Wedding Inspiration: Pinterest Style

For those of you who have not come across the website Pinterest, it is a great place to get ideas and inspiration for your wedding. Have you ever cut out pictures from magazines of the flowers, decorations, dress and hairstyles you want for your wedding? Pinterest is similar to this, but an online version where you can pin things you find as well as re-pin what other people have found. This is also great because you can click on the picture that you or someone else pinned, and it will take you to the website where the picture is from.  I would strongly recommend using this website to help make your wedding planning easier, and more inspired.

Here are some wedding ideas I love that I have found using Pinterest:

Source: http://www.polkadotbride.com/

This is such a stunning photo idea.

Source: Unknown

Adds a twist to the typical flower girls or ring bearer.

Source: http://www.weheartit.com/

I love how classy this hairsyle is.

Source: lesapea.tumblr.com

Beautiful and original wedding decor

Source: http://www.weheartit.com/

Another great wedding photo idea.

Source: http://www.enchanteddreamweddings.com%27/

Even more adorable than regular cupcakes. I love the lace and the "I Do" sign.

Source: http://www.stylemepretty.com/

A beautiful way to thank your guests

Source: http://www.cristinamella.com/

An easy to do project for chairs.

The Elements of a Wedding Gown

When I was a little girl my grandma would let me help her make cookies.  We would add the butter, eggs and sugar.  This had to be well mixed before we move to the flour, baking powder and finally the vanilla could be put in the bowl.  If we were making oatmeal cookies we added oatmeal, sometimes raisins or chocolate chips.  If we made sugar cookies I got to sprinkle on the colored crystals or decorate with icing from a bag she had cut the corner off as I would pipe lips, eyes and noses on.  We had little candies in many colors and shapes to add not only flavor but visual interest.

The elements of a wedding gown are much like cookies.  The fabric can be satin, taffeta, organza and chiffon.  There might be lace, embroidery or bead work.  Three dimensional flowers and fabric detail may be added.  When you are standing, looking at yourself in the mirror, in the gown of your dreams you will have the perfect combination of fabric, cut, detail and bling.  These are known as the design elements of a wedding gown.

Rouching is an interesting element that we see so much of but never grow tired of because it’s style is as varied as one’s imagination.  Folds of fabric are laid atop the base dress.  Nimble fingers of the designer fold and pin and then stitch with quiet perfection.  The direction of the folds carries the eye of the beholder across the body creating a visual masterpiece.

Embroidery is stitched, usually drawn on the fabric and then carried out by a sewing machine guided by a meticulous operator at a hummingbird style rate that is difficult for the human eye to see.  The operator’s fingers stay close to move the fabric in just the right position at the correct time.  It is fascinating to watch.

Hand cut lace applique is artistically placed in a pre-determined pattern to draw the eye and create elegant patterns atop satin or taffeta.  There are many different styles of lace that will be covered in an upcoming article.

Most of my customers are so surprised when I ask them “Do you know how they get this magnificent bead work on your dress?”  They wonder if there is a bead fairy or a wonderful machine that puts them there.  “I say, they put them on the dress by hand, one at a time with a needle and thread.”  I have been around the making of wedding dresses since I was a little girl but when I first started buying ready-made gowns more than 30 years ago the beads were glued onto the fabric and lace.  This made great problems when it came time to launder the gown because the beads would often come off sometimes leaving dots of glue in the wrong places on the fabric.  The best beadwork is a combination of Swarovski crystals, beads, pearls and sequins.  Glass beads will be more sparkly and will hold their sparkle through time.  Nowadays, many companies are resorting to plastic beadwork because it is cheaper and glass beads must be handled more carefully.

The placement of the embellishments is also an element of your wedding gown.  Select the cut, then the fabric, lace, beadwork, embroidery and all other elements of your gown.

The color and size can be the last choice you make when you shop with ample time that your gown may be ordered.  It can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months for your gown to be made for you.  The more time you allow yourself, the more choices you will have.  Your wedding gown is the most important dress you will ever wear.  Take time to do it right and find a bridal salon where you feel that your long term happiness is most likely to be achieved.  At The Gallery by Lynette we want you happy in the store, out the door and door the aisle and that means we are here for you no matter what.

Please visit us at 5316 South Freeway Pk Dr, Riverdale, Utah 801-773-7435 or online at http://www.lynettes.com

Shop for your Gown First!

If you need a pair of shoes you can fully expect to shop in a store and buy what you want, when you want, in the size and color you want.  If you are hungry you can go to any restaurant or fast food place and get lunch now.  But when you are shopping for your wedding gown, the most important and memorable item of clothing you will ever wear, you must plan ahead a little more.

The other day we sold a dress to a bride to be.  We had the dress in ivory but she wanted it in white.  No problem, we can order it.  When we called our supplier we were told that the gown would not ship to us until the second week of February 2012.  Yes, that is right, nearly 16 weeks from now.  Why that's crazy you might say.  Well, maybe it is but that is how it works.  Some of our collections are available in 6 to 10 weeks on a special order but occasionally, a popular style or one with extra special and intricate detail will require more time.

After all, this is a very important dress.  Doesn't it make sense that you would plan ahead?

At The Gallery by Lynette we have been serving bridal families for more than 30 years and have every service you would need to outfit your bridal party perfectly.  It begins with the dress and no matter when or where you are getting married the most important thing to consider is that you want to look and feel your most beautiful on your wedding day.  Because you don't wear a wedding dress often you might need some professional help finding the right one.  At The Gallery by Lynette our consultants are experienced in the basic silhouettes and which ones look best on your body type.  Once you know your best silhouette they can help you select the right details and fabrics from the hundreds of gowns we have in stock.  We don't have to use high pressure selling.  That is for when a store can't give you exactly what you want.  We know what is available and our design department can change details and make your gown fit you like a glove.  We are very different from other bridal shops.


Shop for your gown as soon as you know you are getting married even if you don't have a ring or a date.  The longer you allow before your wedding, the more choices you will have and the better the outcome especially if something has to be tweaked.  Don't worry if you plan to lose weight.  We can allow for that and you couldn't lose so much weight that we can't alter your gown perfectly.


Don't listen to some of the so called " bridal store experts" who tell you it's too early to shop.  Don't listen to them when they tell you what you should like as you desperately try to get them to listen to what you want.  It's your dream and your day.  Come to The Gallery by Lynette and lose the stress.

When you purchase your gown at The Gallery by Lynette you may be eligible for our new Diamond Savings card that will save you more than $900  in free stuff and discounts on the things you will need anyway such as half priced bridal jewelry and $50 off your veil.  Give us a call today 801-773-7435   Click here for  hours.  More info at www.lynettes.com

Three Weddings One Dress

Many things are passed down from generations: stories, sayings, and wisdom. Sometimes, a memento can be preserved through the years: granddaddy’s pocket knife or grandma’s glass set. But rarely is a satin dress able to soak in the collective joy, love and anxiousness of three generations of weddings – except in the case of at least one Dickson County family.
On June 16, 1947, Edward Edenfield married Dolores Ruth Hickle, who was dressed in a white candlelight satin dress, with Italian lace and an antique netting veil. Afterward, the new Mrs. Edenfield wrapped the dress in a black shower curtain and packed it away in a trunk. It stayed there for 33 years. When Jane Anne Edenfield decided to marry Wayne Bass, her mother brought out the dress. “(Wearing the dress) had been discussed. We always knew it was there,” Jane Anne said. “It was a beautiful gown… you can’t buy a dress like that any more.” Jane Anne had the dress taken in slightly, but otherwise, it fit perfectly.
The vows were exchanged, “I do” was said, and the dress went back into the trunk. In 1994, Dolores Edenfield passed away. Jane Anne’s sister had two little boys and Jane Anne had two young girls – so the dress fell to her. “It came to me so my girls could hopefully wear it,” Jane Anne said. Jane Anne’s daughter, Rachel, met and fell in love with Dewayne Tidwell about a decade later. They set their wedding for Oct. 1, 2005. It didn’t take long to decide on a dress. “It was just kind of a given,” Rachel said. “I thought it would be cool for a third generation to wear it.” However, Rachel “couldn’t handle the long sleeves” and had the dress slightly altered. She had the sleeves cut off and had the necking altered, as well.
Earlier this year, it was Rachel’s sister, Sarah’s turn to wear the dress when she married Bill Story. The only change she made was removing the bustle. “Just for it to still be intact and for all of us to wear it and it’s still just so pretty,” Sarah said. “It’s got the old romantic charm to it. It’s ageless – that’s what makes it perfect,” Rachel said. Both Sarah and Rachel said they didn’t mind missing out on the process of trying to find the perfect dress. “Once you put that dress on, you’re just like ‘wow,’” Sarah said. “Just the feeling you get when you put that dress on, sets it like ‘that’s the dress I’m going to wear.’”

The next in line for the dress is Rachel’s one-year-old daughter, Kinsley – if that’s the dress she chooses.
“If she says no, that’s her decision, and that’s alright,” Rachel said.
The dress still sits in the attic at Jane Anne’s home in the same black trunk for whoever wants to carry on the tradition.

Still reminding you about alterations

Earlier this week I took a phone call from a frantic mother who wanted to tell us about her horrible experience she and her bride to be daughter had with a local seamstress in regards to her wedding gown.  For about 30 minutes this lady literally cried and lamented about the seamstress who initially promised to add sleeves to her gown but actually ended up doing them the way she wanted instead of listening to the bride and following pictures provided.  The mom was calling stores in the area to warn them not to refer to this particular seamstress.  We don't refer to any outside seamstress as we have our own in store design staff.

That same day a bride who purchased from The Gallery by Lynette a couple of months prior  came in to buy a veil and headpiece.  After they left Chelsa, who works for us, came and told me that she had taken her gown to two different seamstresses and still the dress was a disaster.  I had Chelsa call the bride and she brought me her gown.  Luckily, the only real problems with the dress were that the previous seamstress had gotten it quite dirty and there was no longer any fabric to work with because she had made a bolero out of it.  A bolero that the bride had not ordered and didn't get to keep unless she paid for it.

I got this dress a week before the wedding and did the modesty fill that this bride expected all the long.  She had taken it elsewhere hoping for a lower price but instead endured two months of nightmare excuses and worry.  It was delivered 3 days before her wedding so that she could have bridal photos.

I will post photos as soon as they are available.  In the meantime be sure to visit our facebook page dedicated to modest conversions Modest Gowns by Lynette 

My New Car

After many years I finally was able to afford the car of my dreams.  It was extremely expensive, is beautiful to look at and the interior is plush and elegant.  The carpet and seats are luxurious.  I get great enjoyment out of driving my car. The ride is out of this world.  I wash it and clean the interior every week. 

The other day my neighbor called to ask if I could take her to the store because she didn’t have a car.  “Sure”.  I said.  We agreed on the day and time.

When she knocked on my door I was surprised to see that she had brought her mother, two sisters, three toddlers and a grandma with her.  I was more than a little surprised because she had not asked and at the very least I thought she would know I didn’t have car seats or sufficient room for all those people and myself in the car. 

I grabbed my purse and the car keys and we walked to the garage.  “Would you all please take off your shoes in my car?” I muttered as one of them opened the back door and the toddlers climbed in like monkeys and started jumping on the back seat. I gasped under my breath as one scrambled from the back to the front seat and I watched a dirty shoe make a deep mark on the fine leather my arm rest.  Someone muttered something about taking off shoes but they got in with shoes still on ignoring my request.

I walked around to the driver’s side to find my neighbor already sitting in my seat with her hand out.  “We have decided that I am going to drive since there isn’t room for everyone so you can stay here.”  She grabbed for the keys as I swiped them behind me.  “Oh,  no.  That is not happening!.”  I said.

The mother expressed her disgust and the rest chimed in.  They all got out of my car and stomped out the door and down my driveway.  “We will never ask you for a ride again!” One yelled over her shoulder. 

My stomach quivered and my hands shook.  My phone rang and I fished it out of my purse.  It was my husband.  I told him of my experience and he gently talked me out of my hysteria.  I actually felt bad like I had somehow caused this fiasco or at least could have seen it coming and been prepared.

Ridiculous, you say?  How presumptuous of them?  I actually don’t have a really expensive car but I do have a bridal shop full of about $250,000 worth of wedding dresses, formal gowns and other merchandise.  This is all my personal property and I  would be sued if a someone was hurt in my store.  I have seen a child pull mannequins and racks down in their quest for fun.

This scenario is played out in my bridal store about once a week.  A bride brings a crowd, often including small children who get bored easily and are allowed to wander or run uncontrolled through my store with little hands that want to touch everything.  They love to explore our back room and hide in our racks and the dress bags make nice swings.  We ask that our guests remove their shoes in our dressing and mirror area out of respect for our investment and also for the persons who will eventually buy the dresses that are being tried on today.  The “no shoes” area helps us keep the gowns clean as the delicate train trails behind to and from the dressing room.  We insist that we put the gowns on the bride because our people are trained to put the on and off with the smallest possible detriment to the gown while being very respectful of one’s modesty.  We ask that no food be consumed in our store but it is surprising how a sticky piece of candy is given to distract an active child.  That sucker in the hands of a child sitting on the lap of an adult can easily be hewn across the room to leave sticky residue on the skirt of an expensive gown.  One busy Saturday an adult guest actually opened a yogurt and spewed pink yogurt on the skirt of a bridesmaid dress.  At the least we have to pay to clean a gown but often the dress is ruined.

Shopping with several people results in several opinions and loads of confusion.  You value their opinion or you wouldn’t have invited them.  Even if they invited themselves they feel compelled to weigh in.  Often before you yourself have expressed your feelings about the gown you are presently wearing.  You thought you loved it but with that comment cousin Sally just made there must be something you aren’t seeing when in reality it has nothing to do with the dress.  She is only jealous and wants the spotlight.  You want everyone to love your dress as much as you do. Too many opinions often equal frustration and a wasted shopping trip. Demanding guests create imbalance with your consultant and she can’t serve you well.  Remember, this is your day and your dress. Just because someone has an opinion doesn’t mean their taste is better than yours. 

Back to the reason why we ask that you let us do our job and have requests that might be different from other places you have shopped.  The Gallery by Lynette has been a Utah institution for the past 35 years.  We rub shoulders with the biggest names in bridal and formal wear all the times. We tap their experience. Lynette knows the designers that we carry personally.  She designs for and knows the owners of some of the largest bridal boutiques in the country and she teaches our consultants not only how to show dresses but how to show you the very best dresses for your figure, your budget, your tastes and your venue.  Your friends and family love you and have your best interests at heart but they do not know our inventory or what we have available and if you come to our store with an uncooperative group, then  you won’t have the best experience possible.  We love our customers.  We do everything possible to make you happy but we do have reasons why we ask you to take off your shoes, let us dress the bride, and not bring too many people shopping with you and it is all to help make your experience better.

Maggie Sottero Geneva Modest

Of all the designers we have ever carried at The Gallery by Lynette, Maggie Sottero is by far the one we have most requests for.  The fabric is exquisite, Maggie has the best fit in the industry, the lace and beadwork is flawless and the designs unique and incredible.  But in Utah, we have so many bridal shoppers who need a more modest alternative.  Have you ever fallen in love with a strapless gown only to have to give it up because you need something more modest?  When you shop with us rest assured that if it can be done in fabric, we can make it happen.  No matter what.  If you change sizes, if you want a style change, anything.  Even if you fall in love with a strapless and need sleeves.  We can show you so many options and every temple fill that we do is designed uniquely and exclusively for you.

My mannequin and my bride are not shaped the same but since I recently completed this fill and since she is not yet married I wanted to show one of the possibilities.  Look at the Maggie Sottero picture of the Geneva at the top of this post and look at our modesty translation.  Also, the bride wanted a zipper back with buttons but didn't want to lose the fit with the corset so we moved the corset inside of the dress.  If your gown is a zipper back but you want the fit of a corset it is very simple to add one to your gown.  If you want access to every design change and alteration you must purchase from The Gallery by Lynette where we guarantee that you will not pay more for your genuine designer gown.

This gown fits flawlessly on our bride and we have converted this gown from a signature Maggie Sottero lace up back to a zipper with an internal lace up.  I'll post real pics as soon as they are available.

We would love to know what you think.  Be sure to follow our blog and make comments.
www.lynettes.com

see also
www.replicagowns.blogspot.com
www.maggiesottero.com