Marlie, in Ivory

Hello lovelies,

The Marlie is one of my favorite sashes. My husband says I'm biased because I made them all and I love them all, but this one is different. It's named after my second cousin, Marlaina, whom I adore. We were close when I lived in Virginia, due to our love of hockey (Go Caps!) and our love of punk rock music. So, with her and her edgy punk rock style in mind, I created this sash. I think it truly fits her personality. Cute and adorable, but tough and confident. She is definitely the type of girl I envied when I was her age.

While I absolutely love it the way it is, I could just see the potential of it in ivory. I think brides will really love the soft look it gives, and the way that it appears to "float" on their gowns. I can definitely see this one becoming an instant classic. Well, see for yourself!

I think it's definitely swoon worthy! :) Leave me a comment, and tell me what you think about it! Would you rather go for the bold style of the black lace, or more traditional with the ivory?

A Heartfelt Review

Hello lovelies,

One of the most rewarding parts about this industry, is making girls dreams come true. Every girl deserves to be truly, 100% happy on their wedding day, and I'm so honored to be able to be a part of that. I recently applied to be part of Southern Weddings "Blue Ribbon" Vendor Guide (isn't that the cutest name? seriously.), and part of that process is reviews from past clients. One of my past clients, my friend Erin that I made the headpiece for, wrote a truly amazing review of us, and I just had to share it here with all of you.

"Hi Whitney!

I’m glad to hear from you and also happy to hear Amanda applied to be a SW Blue Ribbon Vendor!

I’m sure you hear this a lot from BRV references, but I have to say it—I love Fit to be Tied Bridal! I’ve actually known Amanda for about ten years now (wow, saying that made me feel really old!) and she’s always been a wonderfully sweet and caring girl with a great sense of humor and a big heart. I feel like she brings those same personality traits, as well as her master skills, great attention to detail, and love of weddings and design, to her business, Fit to be Tied.

Although we met in Virginia, she currently lives in Houston, Texas, and our friendship has become more of the Facebook variety. She began promoting her business, Fit to be Tied, via Facebook and reached out to me to let me know she’d named one of her creations after me. I was beyond flattered and really touched and began asking all sorts of questions about her designs and the business. I told her that while I’d absolutely love to support a friend and purchase a piece, unfortunately my dress or my bridesmaids’ dresses really wouldn’t quite work with a sash. I then asked if she could maybe help me with another project: a custom hair comb. I’ve wanted to wear a really unique hair comb that matched my dress but hadn’t been able to find anything that went with my gown (the “rosettes” on my dress aren’t really rosettes, more like little cloth puffs or sea urchins—it sounds bad but I swear it’s gorgeous*) Being the incredibly kind woman that she is, Amanda said she’d love to help me. And being the incredibly creative woman that she is, she didn’t even bat an eyelash at the thought of working on something outside of her line for me.

Throughout the process Amanda was excellent at listening to my ideas, asking the right questions, doing her own research (actually hunting down my gown at a Houston bridal salon!), and providing multiple options for me before she finalized the piece. She made this half-way across the country custom work experience seamless and a real pleasure!

To make an even longer story short, I now own a one-of-a-kind, absolutely beautiful, handmade hair comb that perfectly matches my dress as well as incorporates my color scheme with some extra beading I requested. I cannot wait to wear it on my wedding day—it totally completes the look I’m going for and I couldn’t be happier with the piece and Amanda herself.

Amanda’s pieces are great because they’re not only absolutely beautiful, but she has something for all different types of brides, bridesmaids, or special event attendee. The sashes are handmade in the South with lots of love and care, she can create custom pieces, and she’s absolutely the nicest person one could work with (a great quality all the time and especially if there’s a stressed out, all-over-the-place bride trying to order custom pieces!).  And did I mention that her website is gorgeous, too (http://www.fittobetiedbridal.com/#/home/)?

I think all in all Amanda’s creativity, expert handcrafting skills, kindness, and genuine care she has for her clientele makes her a perfect addition to the Southern Weddings Blue Ribbon Vender family and the Southern Weddings name.

Thank you for contacting me and have a happy holiday season!

Always,

Erin"

Um, isn't she the greatest? Seriously, I wanted to cry my eyes out when I read that. It's people like her that make me so happy about what I do. I seriously cannot wait to post pics of her wedding later this year!!

*She included a link to her gown, which I removed. And trust me, it is gorgeous! I seriously doubt that her hubby will read my blog, but you never know! Better safe than sorry, and you guys will see it anyway when I post about her wedding :)

Miranda, in Ivory

 Hello lovelies,

Here is the first of my samples that I've done in ivory. The Miranda sash was originally designed on a champagne ribbon, with champagne tulle and champagne pearls. I've made it with an ivory ribbon, ivory tulle, and the same champagne pearls. I think it looks really lovely. It almost looks more ethereal now. I like the way the champagne pearls "pop" off the ivory.

*I apologize for these pictures. I took them on my porch.

So, what do you think? Do you like the original design in champagne? Or would you go more for the all over ivory look?

Houston Bridal Gallery - Upcoming Events

Hi there Lovelies,

Well, Wedding Season is definitely upon us, and that means events, trunk shows, discounts, and every spring and summer bride out there looking for their dream dress. Houston Bridal Gallery is holding a ton of events this Spring to help you find your perfect wedding gown! Appointments for these events book up pretty quickly, so you may want to start looking! Here's a look at what they have coming up:

January 2-14, 2012
Season Closeout Sale
Is your New Year's Resolution to find your favorite designer gown at a not-so-designer price? Houston Bridal Gallery is ringing in the New Year by giving away select previous season sample gowns at a fraction of the price.

February 2-4, 2012
Justin Alexander Trunk Show
Be the first to order your brand new Spring 2012 Justin Alexander gown during this special event. Justin's gowns create a chic and stylish look with a pop of glam. Receive a special trunk show discount!

February 11-18, 2012
For the Love of Valentine's Day
February is full of love, and to show our love and appreciation, everything from garters to gown is 10% off for a whole week!

March 2-3, 2012
Essense of Australia Trunk Show
Introducing beauty and glamour at an affordable price, meet with Jessica from Essense to find the gown of your dreams. Enjoy a special trunk show discount.

March 23-24, 2012
Haute Bride Jewelry Trunk Show
Searching for the perfect jewelry to complement your gown? Look no further! Haute Bride has that unique, bold and beautiful touch to make you shine on your big day. Of course, discounts are available.

April 5-7, 2012
If Pronovias had a popularity contest, this Bridal Industry Award Winning design would win by a long shot! Simplistic, feminine, and elegant, Pronovias is the favorite of brides of all types. Have a Good Friday and a Good Weekend during this Easter weekend event. Call to book your appointment.!
*This trunk show will book up fast, so don't wait!

April 20-21, 2012 
Matthew Christopher Trunk Show
Looking for a gown that's out of the ordinary and a show-stopper? Matthew's Christopher's gowns give you that WOW factor you've been looking for. As a bonus, Matthew himself will be here for personal gown advice, and he will even give special discounts! By appointment only.
*You will love being able to shop for your gown with the designer himself. It's truly a once in a life time experience!


May 18-19, 2012
WToo Brides Trunk Show
Celebrating 25 years of gorgeous, Wtoo Brides has contemporary and classic, yet affordable designs made with the quality brides have always loved. Receive a trunk show discount when you order your gown during this event. Call to book your appointment!
*These gowns are so gorgeous, appointments are sure to go quickly!

These are some truly fabulous events, that you don't want to miss! Make sure to call and make your appointment soon so you don't miss out! :)

It's been awhile....

Hello lovelies!

So, it's been awhile. Over a month. Shame on me. I sincerely apologize for my lack of communication. It's been such a crazy year (lots of weddings, lots of orders, my own wedding, switching jobs, being unemployed, new job, travel, more orders!), that I really took some time out over the holidays to just relax, and enjoy being able to stay home and hang out with my husband. We both had the week of Christmas off, which hasn't happened before, so we spent the time cooking (we made a pumpkin pie and chocolate souffles from scratch! yum!), and watching a ton of movies. It was nice. I also did a lot of sewing. A lot. I swear.

So I'd like to take this time to wish you all a happy new year! I know I'm seven days late, however, I think I can still say it. A lot has been going on (see above), and there's a lot more to come this year! I have tons of posts coming up for you, so I thought I'd just take a minute to (apologize, sorry), and give you a preview of what's coming up!

Exciting things to come:
1. I'll be posting pics (hopefully at the end of this month) from my first international order! I'm so super excited for this one! The bride ordered a custom sash and hasn't seen it, and won't for about another two weeks. I'm so nervous, but I really think she'll love it! Can't wait to show you guys!

2. I've been working on making some of the new sashes in ivory. I used a lot of color in the Spring 2012 line (and I love color!), but I know that a lot of brides want something a little more classic, and there's nothing wrong with that. So I've been making a few of them in ivory to post on here, and on our etsy page, to show all of you lovely ladies what they look like if you order them in ivory instead of in black, or champagne, etc.

3. We will be making a guest appearance at a Bridal Show in Lake Jackson next weekend! More on that later! This is our first bridal show appearance, so we're very excited, and very flattered that we were asked to come. What should we wear??

4. We will shortly be available in a new store!! Yay! We're so beyond excited to be in a second store! It is called Something Blue, and is located in Angleton, TX. Yay!

We will have posts and more updates on all of these events (and so much more!) to come very shortly. We're going to try to get back to a regular schedule of actually posting on here. Imagine that! :)