Pastel Martini Dress now on sale for $199

Crinkle scarf $59-79

I love getting wedding pictures in the mail.  It is a gift to see where my dresses go and what occasions they are worn for.  This is the wedding picture of Jennifer and Andrea. (Thanks guys!). They were a delight to serve and play dress up with.  Obviously I only did the outfit on the right.

@ Jennifer and Andrea:  You both look so genuinely happy and radiant in this photo.  I wish you a lifetime of falling in love with each other anew every day.  xoxo

These photos were taken by artist-photographer Marie Cornellier.  She has a gift for getting people to show their most beautiful and touching selves.

When we took the dress back to the studio, i steamed all the pins off the back of the embellishments and stitched them to the dress.  On the back of the dress, I continued the stitching of an ivy and leaf pattern in blue and bronze coloured thread.  I added some sequins by hand and voila!  A custom dress is born!

It was a true honour for me to be asked to make her wedding dress.  Every time a friend asks me to make their dress, i feel really blessed and happy.

Kat

Betsy, I just love how the cake matches it all.  It looks like it was a truly magnificent wedding day and you and your hubby look very well matched.  I wish you a magical journey into married life and I hope you are laughing together into old age. – Kat

Or rather, I’m thinking about how differently I would like to do it myself.

Katrin Leblond has designed many a bridal gown – some in white, some in chartreuse, some (for example, her own) in deep magenta.    At the heart of her bridal designs is the same philosophy at the heart of all of our styles and designs: wear what feels like you.

Below is a photo from Katrin’s cousins’ wedding.  Emilie opted for an ivory strapless dress with chiffon and beading at the bust (that is hidden by the pink mohair shawl she is wearing).  Of course you can see the tradition of wearing purple at Leblond functions showcased by many in the clan.  I would also like to draw you attention to the fabulous KL handbag in fuchsia on the lap of her Aunt Lucie (front right).

The history of the white wedding dress is actually quite recent.   It was Queen Victoria who popularized the white dress in 1840, having built her nuptial getup around some special lace she wanted to show off.   Her wedding was widely photographed, and other brides then copied her style.   Since then, the white dress has come to represent the bride’s virginity as she prepares to enter matrimony.   (Is it not ironic that this fashion should develop in this era, which probably has the lowest bridal-virginity rate in Western history?)

Big white ballgowns look natural on some brides.    On others there is nothing better than colour.    Shouldn’t it be up to each bride to decide for herself: colour or no?

Before the 1800s, it was customary for European brides to wear rich colours and fabrics, to show off the wealth of the family they were marrying from (even if they were poor).  In the East, red is the traditional colour for many Indian and Chinese bridal dresses.

A Japanese couple on their wedding day

Traditional Chinese wedding garb

White is a traditional choice for some women – even for those who have been living with their partners for many years, or who already have kids.   The tradition of white as representing virginity is fading but the importance of the it’s symbol has not.  Personally, if I have the opportunity to dump hundreds or thousands of dollars on a dress I’ll wear once, I want it to be a colour that resonates with me personally, that flatters my skin tone and sends an intimate message about me and my partner.

The plaid wedding dress: a neat take on tradition

That’s just me.   On the other hand, I can completely understand the power behind a white wedding dress.   It is the archetype of “Bride” in today’s culture.   When crafting a meaningful ceremony, having that cultural symbol behind you is powerful.

To all brides-to-be out there: I share this message with you.    Wear what you want to wear on your wedding day.    If your heart says white, listen to your heart.   If swatches of pinks or emerald, yellows or royal blue are pulling at your sleeve, don’t be afraid to explore that magical world of colour either.   Bottom line is always the same:

Wear what feels like you.

A bridal headpiece by Katrin Leblond

Express your beauty as you are. Dance in your kitchen and sing to the stars.

Sarah Pearson

Here is a fun flash back.  These are all still great pieces.  I wish I had bought the floral grey party skirt with the chicken crinoline under skirt. Anyway I liked seeing it again and I thought you would too.

enjoy.

Your life is your most powerful art .  See you at the boutique.

erin

Aya and Kat designed a dress in one mornig for Aya’s “Bal en Blanc”  (that means the white ball) for Aya’s graduation from Daycare Ceremony.

She was soooo proud of herself.

She asked me if I cried when I watched her do her Song and dance with the rest of the kids in her group.

I did.

Lovin’ the cowgirl style!

Here’s a new goddess dress that Kat designed for high summer August weddings and parties.

It has a layer of ivory silk chiffon over a soft jersey lining.  The embellishments are all silk and beadwork and lace.

And of course some Bridal bibis…we love headpieces!

Summer heat is still here.

Now you are tanned.

This is the time to wear white and ivory and feel like a fairy queen.

See you at the boutique.

Erin

Elements of all three dresses became her dress.  We chose her favorite silhouette, neckline and mixed up the embellishments to create the boquet-butterfly-fiesta party dress.  The butterflies that I used as sequins on her dress have also been used by Martha Stuart to make this fab rainbow butterfly cake.

Montreal Formal balls and weddings are in the air… and Katrin is in full preparation to making everyone’s fairy princess dreams a reality with her beautiful gowns and two piece formal attire .  Have an event?  Katrin makes custom one of a kind wedding, bridesmaid and prom dresses.  Make an appointment with Kat and see your dream dress materialize right in front of your eyes!

Kitty supervises swatch sampling…

Hope your week is off to a lovely start!

xox