Southern Weddings

It is with great excitement that I’m kicking off this week of Bridal Market recaps! Emily and I had a wonderful, whirlwind long weekend in New York City two weeks ago admiring the new collections from our (and your!) favorite designers, seeing old friends and making new ones, and greatly improving our taxi-catching skills. Our first day of Market was one of the busiest, and after flying into LaGuardia early in the morning, we headed straight over to our first show of the day. We’re so grateful that Briana Elledge of Divine Light Photography was on hand to capture all of the gorgeous gowns for us!

First stop, the Claire Pettibone show at the incredible High Line Hotel. Our sweet friends Alicia and Kylie were the talents behind the show’s stunning blooms, and we were so thrilled to run into them on our way inside! Claire’s collection was inspired by iconic Gothic cathedrals, and this inspiration combined with her signature ethereal, intricate style was truly striking. We were also delighted to see plenty of silver and blue, which we like to think had something to do with a certain magazine cover ;)

Going from romantic, bohemian Claire Pettibone to chic, modern Kelly Faetanini almost felt like a culture shock, in the best way! Kelly’s Fall 2015 collection was so true to her signature style: classic and elegant, with lots of fun details. The gowns were fashion-forward, but totally wearable for a traditional bride. We were also smitten with the braided updos and red lips on the models–it may have even inspired the bright lip colors we wore for the remainder of Market!

The venue of the Ines Di Santo show was amazing–it took place in a stunning mansion that opened up to an enclosed courtyard. Fake snow covered the floor, and the winter inspiration for the collection was more than evident in the shimmery tulle, sparkly beading, and crisp white fabrics. Ball gown-loving brides–this is one collection you’ll definitely want to try on!

We were so excited about the next show–Anne Barge, one of our favorite Southern designers. Her collection completely lived up to our expectations, and her elegant gowns, sweet detailing (Alencon lace! Satin bows! Stripes!), and lovely styling were some of our favorites from the weekend. We also had the opportunity to meet Anne after the show, and tell her some exciting news in person: one of her gowns will be gracing our V7 cover!

From the Anne Barge show, we hurried over to the Park Hyatt for Rivini. The collection included lots of edgy dresses with sheer detailing and interesting cutouts, but our favorites were the nontraditional takes on the classic ball gown silhouette.

After the show, we ran into some familiar faces! Randy Fenoli of Say Yes to the Dress is an old friend of Lara’s, who we were so happy to see, and we also introduced ourselves to Lori and Monte of Bridals by Lori (from Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta). As y’all can imagine, they are all just as kind and gracious as they seem on TV, and Lori and Monte’s accents brought us right home to the South for a minute!

Getting to our next presentation was a bit of a hike, but it was completely worth it as soon as we stepped into the Sarah Seven flagship! Since it was a presentation rather than a runway show, we got to see her new collection up close and ask Sarah questions about her designs as the models showed them. Y’all, the fabrics she uses are incredible! We especially loved the off-the-shoulder gowns (so romantic!) and subtle beaded bodices.

There’s still even more to share from our first day at Market, but in the meantime, we’d love to hear which gowns are your favorites so far! I’m crazy about the silver lace gown from Claire Pettibone (fifth row), the shimmery tulle ball gown from Ines Di Santo (fourth row), and the low lace back at Anne Barge (first row), while Emily’s top picks are the sparkly illusion back Ines Di Santo (first row), the subtle high-low ball gown from Rivini (second row), and the gray chiffon Sarah Seven (first row)!

P.S. Check out our #SWBridalMarket hashtag on Instagram to see more from our trip!

Written with love by Lisa