Mr. Lazaro, you make nice dresses.

After attending my sister-in-law's lovely bridal shower today and having conversations about wedding dress... well I now have wedding dresses on the brain :)

SO I have decided to feature one of my favourite bridal designers that I wasn't able to afford for my own wedding.....

but a girl can dream, right!?

That designer is the great 

LAZARO

"Lazaro blends ultra-glamorous vintage details, stunning floral embellishments and signature hand-beading and embroidery in his latest collection. Lazaro's hallmark craftsmanship, combined with sumptuous fabrics and perfectly cut silhouettes, give every gown an haute couture feel."

This quote is how the Lazaro website describes his dresses...and I think it's pretty darn accurate.

The next few dresses are from his Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 collections.

I am completely in love with the above dress!

It is an excellent combination of tulle and fluffy whimsy with a touch of romance in adding the lace detailing and bow.

I am also a BIG fan of this (above) dress as well.

I love the sexy bustier looking top paired with the soft layering of fabrics in the skirt.

This dress reminds me of some Vera Wang dresses...which is great because she is another of the bridal designers that have won over my heart.

AND I couldn't resist featuring some of their tried and true dresses from their bestsellers collection.

I love the antique look of this (above) dress.

So feminine. 

I LOVE this dress...with it's pink details and flower feature with tulle on the back.  I love how different and unexpected it is.  

Who would have thought that pink in a wedding dress could be so fabulous?!?!?

PLEASE click on this photo (or any of the others) to see them larger so you can really take in all of the amazing details from these dresses!

Because as far as LAZARO (and I) are concerned,

Its all in the details.

::::::::***BHLDN***:::::::: Where were you when I was getting married???

So I stumbled across this amazing bridal company called

BHLDN 
(Behold)

Everything on their site is dripping with
Vintage Inspired Whimsy

So, of course, it's right up my alley.

They have just recently launched and they 

seem to be getting a lot of attention.

Well deserved attention!... in my opinion.

IN LOVE with the dress on the LEFT.

They definitely don't make your typical wedding dress.

But they are PERFECT for the "modern vintage" bride

who wants a dress that is unique and romantic 

with a vintage flare that still feels modern.

I realize that claiming there is such thing as a 

"modern vintage" bride is a little bit of an oxymoron.

BUT

That aesthetic was exactly what I was wanted 

when looking for my own wedding dress.

AND
It was surprisingly difficult to find.

This is my favourite long dress.

I actually purchased a dress... then second guessed myself.

A LOT of confusion and drama ensued.

Then I ended up getting a second dress.

Everything luckily worked out in my favour, 

(meaning I didn't have to pay for two wedding dresses)

and I am sooo glad I ended up changing my first dress.

From what I hear this situation happens quite frequently.

After going through the whole wedding dress shopping 

process, I can say it was harder than I thought it would be.

It was a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, but

 It. Was. Hard.

You have all of these preconceived ideas of 

what you think you want your dress to look like,

what you expect everyones reactions to be,

and even what you think your reaction will be.

Then you start shopping and you realize that:

maybe the style that you really liked is 

not flattering on your body type,

that everyone has different taste than you,

and that you are emotional for completely 

different reasons than you thought you would be...

I found it really easy to get swept up in what everybody else thought.

I found it really easy to think: 

"WOW everybody will love this dress!"

instead of

"WOW I love this dress.  It is perfect for ME."

THIS was the dress I ended up going with.

I LOVE IT.

It's hard to see all the details from my photog's pics 

because of the white being a little over-exposed.

(You can see Pronovias' pics here)

It has a vintage (50s) feel while keeping modern.

Up until I found it, 

I hadn't really seen another wedding dress similar to it.

It is light and whimsical and fluffy!

AND I had thought that I wanted a 

mermaid dress with beading and lace...

Everyone kept on telling me how much I looked like 

GRACE KELLY.

Um...yep, I'll take that.  Huge Compliment!

ANYWAYS.... Back to BHLDN!

They have formal dresses too!

They have done an amazing job of offering everything you need to outfit yourself and even your bridesmaids' while maintaining a common theme.

They really have set themselves apart from the typical Bridal Company.

AND you don't need to be a bride to want to buy most of their stock!

The shrug on the left is RIDICULOUS.

I would have bought that to go with my dress.

Left is a lovely belt and the right is a gorgeous necklace.

They also offer gloves, hair "adornments" and purses.

I can't say enough good thing about BHLDN.

Their website in itself is just impressive.

LOVE the design and LOVE the photography.

Check them out by clicking on their name at the top of this post.

(on a side not, if you're an Ottawa and surrounding area Bride, I had an amazing experience buying my wedding dress at Juliannah's Bridal in Moose Creak!)

Enchanted Wedding Inspiration.

SO as it goes, my posts seem to be a

 continuation of each other lately.

When searching for beautiful Vera Wang dresses I came across 

this wedding inspiration board based around one of the Vera Wang dresses that I featured in the previous post.

sheandheplanweddings

AND of course I couldn't resist continuing the fairy theme that this blog seems to be having as of late.

wedpress

When I was searching for ideas for my own wedding decor, I was very inspired by the enchanted forest theme.

weddingbycolor

I didn't take it to the extreme or anything BUT there was a definite subtle theme.

lovelyandgracious

My colours were light grassy greens and dark tealy blues much like the next picture.

The venue for the Ceremony was outdoors agains a
 wooded backdrop.

The Reception was inside of a gorgeous
Log Cabin like building.

The centrepieces were willow branches and orchids with
little fairy lights and butterflies.

stylemepretty

It was all very beautiful.....*sigh*

wishpot

If I could choose a theme or decor inspiration again,
I would pick the same.

NO DOUBT IN MY MIND.