you I had never done so before, so I was a bit nervous.   I used a minimal amount of tea and hovered over the bowl the entire time it was bathing in the steeped tea.  I probably squealed like a pig when I took it out of the bath and realized how well it worked.   It is a beautiful match to the gown!

I think the pictures below show the original color and the finished product pretty well.  And as you can see from the picture above, it looks awesome with the gown.
A waltz length hits right about the back of the knee.

Due to the plunging back and beautiful covered buttons on the back of the gown, I went with light gathers at the comb allowing all the beauty of the gown to shine through.

Erin also had me make her a keepsake garter.  I chose to continue the lace theme from her dress and veil and make her a one-of-a-kind garter with some remnants from other projects I had worked on.

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your special day.

Best Wishes to you and Devin!

CATHEDRAL VEIL WITH APPLIQUES

What a treat to work with beautiful Kylynn!  Knowing that she wanted me to create her veil, she invited me to meet her at the bridal salon during one of her fittings.   Being able to see the gown's style, silhouette and embellishments allowed me to determine what might look best for the cathedral length veil she had her heart set on.

It was just the inspiration I needed to create the perfect veil to accompany her gown!  Based upon the fact that her gown had a number of lace appliques on it, I chose to use matching appliques for the veil (with a little extra sparkle in the way of pearls and sequins).

I knew I didn't want the veil to get completely lost in the train and/or compete with the gown, so I chose to make it a bit longer, and extra wide.  This picture shows the beauty of both the gown and the veil.....and of course, the love of this sweet couple just after they were married!

The veil has a total of 12 appliques around the perimeter of the train, as well as one on each side at about the knee.

When creating a custom veil, especially one like this, it can take me a good couple of hours cutting the appliques in different sizes and shapes and placing them on the veil to create just the right design.  I pin, move, pin again, and so on until it feels and looks just right.

I love the process....and when I land on the design, it's magical! Then it's hours of handstitching the appliques to the tulle.   Kylynn's veil is truly a one-of-a-kind, which is exactly what custom made is all about.  The beautiful picture to the upper right is from Kylynn's boudoir shoot.  No doubt, one of my veils has never looked so sexy!

I also made a garter set for Kylynn, that she also wore in her boudoir shoot.  Once again, she told me she wanted some bling and then gave me the creative license to design something for her.

Thank you Kylynn for making my designs look fabulous and for being such a peach to work with!

Best wishes to you and Mario on a long and happy marriage!