Breeziway's Soaring Hearts: October 2009

Amy's Heliotrope Chiffon Anemone & Peacock Feathers

October 29, 2009

I was so happy to hear from a Breeziway bride this past week. Amy chose a plum gown with gorgeous beading and other detail. She wanted a birdcage veil, India peacock feathers in her headpiece, and a colorful design to complement her gown. We decided on periwinkle veiling for her open-sweep veil and heliotrophe silk chiffon, which with a glass bead center, was sculpted into a floral design to mimic the anemone blossoms she planned for her bouquet.

Amy and her man were married in August close to their home in Denver, Colorado on a gloriously sunny day, full of love shared with their friends and family. Please, enjoy the photos below. She was a beautiful and beaming bride. I think her headpiece was a lovely mix with her Marilyn Monroe, big waves hair style. I absolutely LOVE Amy's necklace. It is perfect!

Amy shared the following in her recent email:

“Thank you for all your help in designing my veil. I really enjoyed the time you spent researching the best colors and fabrics to match my non-traditional wedding gown. Your correspondence through the whole process was quick and timely. I can tell you love what you're doing and put that energy into your custom pieces. The custom feather fascinator/birdcage veil piece you made me is so beautiful and unique. I will treasure it for many years to come. Thank you!!!”

Thank you, Amy, for letting us share a role in planning for your special day. Best wishes for many years of fun and love!

Party outfit uplift!

October 25, 2009

The current economic situation makes outfitting oneself for a party a challenge. If your budget doesn't support the purchase of a new dress or fancy pants, consider adding new accessories to a favorite already in your closet! My daughters and I wore new small headpieces and purse/gown accents to a benefit party enjoyed this past Friday. I want to share this idea with you.

Jai wore a short party dress with a ruched bodice in fuschia and skirt of black, boxy sequins. She wore the accents in the first several photos to step-up the 'pop'. The peacock feathers used in Jai's designs are from the rare 'purple' peacock. Swarovski crystal accents in her pieces matched the post earrings she wore.

I wore a long black satin shirt and black top with a scoop neckline framed with bold ruffles. The black feather headpiece was perfect for holding back the hair on one side of my style. The accent piece shown with my satin clutch below, was a perfect accent on my top. The Swarovski crystal accents in the black pieces coordinated with one element of the chunky and dramatic necklace worn. If our local social magazine shares photos taken at Friday night's benefit, I will add to this entry for a better look in context.

Our garment accents are held in place using pins or powerful magnets (for use with very fine, sheers fabrics that don't take well to pin holes). Breeziway created 25 feather and crystal accents for the tulle ruffle skirting of one of our summer brides. I am so eager to see and share photos of her gown and matching headpiece.

Difficult times, make getting out to enjoy others in the celebration of life ever more important. Let us know if we can help you feel brand new in a tried and true ensemble.

Wishing us all festive moments ahead,

Christina and Aaron's Saki/Bug/Dino Wedding!

October 24, 2009

Christina and Aaron were married August, 2008 in Berkley, California. Such a fun, colorful, and unique wedding celebration these two created as a sensational statement of their love for each other! There is an informative write-up about this event and photos of Christina and Arron's fabulous green attire on the Off-Beat Bride blog. Christina is a creative force at a toy company; look for signs of this work in her photos.

Christina called on us to make a custom Melina in a celery green to wear at their reception extravaganza (held at my favorite restaurant in Berkeley - fresh seafood to die for). It was a pleasure to work with Christina. Her custom Melina is shown below in progress, along with photos she sent to us after the wedding.

We hope your first anniversary was a fantastic day, full of happy memories of your special wedding.

It is so much fun to work with our creative clients! Here's to a gloriously-green day for each of us. . . . Those of us in the midst of autumn in the midwest are seeing glorious colors of a different sort this weekend.

Be well,

Katerina Bocci at New York Bridal Fashion Week 2010

October 22, 2009

I am so proud of the accomplishments of my new friend and colleague, Katerina Bocci. Please, enjoy her 2010 Premiere Bridal Gown Collection. Kat's designs begin at approximately 1:40 seconds into the first video, and she completes the finale in the second video with her signature design, Speranza with veiling. Don't miss this eye candy! These gowns are gorgeous.

We are excited about tomorrow night's benefit show when we will enjoy a repeat performance.

Hope to see you there!

Beautiful Italian Ladies: Annalisa & Fiona. . .

October 20, 2009

The Shan, a beautiful spray of feathers in coral, has been a popular design with Breeziway clients, including some customizations. An aquamarine version of Shan shown here was paired with a white birdcage veil and worn by a Hawaiian bride this past summer.

A customized version of Shan in champagne was worn, perched aside the bun of a happy dear friend-of-the-bride, Fiona, this August. The bride, Annalisa, wore a custom design of coquile flower with ostrich and Swarovski crystal accents. The major challenge with this piece was the delicate process of matching the light dusty rose silk used as an accent color in her gown, but we succeeded eventually! Annalisa wore her Breeziway design atop a side-swept pony tail; so pretty. Fiona's piece is shown below during its creation and in its final place of honor. Enjoy the beautiful photographs of this lovely wedding in the ancient, northern Italian seaport city of Genova. . . and the radiant smiles!

The happy couple's relationship blossomed while they studied English in college. Fiona is Director of the North American branch of the Italian luxurious linen company, Dea, which is located in Palm Beach, Florida. Annalisa is located with the company's base in Italy and is one of the creative minds behind their stunning designs featuring luxurious Egyptian cotton, linen, lace, jacquard, and embroidery. Click on either of the photographs below to explore Dea's current collection.

I so enjoyed this video tour of Genova. . . I hope to enjoy the sights, smells, sounds, and TASTES of this city and other marvelous locales in Italy someday. . . someday soon. . . . Paul, my love, are you listening? =)

Happy travels to us all. . .

Colleen's Custom Creamsicles. . .

October 18, 2009

I have just taken photographs of the headpiece completed this morning for a Breeziway bride and it seemed a good idea to share them with all of you via this entry.

Colleen loved the texture and shape of our Creamsicle, but didn't want the natural orange of some of the Moluccan Cockatoo feathers used in this design. So, I replaced these feathers with bleached pheasant and natural, off-white peacock breast feathers of similar shape. After playing with her custom Creamsicle with her hair stylist, she wanted to make a bolder statement. We decided to add 2 more pieces to her array. Here they are! The combs of the 3 pieces are directed inward in a triangular arrangement. . . I have added light touches of marabou feathers at the base of each piece to ensure that none of the mounts show. If I am remembering correctly, Colleen plans to wear this design to the side of an up-do. Here's hoping that you are as happy as I am with the result, Colleen. . . . Here's hoping that you will share some photos so we can see your gorgeous self on your wedding day!

It has been a gorgeous morning in southern Michigan, and I have enjoyed the sunlit color of trees in my yard. Wishing you a sunlit day, too.

Raffles Romance Wedding Planner . .

October 16, 2009

The international chain of Raffles Hotels, with locations in Beverly Hills, California; The Grenadines, Caribbean; Singapore; Beijing, China; Siem Reap & Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates and more, are among the most sought after venues in the world for destination weddings and other special occasions. The original Raffles Hotel, opened in Singapore by Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffle over 120 years ago, is legendary in part for the creation of the Singapore Sling. This gin-based, mixed-drink was a favorite during my youth!

The luxury accommodations and sophisticated service of these destinations have drawn clientele from the ranks of celebrity over the years; among them are Queen Elizabeth II, Michael Jackson, Black Eyed Peas, W. Somerset Maugham, Beyonce Knowles, and Elizabeth Taylor. Yet the staff are known to be equally warm and attentive to all guests.

The Raffles Hotels and Resorts publish a luxury lifestyle magazine, Fables, as a part of their service to clientele. Management recently added a wedding planning guide to their list of valued publications. This 144 page book, Raffles Romance - weddings to remember, can be found in guest rooms worldwide and is sent to couples who inquire about the venue options available in the Raffles family. This complimentary guide is full of excellent advice to help couples plan the most romantic reflection of their love. Can you imagine how over-the-top excited we were at Breeziway when approached by the publisher of this new guide to be the only featured couture' headpiece designer?

Can you imagine how exciting it would be to have your dream wedding at one of these fine locations?! A click on each hotel's photo or name below will direct you to that hotel's Raffles Romance page. Please, let us know what you learn about having your own wedding at any of these dreamy locations!