Tucked into the Lakes Region of NH, the Wolfeboro Inn is the perfect desination for a wedding.  The property itself boasts perfectly manuicured lawns, a stunning white tent, and a picturesque Winnipesaukee Ballroom. They even have a 65 ft. boat that you can cruise around the lake on, seriously what's not to like?!  Another added perk of getting married in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire is well... you know, the Lake.  

The photo ops up there are incredible, and set a spectacular backdrop for your wedding day.  If this is your wedding venue, then one thing is certain; it will have your guests soaking in the beauty of the Lakes Region, and enjoying every moment of your big day.  

Today I'm choosing to highlight one of our beautiful brides Elissa.  Elissa and Spencer were married on beautiful summer day in August, and their love and excitement was captured by none other than Kate & Keith Photography.  Elissa wore a stunning Maggie Sottero wedding dress in a soft antique ivory color that made the lace on this dress pop; and it also paired beautifully with Spencer's gray suit.  The photos capture the pure happiness and joy on the both of their faces, and we couldn't be more thrilled to share these images with you.  Congratulations to Elissa & Spencer, and a big thank you to Kate & Keith Photography! 

​Enjoy!

I can't be the only gal that loves a wedding dress that is covered in crystals... Right?  On your big day, sometimes you just want to shine, shimmer, sparkle, and wear a dress unlike anything else you'll ever wear again in your life.  For some people this is a ballgown, for other people this is a show stopping mermaid, and for others it's all about the bling.

Crystal wedding dresses, bling wedding dresses, sparkle wedding dreses, whatever you want to call it; are often times the most challenging to find.  Seems silly right, how hard can it be to find a sparkly wedding dress?  Well, a few factors come into play when we're purchasing wedding dresses for the store.

1.)  What is the quality of the sparkle?
 Is it a flat, mirrored bead that lays flat on the gown and doesn't sparkle much?
Or is it a pronged (think of a diamond in a setting) high quality crystal that gets sewn onto the dress one-by-one, to give the effect that you're just glittering in the light.

2.)  How tight is the beadwork?
 Is it very spaced out and creating a pattern?  Or is it very tight and clustered so that per square inch there are hundreds, even thousands of beads all over the dress to give it an amazing sparkle.

3.)  Price point.  
Does the cost of the gown reflect the quality?  Would you spend "xxx" on this dress just because it's sparkly, or does the quality, the workmanship, and the materials reflect the price point?

We weigh all of these options when we purchase our gowns, and we try to stick to gowns that are tightly beaded, use high quality swarovski crystals, that are completely lined, boned, and have construction inside the dress that will make you feel tight and secure.  And lastly, we try to purchase gowns that aren't so crazy-priced that you're afraid to try them; but wedding dresses that reflect the workmanship, the quality of materials, and the skill of the person creating your one-of-a-kind wedding dress.

Below is one of our beloved Allure Couture gowns that we just got back in, I've included a few close-ups of the gown to show you the ridiculous amounts of sparkle on this dress.  It's one of my personal favorites, and it's a glittery showstopper!

Tags: Allure Bridals wedding dress, Allure wedding dress, Allure C286, Allure bridals c286, glitter wedding dress, sparkle wedding dress, bling wedding dress, bling mermaid wedding dress, sparkle mermaid wedding dress, rhinestone wedding dress, beaded wedding dress, winter wedding dress, champagne wedding dress, crystal wedding dress, swarovski crystal wedding dress, glam wedding dress, glitzy wedding dress, C286 real bride, C286 wedding dress, winter wedding, winter wedding inspiration, evening wedding.

If you follow us on instagram, then you already know that we spent the majority of last week at Chicago Bridal Market.  If you don't know what a Bridal market is, then get comfortable, because I'm about to tell you all about it!  Each year every manufacturer we carry debuts their gowns at what are called Bridal Markets twice a year (to show their spring and fall collections).  They usually begin in LA, where the major magazine editors, the Knot, as well as many of the Couture bridal designers debut their collections, from there the gowns travel to Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and finally finish in New York City.  Each designer has runway shows in each city to show their collection, and buyers from all over the country travel to these markets and carefully choose the gowns they want to carry for their store.

Last week we visited Chicago, which is unusual for us, since we generally travel to Dallas when we do our buying.  Traveling to Dallas allows us to fly under the radar, and visit the showrooms without the hustle and bustle of Chicago or NYC showrooms.  However due to scheduling conflicts, we opted to visit Chicago this year, and boy did we have a whirlwind of a trip!  Each showroom we visited was jam packed with buyers, sales reps, and even designers!  We had the amazing opportunity to meet David Tutera as well as Sophia Tolli, and even chat with the owner of Mon Cheri Bridals!

We are so used to flying under the radar in Dallas, so shopping this market was completely different for us.  We ended up flipping our name tags around so that while we were walking by manufacturer showrooms we didn't get flagged down to view their collection. It seemed as though every major bridal manufacturer was chasing us down to view their new collections, and even offering to put wedding dresses in our store for free just to test market their new line!  It was such an honor to feel as though all the manufacturers wanted to do business with us, but boy did it slow us down.

We watched endless runway shows, and selected our favorites from what seemed like hundreds and hundreds of wedding dresses to finally choose what we were going to buy.  We too buy our dresses with a budget, and we carefully select what we would like to choose for you to try that way you get the best selection when you visit our store, and we also get the best dresses for you to try.  I've included a few photos, including one of the exterior of the Mart, it's HUGE.  Bridal took up the entire 7th floor, and in 3 days we walked 10 miles to pick the very best wedding dresses for you!  In the end we purchased 3 new wedding dresses manufacturers, 2 new bridesmaids manufacturers, TONS of wedding dresses and accessories; and we can't wait for them to come in for you to try! 

Tags: Chicago Bridal Market, maggie sottero 2017, maggie sottero 2017 collection, sophia tolli wedding dresses, sophia tolli 2017, sophia tolli runway show, sophia tolli Chicago, chicago merchandise mart, ashley and justin bride, ashley and justin bride NH, ashley and justin bride MA, Sophia Tolli NH, Sophia Tolli MA, David Tutera NH, David Tutera MA, maggie sottero NH, maggie sottero MA, stella york NH, stella york MA, stella york wedding dresses NH, stella york wedding dresses MA

There are many ways to customize a wedding dress today.  Some brides choose to order their gown in an off-shade such as champagne or blush, some brides cut the train off of their wedding dress, and some even cut the front of the gown a little shorter to show off their fabulous shoes!  Whatever your style may be, there are certainly ways to take a wedding dress and make it a little bit more "your own".   Sometimes the easiest, and most fun way to customize your wedding dress is to add a bridal belt, or a bridal sash.

 There are so many variations of bridal belts that can really jazz up a wedding dress that you may feel is just "missing something".  Sometimes brides have a completely different opinion about a wedding dress once they see it with a crystal bridal sash or belt, it truly can transform your wedding dress and take it to the  next level. There are crystal bridal sashes, colored bridal sashes, ones that are beaded all the way around, ones that you just tie on to create a different look for your reception.  I could go on, and on, but long story short when it comes to bridal belts; the possibilities and options are seriously endless.

 Today I'm going to highlight one of our beautiful brides, Alicia and her husband Eric.  They were married at the Four Oaks Country Club in Dracut MA, and Alicia looked stunning in her Sottero & Midgley Viera wedding dress.   Alicia chose to add a stunning crystal bridal sash to this gown, which really highlighted her waist, and jazzed up this beautiful antique lace wedding dress.  Have a look at the photos so graciously shared by Hancer Photography, they did such a great job capturing her excitement on this very special day, and we're so excited to share these with you!