Southern Weddings

Today is the fifth and final day of our Bridal Market recaps, and gracious, it has been so much fun sharing our experience and favorite moments! If you’re just tuning in, catch up on Parts One, Two, Three, and Four. We’re so grateful to Briana of Divine Light Photography for capturing our experience and all of these gorgeous gowns so that we could share them with y’all this week!

Our final day of Market started on the loveliest note–Breakfast with BHLDN! We are longtime fans of BHLDN’s vintage-inspired dresses and heirloom-worthy accessories, so it was a treat to see their new collection in person, especially in such a fun space. Even though we were there to see the gowns, we couldn’t help but gush a little over the amazing florals they had tucked into every corner, too!

Our outfits for the day! I’m wearing a Loft shirt, J. Crew Factory skirt, and Badgley Mischka heels, and Emily is wearing a J. Crew Factory shirt, Francesca’s skirt, and Sole Society heels.

After we finished our mini yogurt parfaits at BHLDN, we walked over to Rockefeller Center to visit the gorgeous new Romona Keveza space and see their Fall 2015 Legends collection. We had so much fun admiring these gowns–all inspired by classic style icons. Can you spot the design inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s dress in Funny Face, or the one modeled after Grace Kelly’s wedding gown? (These photos are courtesy of Romona Keveza.)

We had to dodge a Columbus Day parade to get to our next presentation–Sarah Janks at the iconic St. Regis hotel. In case you’re wondering how we lasted every day in heels, here’s a little secret: we didn’t! Our photographer, Briana, captured this funny moment outside before we headed up the elevator. Neither of us was very familiar with the Australian-based Sarah Janks line before we saw her presentation, and we were so impressed by the elegant, romantic gowns!

Our next stop was our last runway show of the weekend–Southern gal, Carol Hannah. Her collection was flowy, ethereal, and Egyptian-inspired with a few unexpected touches. We loved catching up with our sweet friends from The Sentimentalist after the show!

We couldn’t leave Bridal Market without stopping by The Knot Couture show to check in with some of our very favorite designers. First, the rainbow of darling bridesmaid dresses at Donna Morgan–we couldn’t get enough of their new silk shantung dresses, or the prettiest new floral print they’ve introduced! P.S. They have a handful of adorable little white dresses too, perfect for bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, and getaway outfits.

Heidi Elnora is a dear friend of Southern Weddings, and there was literally not a thing we didn’t love about her collection! Her gowns are the epitome of sweet and Southern–plus, they all have double names, like Lonna Belle and Marissa Ellen. Love!

After leaving the Knot Couture show, we loved getting a peek at the new Monique Lhuillier collection. The showroom was designed to look like the inside of Monique’s jewelry box, and the sherbert-hued gowns covered in gorgeous embellishments brought it all to life! (These photos are courtesy of Monique Lhuillier.)

We could not have imagined a more amazing way to close these four days than with the Carolina Herrera presentation. What an experience! It was set up more like a cocktail party than a traditional presentation, and the atmosphere was as chic as can be–complete with boxwood arrangements, black and white striped furniture, and models mingling with the crowd. We could not stop whispering with excitement over how much we loved the gowns, the hair, the makeup…just everything! The cherry on top was meeting Carolina Herrera herself. She was so gracious and elegant, and we were honored to talk to her about how much we loved the collection!

We finished the weekend at the ever-so-glamorous Martha Stewart Weddings 20th Anniversary Party at the Pierre Hotel. We were so grateful to Rent the Runway for outfitting us in dresses that perfectly matched the “platinum” theme–Emily rocked a sparkly cocktail dress by Badgley Mischka and I wore a white dress with silver embroidery by Erin Fetherston (who we then met at the party! So crazy!). We had the best time chatting with friends, sampling Peter Callahan delicacies, and dancing in the flip book photo booth.

The next morning, we were on the plane bright and early to head back to NC–exhausted, happy, and ready to hug our beaus and celebrate sending V7 to the printer with the rest of the SW gals! To see even more photos of our NYC adventure, be sure to check out our #SWBridalMarket hashtag on Instagram.

We’d love to know! Which of these gowns is your favorite?

Written with love by Lisa