Real Weddings: Courtney & Michael

It's only January, but I've already started receiving invitations and save the dates for this summer's weddings! Today's sunny featured real wedding gets me excited for the upcoming season. Just gotta get through winter first!

Courtney and Michael were married on a hot summer day last July in Huntsville, Alabama at the St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church, followed by a reception at the Huntsville Roundhouse. We loved Courtney's honesty when asked about the wedding preparations.

"I'm not going to lie - I really didn't enjoy much of the wedding planning process. It was pretty stressful and hard to plan a wedding in 6 months. We did have one part that we enjoyed - our marriage counseling homework. Each assignment was a day trip to a different location, allowing us to spend quality time. We were able to get away from the stress and enjoy each other and our engagement. All of the crazy wedding planning really paid off though. We had planned everything into such detail, and it translated to an amazingly calm and stress-free wedding day."

The bridesmaids wore mixed Alfred Sung dupioni fabric styles in the color Daisy. Courtney's friend from work shared that her 2 year-old daughter got upset at the wedding because she wanted "Belle" to hug her. She thought that the bridesmaids looked like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and she really wanted a hug from the princess!


Alfred Sung Style D446, D458, D443, D496, D446



Courtney and Michael spent a lot of effort to have their ceremony and reception reflect them and the season. They included some personal elements such as heirloom jewelry and using a record player at the reception since Michael is big vinyl collector. And since they were married at the height of the Southern summer, they used seasonal flowers for the bouquets, boutonnieres, and centerpieces. They also served lemonade, cold beer, and wine. Sounds like the perfect summer reception to me!

Courtney's favorite moment was between the ceremony and reception. She and Michael took a private limo ride from the church to the reception site. It was the first time they were alone on their wedding day. They took a nice long drive around downtown Huntsville, chatting and enjoying snacks and cold drinks in the air conditioned car.


Photographer: Trisha Brinkley

Congrats Courtney and Michael! Even though it wasn't easy, it's clear that you pulled off the perfect day and a bright start to your wonderful marriage together!

Real Weddings: Allison & Lee

Another beautiful outdoor setting for another beautiful wedding! Allison and Lee were married last summer at the Sardinia Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, followed by a tented reception at the Springfield Plantation in Kingstree, a 7,000 acre tree farm and wetland wildlife preserve with an antebellum mansion.





Allison says she is one of those girls who had been "planning my wedding my whole life, complete with folders on my computer full of pictures, and constant browsing of wedding blogs!" She loved putting her dreams into reality and seeing all the details come together.

The bridesmaids wore full-length Style D457 by Alfred Sung in Papaya. The dupioni fabric is perfect for catching the outdoor sunlight. We also love the matching necklaces! It's not often that we see bridal parties wear such striking jewelry, and it's a fun yet refined way to complete an elegant look.







Allison's favorite moment was their first dance. Lee and Allison met through their church choirs, so music has always been an important part of their relationship. A local singer/songwriter, Erich Skelton, played Allison's favorite song "Every Little Star", which he composed. It was the same song Lee had used for his proposal, so hearing it again as they danced as husband and wife brought everything full circle.



Congrats Allison and Lee! May life be a happy song as you build a marriage filled with love and joy.


Photographer: Sara Parker Photography

Real Weddings: Josie & Ben

We hope that everyone is having wonderful holiday season! To add to the mood of the Christmas spirit, today's real wedding photos feature a vibrant red-themed wedding.

Josie and Ben were married this past fall in Dubbo, Australia. The ceremony took place in St. Brigid’s Church and the reception in a more unconventional location, the Savannah Room at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo.


(c) Taronga Western Plains Zoo



The bridesmaids wore dupioni fabric mixed styles by Alfred Sung in the color Barcelona, which was the inspiration for the rest of Josie's wedding planning process.

"The bridesmaid dresses were the first piece that I found, the material and colour was perfect. I loved that the girls could have a dress that was unique to them, but that matched so well for photos on the day. I built the rest of the day around those dresses. We wanted a real classic country chic feeling so finding lots of flowers, and country/vintage type accents (like buttons and frames) was lovely!"


Styles D458, D447, D459, D446, D448

Josie's father passed away when she was in high school. Ben wore his riding boots to bring a part of him throughout the wedding. What a touching way to have him part of their special day. She also shared that her favorite parts of the wedding were the speeches and walking out after the ceremony to all the smiling faces of friends and family.



All of the flower arrangements in the reception were done by Josie's mom. She bought the flowers from the Brisbane Flower Markets in Queensland and then drove them all the way down to Dubbo and spent nine hours doing individual arrangements.

When asked for a funny or memorable moment, Josie told us that Ben forgot to pack clothes for the hotel stay after the wedding, so the next morning, he cooked breakfast for everyone on the barbecue grill in his full suit – cufflinks and all!


Photographer Credit: Clancy Job

Josie also shared some kind words about her experience with Joielle:

"Thank you again for making our bridesmaids so happy with great products and me so happy with your great service!! The girls had so many comments on their dresses and they love them - two of them have even worn them again to other events already!"



Congrats Josie and Ben and thank you for sharing your special day with us. May your lives be filled with goodness and joy. Best wishes in this coming new year!

Spring 2012 Styles Are Here!

The Spring 2012 styles have been released, just in time for you to browse through during your upcoming holiday break! Here are some highlights.

Kicking off with our most popular line, Alfred Sung continues to bring fun and fashion for your bridesmaids. New cuts such as high necklines, flirty backs, and sheath silhouettes give plenty of mix and match options, and last season's popular cap-sleeved v-neck is now also a scoopneck!


Lela Rose released a set of dresses made of a new fabric Glamour Satin. Soft and luxurious, the textured look is upscale and perfect evening cocktail attire long after the wedding is over. We especially like the draped cowl neck option.


Full-length gowns are also making a statement with lace and exquisite draping. We can see some of these dresses considered by stylish mothers of the bride or as a wedding gown in white or ivory.


And finally, let's not forget the Modest Bridesmaid line! We've added more styles that will be sure to please your girls.


Happy shopping!

Where have all the Chiffon colors gone?

As we gear up to release the Spring 2012 season dresses in just a few short days, there are also some changes to our existing products that we want our customers to be aware of.

Dessy Group announced that they will discontinue most colors in their Chiffon fabric line. This is not to be confused with Dessy's Lux Chiffon, which is a different fabric that they use for newer styles. Older Dessy Collection and After Six favorites such as 2804, 2802, 6575, and 6574 will now be offered only in the limited color palette reflected in the thumbnail images on our product pages.



However, if you were planning on ordering one of these dresses in a discontinued color, do not fear, it's not too late if you act fast! Dessy will continue to take orders until fabric runs out. We have provided links to their site so you can view current availability. As you can see below, most colors are still there! But orders are taken by a case by case basis, so please contact us directly with your request so we can get absolute confirmation from the designer.



It's also that time of year when our designers will be lengthening their production times to accommodate factory shutdowns for holidays in January and peak ordering season. Delays are taken into account in the delivery dropdown menu. Refer to our Shipping & Delivery page for details.

As always, feel free to contact us directly if you have any questions or concerns. We are happy to help!

Real Weddings: Sarah & Michael

All of the photos that we receive from our awesome brides make me smile, and today's featured real wedding hits a soft spot for me, combining home-made goodness and historical charm.

Sarah & Michael were married at the Musee Conti Historical Wax Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. Situated right in the French Quarter, the museum has exhibits depicting the history of the state. There were plenty of photo ops with the wax people and out in the sun-kissed streets.





Sarah's bridesmaids wore Dessy Collection Style 2808 in the color Oasis, a fun little satin number with a pencil skirt and ruffled bodice.



Using a color palette of turquoise, ivory and gold, Sarah DIY-ed all the flowers for the wedding using pages from Pride and Prejudice. As an English major, I was delighted with this small detail! The wedding favors, Mardi Gras beads with memento tags, were also handmade.





Towards the end of the wedding, the brass band played as they did a Second Line, a local tradition where the couple dances with umbrellas and everyone else follows behind.

"We live in New Orleans, but most people at the wedding came from out of town. Everyone said they had a great time, which we were super happy about because we believe we live in the best city in the world."





Congrats Sarah and Michael, what a great way to celebrate in your beloved city. We hope that the party continues in your wonderful life together!


Photographer Credit: Maile Lani Photography

Real Weddings Round-Up

Happy Friday! Today we kick of our real weddings round-up with one of our our favorite bloggers, A Practical Wedding's Meg Keene.

Meg wore Lela Rose's Style LR136 for a recent wedding and gave us the play by play of her Joielle shopping experience! We love that she highlighted the fact that so many styles can be easily re-worn as cocktail dresses.


Photo Credit: Rory Gordon Photo, Emily Takes Photos, A Practical Wedding

Next we found this fabulous outdoor wedding with bridesmaids in mixed Alfred Sung styles in Firecracker. The coral and teal combination is always a hit, and the wedding's intricate DIY elements are fun and beautiful.




Photo Credit: Colby Elizabeth, Style Me Pretty

Chiffon and the color gray are perennial favorites, both shown in this California wedding with a vintage and Spanish-style twist. The bridesmaids are wearing After Six Style 6610 in Charcoal Gray. The dress comes with optional straps which some girls took advantage of.


Photo Credit: Melissa Brandman, Style Me Pretty

Finally, a simply divine rustic wedding from Ontario with bridesmaids in Dessy's silk shantung Style 2816 in the color Surf Spray.





Couldn't resist including a shot of the bridesmaid rocking the pockets!


Photo Credit: Nikki Mills, Style Me Pretty Canada