Breaking News!!

We are so pleased to hear that JLM Couture just announced Lazaro as the new head designer of the Tara Keeley Collection! The company said that Perez Lazaro will still continue his duties as head designer of the upscale Lazaro collection while also designing for the company's mid-priced gown collection, Tara Keeley. Lazaro, pictured below, says that he is enthusiastic about the opportunity!
Although we don't currently carry Tara Keeley here at the Gainesville store, we are looking forward to market this upcoming Fall to see what the new collection has to offer!!

Cakes Created with YOU in mind!

Solutions Bridal was so fortunate to have KB's Kake Kreations Gainesville store yesterday! Our brides (and consultants!) indulged in delicious truffles of many flavors. From the decadent "Wedding White" truffle to the Creamy Chocolate Peanut Butter, KB's Kake Kreations is sure to have just what you are looking for on your special day!

We had a few minutes to sit down and chat with Kathy and ask her a few questions about how she got started in the biz.

It all started when Kathy made a cake for her daughter's wedding. She received so many compliments on her creation that she decided to make her talent into a business. 7 years later, KB's Kake Kreations is producing one-of-a-kind cakes and truffles and was the 2008 and 2009 Pick for The Knot Best of Weddings.

Kathy says her favorite thing to make is her famous truffles and her favorite flavor to eat is the espresso truffle. The espresso truffle flavor has been said to taste like "the most expensive coffee in the world."

KB's Kake Kreations lives up to their promise when they say they create cakes with YOU in mind. Kathy once created a 5-tier Vegan cake for a Bat Mitzvah that is still talked about amongst local event vendors.

For more information, check out the KB's Kake Kreation website!

Attention SB Brides!

We are in the process of compiling a scrapbook to display at the Florida Bridal Expo January 31, 2010 and we need your help! We want you to share your Solutions experience with all of our future brides. Any stories, wedding advice, or pictures from your wedding day would be greatly appreciated! You can mail your message to 6450 SW Archer Rd., Suite 230, Gainesville, FL 32608 or e-mail us at solutionsbridal@gmail.com. As a special thank you for your help you will receive $25 toward any accessory or gown cleaning/preservation!


Photo courtesy of Footstone Photography

Guide to Style

The cover of Bridal Guide features one of the several new pieces from the Lori London Spring collection. With flowers being the hottest trend, its no surprise Lori London was picked the designer for this fashion shoot. Both Solutions Bridal carry the Lori London line and will be hosting a Spring Trunk Show. Make sure to call your local SB to schedule an appointment to try on this flower piece and many others!

Wedding Chicks Feature

Check us out on Wedding Chicks! The Twilight photo shoot was snagged for feature on this couture bride-loving blog.

Vendors We Love: Posh Pastry!

It all started with a birthday cake...

Another vendor we absolutely love in the Gainesville area is Kristy from Posh Pastry! We recently got to spend time with Kristy when she participated in Denim & Diamonds Bridesmaid night at Solutions Bridal. Kristy wowed our brides and bridesmaids with DELICIOUS chocolate covered pretzels and DECADENT chocolate cake samples. We asked Kristy a few questions about Posh Pastry and how she got started in the biz.


"I wanted to make a cake for my son's first birthday, so I went to Michael's and took the cake decorating classes. I made his cake and it was a big success. Everything grew from that one little cake. I made more and more cakes for friends and family, learning lots along the way. I took all the classes that I could find, even attending professional classes at a pastry school. I was asked to make a very large alligator cake for UF and that's when Posh Pastry was born.
We built my cake studio, registered my business and got it licensed the week before the cake was due."

Posh Pastry offers the bride much more than a traditional wedding cake.

"I offer a new, fresh, approach to wedding cakes. Posh Pastry doesn't make
your grandma's style cakes. I specialize in modern cakes with a clean
contemporary edge. Each cake is completely custom designed just for the
bride and groom. We can do almost anything with cake. I've never said, 'I
don't think I can do that' and that has led to some pretty cool cakes! Our
sculpted cakes really set us apart from the rest. I've made a six foot
alligator, a life size guitar, a Porsche, and even a bag of Twizzlers!"

Posh Pastry also offers custom designed gourmet chocolate pretzels. They are
hand dipped and custom decorated to fit any color scheme, so they make great
favors. They look beautiful and taste amazing!!

Vendors We Love: Celebrations Catering

Continuing on our Featured Vendor Tradition, we have chosen Celebrations Catering as one of our favorite local vendors! We asked Leah Sherer, owner of Celebrations Catering a few questions about the biz and how she got her start in catering.

Leah got her start in catering after she left her teaching job to do something that allowed her to be more creative and aggressive. “The school system didn't fit my need to constantly grow and change”, says Leah. After trying a few part time jobs, a lunch delivery business was the end product. Leah claims, “It grew fast and all catering, not just corporate, became my gig.”

Celebrations Catering specializes in excellent customer service, not just food. "We add anything and everything to our agenda, our inventory, our menu as it’s needed, cause we never say no! We take it all on and make every event different from the last, no boring repeat stuff, no predictable stuff, lots of new, fun stuff.”

Leah shared with us that her favorite dish to eat is always an Asian, fun, and creative dish of any type or any other authentic ethnic food from any region. She also confessed that she wasn't so hot on American food unless it's true southern old school.

"Celebrations Catering can cook anything from Persian Smoked Sea Bass to mini cachapa pancakes from South America, to regular ol' lasagna if that is what the customer wants."

What can Celebrations Catering offer brides and grooms that will make their wedding day more special? "Attention to detail at an entirely new level! Putting the whole event into one big picture, bringing the entire day together, making sure everything gets coordinated to a perfect fit. We don’t just bring the food and feed the peeps, we do anything and everything I mentioned earlier…chairs, linens, flower arrangements, hang lanterns, create drink menus, design food name cards with perfection to match the theme, it goes on…"

Celebrations is opening their new catering hall Villa East on October 1st.

Visit Celebrations Catering website for more info.

The

Blushing Bride

Tanks have arrived!

If you are looking for something to make your special day more memorable or to simply make a statement, this must-have wedding accessory is for you! The Blushing Bride racerback tank is made from a stretch-cotton fabric and is available in sizes S-XL. The Blushing Bride graphic was made by our friends at Unique Designs.

Visit your local salon to try on!

Get Married In Style

Lifetime's "Get Married" hosted by Colin Cowie and Deanna Pappas will feature some of Solutions Bridal picks on August 19, 2009 at 7:30am ET. The featured gowns will come from Lazaro, Tara Keely, and Jim Hjelm gowns. Make sure to tune in to see all of Colin's picks.

Upcoming Events with Lazaro and Jim Hjelm:

On August 27th-September 6th, the Winter Park location will be hosting a Lazaro Bridesmaid Trunk Show. Come be the first to see the new Fall 2009 collection and take advantage of the designer discount provided.

Also, the Gainesville location purchased the new Jim Hjelm Bridesmaid collection. Make sure to attend the Florida Bridal Expo on September 13th at the UF Hilton. All the consultants will be wearing the new line.

*The picture above is our brand new stock piece from Lazaro Bridal! Make sure to come in and try it on, I did! *

Real Wedding: An Intimate Affair

Take a look at these. Our stylish and fun-loving bride, Stephaine Stinson, tied the knot this summer during her intimate nuptials and dinner party reception. One our Winter Park vendors, Abby Liga, was there to capture every tear and laugh. Stephanie was a bridesmaid of ours before she was a bride. She was in Ashley Posers wedding in November. Right after she walked down her friends aisle she was in the store searching her new gown... wedding gown this time. Stephaine was one of those brides, that know what she likes and wants. From the very beginning, she knew she wanted Abby Liga to photograph her wedding. She was so at ease with everything else knowing she had the right photographer to make sure she had the right photos to look back on from years to come. Next step, was the gown. Stephanie has style to match her personality. She opt for a sophisticated, elegant gown from Mikaella. Not wanting the typical, strapless ballgown, this dress had it all. With a clean line v-neck, low back to swoon her new husband, and a side bow to make her portraits have a wow factor. It was such a pleasure working with Stephaine on all of her accessories and mother's gowns. Check out more pictures at Abby Liga's Blog!

Presenting ... Mrs. Poirier

Mrs. Kaitlin Poirier tied the knot on May 31, 2009! I just received the sweetest email with pictures today. I met Kaitlin back in August 2008. She is one of our several Tallahassee clients. When she first called me to make her appointment she sounded really distressed. She had been searching for months and started feeling overwhelmed and confused. I assured her we had the dress for her. Still unsure, she decided to make to drive down to our Gainesville salon. To her disbelief, one of the very first dresses she put on ended up being the one! She was between two and just couldn't decide. I modeled the "2nd favorite" while she stood next to me in the other dress. At that moment, she said the words she never imagined would come out of her mouth.. "I found my dress." The one she was in, was the one! The one she would wear down the aisle 10 months later. Take a look at the dress that finally made the cut!

Real Wedding: Mrs. Tracey Berrios

In June 2008, I met newly engaged Tracey Thomson for the first time. Through out this past year I have had a blast helping all of her creative ideas become a reality. I even had the great pleasure of getting to know her now husband, Matt. He was a really involved fiance. Every time Tracey came in, Matt was right by her side to help with the details. We are all so ecstatic to see their wedding turn out beautifully. They are such an amazing couple that are truly in love.



Wedding Planner: Melissa,Masterpiece Weddings
Florist: Betsy Gardener, The Plant Shoppe
Cake Designer: Kristy, Posh Pastry
Gown: Marisa, Solutions Bridal
Bridesmaids: Watters, Solutions Bridal
Photography: Lindsey, Pure By Lindsey

Bios to Share Thanks to Powers Photography

Solutions Bridal had its own private Photog session with Stewart from Powers Photography! Some of us were a little shy until Stewart opened us up to the camera (note: he always uses humor to do that ;). We had our portraits taken so we could create mini bios on the website which will soon be airing soon. The Gainesville salon has several fantastic new members and we thought it would be a great way to introduce them and get their faces out there. Finally, our brides will learn a little something about us including some of the greatest tidbits in the bridal industry. Make sure to keep a look out for your consultants bio.


Marissa:

Lauren:

Kari:

Jennifer:

Britt:

Tali:

Thank You Powers Photography to graciously partnering with us again!

The Last Daughter is Married

On Saturday, Becca's mother dropped off her wedding gown to get preserved. It was one of those bitter sweet moments. Over four years ago when I started working for Solutions Bridal, I met the Warners as they were finishing up their first daughter's wedding. Last year, when the second daughter, Becca, got engaged I helped her find her wedding gown. She picked one of my favorites, an Alvina Valenta with a rouged waist and mermaid shape adorn with French Alencon lace. She also purchased her bridesmaid and MOB dress with us. It was fun helping her create the whole wedding look and seeing the results as her photographer shared the images on her blog. Her wedding was in April 2009. When her mother dropped off the gown for preservation it was a little sad. I told her to make sure to adopt a third daughter so I could help her with the wedding. She laughed and gave me a good hug goodbye.

Becca's wedding is a great example of using a bridesmaid dresses as a base color and popping with fresh flowers. She selected a soft pewter color that would contrast with the natural greenery outside as well as green and white bouqets. Very classy and timeless.

Bold Colors in Real Wedding

Congrats to Mrs. Gretchen Kostedt! On April 25, 2009 our fabulous jewelry designer walked down a sandy aisle in Destin, FL. Her sister was married last year and purchased a Marisa gown with us. When it was Gretchen's turn to find the dress we knew we had to go with a little more bling. She designs custom jewelry for our salon so we had to take the gown a step up and incorporate rhinestones and crystals that she is use to working with on a daily basis. Her wedding colors were Red and Turquoise. Most of our beach brides tend to pick light shades of green and blue, but the bold colors against the light sand and ocean really pop in the photos. Enjoy life as a newly wed Gretchen!

Green in Spring: Real Wedding

Maggie Kellog is married! We had a blast working with this big-hearted bride. Take a look at this real wedding and get inspired. She incorporated green and pink details to give a fresh, spring look. Her gown was one of the first few she tried one while shopping in the Gainesville store with her mother this past Fall. She selected a modern, silk taffeta gown that was beautifully showcased with a French Alencon lace veil. Best Wishes Maggie!

Gown: Marisa Bridal

Silk HairFlower: Lori London Millinery

Veil: McCaffrey Haute Couture

Photography: Vue Photography

Stylist Being Shabby

Recognize any familiar faces? Posing in the photo is the full Gainesville Solutions Bridal Staff including the owner, Newell Fox. Hopefully, there won't be any consequences for posting this picture of him. shhh....

Every year we have a party just to celebrate having fantastic clients and industry friends. This year, we wanted to make sure the party was a time remembered. We decided a theme was going to be the best way to do it! A couple of years ago I had a bride throw a party were all of her friends wore their bridal gowns and bridesmaids. They wanted one more reason to wear the dress again.With this idea in mind, as a team we came up with the Something Shabby idea. Based off the old "Something blue, something OLD" saying. Our clients are always concerned if they will be able to wear their bridesmaid dresses again. This party gave them a reason to. The party was a huge success and we hope to make it into an annual celebration. And of course we look forward to seeing our boss in a full green seersucker suit again.

Thanks to the following vendors for adding their special touches to the evening:

Celebrations Catering: for splendid appetizers that always expand our palate

Unique Designs: for your creative minds, inspiration, and couture invitations

Solutions Entertainment: for making it into a true party

Party Time Rentals: for transforming our salon into a lounge for the evening

PhotoBooth: for making into an even more humorous night