Tag Archive for 'parisian wedding dresses'

paris wedding trend 2012: vintage antique lace

I stopped by the Salon du Mariage at the Carrousel du Louvre over the week-end to find out what’s on the radar for French wedding fashion trends for 2012.  First, I have to say that this year’s salon did seem a bit more, well… meager than in years’ past.  I expected to see some of the classic vendors that had been staples of the Salon - designers like Ana Quasoar and Cherry Chau, or fabulous florals by Varda.  While some of the bigger key players were still on hand-  Pronovias and Rosa Clara, for example, I actually didn’t see any florists at all!  Jean-Luc Blaise created his customary over-the-top, blinged out opening tablescape- but even it seemed a bit rehashed. In fact, this year’s tablescape looked suspiciously like 2009’s tablescape- just with an overlay change, non?

paris wedding trends lablscapes

Top: Salon du Mariage, Carrousel du Louvre 2009 by Jean-Luc Blais,

Bottom: Salon de Mariage, Carrousel du Louvre, 2011 by Jean-Luc Blais

The theme of this years Salon was “Noces de Dentelle” - Lace Wedding, and it was reflected throughout the exhibit space and  runway shows. The runway show itself was a bit, um… eclectic. It opened with a gospel sing-a-long (note to gospel groups: the French don’t really seem to go for sing-a-longs…) and above all else, seemed to illustrate the fact that one can go high or low with a lace wedding dress.

Inspired by the theme as well as the current trend, there was a much heavier emphasis on vintage and antique-inspired gowns this year. Some of the finest lace in the world comes from France, and this salon was the perfect vehicle for French lace-makers to strut their stuff.  Their work was absolutely beautiful, and at times the Salon felt more like a museum exhibition than a wedding fair-  so many of the dresses were near works of art. Having a chance to see this level of handiwork up close was such  a rare opportunity, but I think I was happiest to have been able to discover some Parisian wedding dress designers that may have been over-shadowed in the past by their more high-profile colleagues.

I think the take-away from the 2012 Salon du Mariage at the Carrousel du Louvre was that Paris still reigns supreme as far as wedding gown craftsmanship and artistry is concerned- but I think I may be preaching to the choir on that one, n’est-ce pas?

gray-lace-gown

Palest gray lace dress and veil, by Fabienne Alagama

crochet-lace-top

Embroidered lace capped sleeve and tulle, by Nuit Blanche

french-lace-wedding-jacketAntique-inspired French lace jacket with high collar, by Nathalie Durieux

detail-french-lace-jacketDetail, French lace jacket by Nathalie Durieux

vintage-lace-wedding-dresses-parisVintage inspired looks by Leutellier Tesson Couture

lace-bodiceBodice detail, by Atelier Manon Pascual

And for a peek at the finale of the runway show, click here!

an amelie poulain-inspired paris photo shoot

Last year, I was asked to assist Robert & Kathleen Trenske in sourcing locations and vendors for a 2-day Paris photography seminar and photo session. The images from that romantic Parisian rooftop wedding were featured on Style Me Pretty a while back, but the photos from the Amélie Poulain-inspired Montmartre photo session were just posted on Robert and Kathleen’s blog recently.  The lovely Segolene Méoule, styled by Candace from Jubilee Events and Beth from The White Dress by the Shore, with hair and make-up by Masafumi Matsuda, almost gives better Amélie than Audrey Tautou herself in this chic, vintage-inspired session. Here are just a few of my faves:

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amelie_paris_photoshoot_28amelie_paris_photoshoot_38

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Check out the rest of this Montmartre wedding photo session here, on the blog of Robert & Kathleen Photographers.

how to plan a green wedding in paris: eco-beautiful weddings

eco-beautiful weddings, spring 2011

Over the past few years, Green Weddings have quickly gone from quirky trend to established norm, as today’s couples realize that it is possible to have a chic, trendy wedding that’s both affordable and eco- and socially responsible. Books, blogs and magazines have popped up all over the globe with information and inspiration on planning Green Celebrations. And leading the pack is the fabulous e-mag Eco-Beautiful Weddings, who,  in a short time, have established themselves as the “go-to” guide for stylish eco-friendly weddings. So you can imagine how excited I was to be asked to contribute to their Spring 2011 issue’s Green City Wedding Guide. From organic wedding cakes to ethically mined wedding bands, I share some of my favorite picks for planning the perfect green wedding in Paris. Whether a Parisian wedding is on your horizon or if you’re simply planning a home-grown celebration, just be sure to check out Eco-Beautiful Weddings for all of your “greening” inspirations.