Spring Bridal Events!

Brides, if you’re planning a wedding and you’re on the hunt for wedding professionals to help assist in making your dream day perfect, don’t miss our schedule of April Luxury Bridal Events.

Sunday, April 12th at the Marriott Chicago Northwest in Hoffman Estates

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Sunday, April 19th at the Doubletree by Hilton Oakbrook

Welcome to the DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago- Oak Brook Hotel

Sunday, April 26th at Georgio’s Banquets in Orland Park

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Not only will you have the opportunity to book appointments with our exhibitors, but you’ll also have the chance to see the top designers in bridal and bridesmaids on our gorgeous runway! Names like Ines Di Santo, Lazaro, Liancarlo, Mira Zwillinger, Inbal Dror, Edgardo Bonilla, Yaki Ravid, Johanna Johnson, Hayley Paige, Alvina Valenta, Matthew Christopher, Tara Keely, Sophia Tolli, David Tutera, James Clifford, and bridesmaids by Alvina Valenta, Jim Hjelm Occasions and Noir by Lazaro.

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{photo above courtesy Just Love Me Photography + Design}

To order your four complimentary tickets to any of the events mentioned above, visit our website at: www.BridalExpoTickets.com and use the Promo Code, FB-Spring! We look forward to seeing you and to helping you assist in your wedding planning!

Jim Verraros for Bridal Expo Chicago + Milwaukee Luxury Events

 

Fashion at The 2014 Grammy Awards

Although the Grammys are best known for Music’s A-Listers taking huge fashion risks on the red carpet, this year, the fashion seemed streamlined, calculated and polished.

Taylor Swift always knocks it out of the park on the red carpet as she looked statuesque wearing a stunning chain link Gucci gown paired with Jimmy Choo shoes. Her stylist, Joseph Cassell has been flawless with carefully selecting statement pieces for Taylor, from designers like Carolina Herrera, Elie Saab and Donna Karan Atelier.

TaylorSwiftxAnother fashion high note was John Legend’s wife, Chrissy Teigen in a gold hand beaded Johanna Johnson couture gown. Fit to perfection, this look on Chrissy was breathtaking. Designer Johanna Johnson, best known for dressing stars like Minnie Driver, Julie Bowen and Christina Hendricks also dressed one of music’s elite, P!nk in a gorgeous red charmeuse paneled gown.

JohannaJohnsonxR&B Superstar Ciara went through multiple fittings in Milan and Los Angeles to get her long sleeved beaded Emilio Pucci just right; and it paid off. The newly pregnant star looked gorgeous with her soft up-do pulled back and minimal makeup.

CiaraxBeyonce Knowles was a knockout in her Michael Costello Couture gown. Some compared this look to Jennifer Lopez wearing Zuhair Murad at a prior red carpet event, but we think Beyonce looked incredible with this white lace and nude patterned ensemble.

BeyoncexWe rarely see Madonna on the red carpet and always have high hopes for her,  but this was a fashion miss with this Ralph Lauren suit.  It came off costumey and the cane didn’t help her major fashion faux-pas.

Madonnax We’ll be curious to know what the Giuliana Rancic, Joan Rivers, Kelly Osbourne and George Kotsiopoulos on E!’s Fashion Police say tonight, and if they agree with us on our pics for Best Dressed at The Grammys!  At Bridal Expo Chicago Luxury, we’re always inspired by fashion as trends always have influence in the world of bridal.     -Jim Verraros for Bridal Expo Chicago Luxury Shows

{Photos courtesy Huffington Post}

Sequins 101

I remember the 80’s very well. The decade of decadence, the opulent era, the big sleeves, even bigger shoulder pads and  hair! Although an 80’s revival period is unlikely to occur I have noticed in the past few months that a plethora of super-sparkly gowns have re-emerged to create the illusion of a Miss America pageant at red carpet events.

To start things off, the term for a gown covered in sequins is ‘sequined’ not ‘sequenced’. If you can’t spell it or pronounce it, don’t wear it. Sequins are small shiny disks with a hole in the center for purposes of attaching them to fabric. They come in a million varieties of color, shape, size and hole placement and any one of those can cause them to look like glittering diamonds…oooooh! If not worn properly, they can add size and dimension to an otherwise adorable figure.

Take Amy Poehler at the Emmys… please. Although her gown was smooth and seemed to be a good choice on the hanger, she didn’t seem to understand the physics of reflecting light and the affect it has on your post-baby body.  That same gown in silk crepe would have been stunning, maybe with a bra and a long delicate diamond necklace to pull your eyes downward… and one size bigger.

Or how about Juie Bowen in this Oscar de la Renta gown? To me, this sequined print fabric is matronly and confusing. This gown would have been better in layers of silk chiffon of any color and would have transformed her into a femme fatale.

Although not sequined, Jane Krakowski’s J. Mendel gown was  pure Alexis Carrington, minus the two sizes too small corset. If this gown had been made of any natural fiber or any other fabric than space foil, she would have been a knockout. But the super shiny fabric seems to accentuate some over-zealous  darts.  I only mention this gown because it is apparently made of some sort of lame`, which was also big in the 80’s.

Last but never least –  everyone’s  favorite secretary and voluptuous beauty, Christina Hendricks wore a sequined, bedazzled Johanna Johnson gown so close to her own skin color that she appeared to be nothing but red hair and lips….. and huge boobs. This gown was either borrowed from the Miss Universe wardrobe department or from the set of Titanic. Either way, the overbedazzled fabric is not right for this gown. If this were made of silk charmeuse we could see that the asymmetrical seams are a perfect fit for her curvaceous physique.

Are sequins back? If so, when is too much just…. too much? And remember, just because you have a sparkly gown doesn’t mean you don’t have to wear jewelry!

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago