The Newest Bridal Stylist

Hello,

My name is Tanya Douglas, and I'm the newest stylist and bridal consultant here at Solutions Bridal. In joining the team, I bring a creative, designers' eye for style. I've recently graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Landscape Architecture. I've painted for almost 14 years, and have worked in creative environments with clients and diverse design teams.

Upon coming into the shop, I would like to take a few minutes to talk and get to know you, and also to find out more about the type of wedding you are planning. This allows me to be able to choose a dress for you that fits your personality - something that you will feel great in on your wedding day. I'm happy to suggest any design changes that we can make to "a dress" to make it "The Dress". You may want to change the neckline, or you may want to add more beading or take beading away, and you might even want to consider shortening a dress to a "tea length". Accessories can also change the entire look and feel of your wedding ensemble. A different veil, hair piece, sash, or shoes can alter the character of a dress to fit your personality perfectly. There are so many options!

My favorite dress in the shop right now is a dress by Anne Barge. It's my favorite because it's a wedding gown with pockets! the pockets are part of the folds in the skirt and are formed with how the fabric is cut. It is unique, and it would even look great hemmed as a "tea length".

You can learn more about me and review my design portfolio at tanyaldouglas.com. If you go directly to tanyaldouglas.com/About, you can view my bibliography and some of my favorite personal photos.

I look forward to meeting you and helping choose "The Dress" for you. Come and see me at Solutions Bridal Designer House.

Tanya

Solutions Love

We just received the sweetest email from our bride Allison! Check out her wedding pictures. The wedding took place at the Lake Mary Events center. Heather Ahrens photographed the silk McCaffrey gown and Black Jim Hjelm bridesmaid dresses. Thanks to Brittany with Tickled Pink Brides, the whole look came together perfectly on the wedding day.

Letter from our bride:

Solutions girls!,

I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you guys! I had such an amazing
experience at Solutions! Amy was my consultant and she was just amazing! She spent almost 4 hours with me as I tried on what felt like a thousand dresses and never made me feel rushed! She kept telling me "its just like falling in love... When you know you know" and she was right! Before she even had MY dress zipped up I was in tears and in love... I couldnt help but hug her since I felt like she had made my dress dreams come true :) My mother, mother in-law, one of my bridesmaids and I were all in tears as Amy poured champagne for our toast! It was exactly like I always dreamt it would be! I always looked forward to going into Solutions and seeing you girls, the new dresses and accessories and purchasing not only my dress but my veil, hair piece, jewelery, bridesmaids dresses and bridesmaids gifts! How could I have gone anywhere else after Amy and Tali made me feel so special every time I stepped foot through those doors!

Thank you so much for making my hunt for the perfect dress so PERFECT!
Allison Raudebaugh (Vandeberghe)

We just got news that Caroline Johnson Photography is in search for interns in the Orlando area. This is an exciting opportunity to spice up your resume and learn from the best. If you fit the descriptions below please contact Caroline@cjphotographer.com by January 5th.

Also, check out her blog to get a taste of the everyday life inside the Studio at www.lifewithcaroline.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST | aka Creative Media Genius | internship


The Social Media specialist who will crown the first ever the title of "Creative Media Genius" is set to start early January. Qualified candidates will currently be enrolled as either a Communication, Journalism, Marketing, Advertising, or in a Visual Media program. Throughout the term of the internship you will learn about how to creatively utilize Social Media to continue to leverage the studio as a leader in the wedding and couture portrait market. All the necessary tool for execution will be provided to maximize the experience. The Social Media Specialist will need to present a social media plan and work the plan over the four months with Caroline Johnson Photography. Possibility for a longterm paid position upon completion of internship.

CREATIVE DESIGN | aka The Less is More designer | internship

The Creative Designer will be guided through the entire graphic design process that photography requires. The ideal candidate will have experience with Mac platforms, have a strong foundation with Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and the aptitude to learn Aperature and Lightroom. Projects to work on will consist of in house promotional pieces, Newsletter Design, E-mail Blast Notifications to vendors and clients, Album Design. A close hands on approach will take place through Management to guide and ensure that your skills sets are enhanced by the experience. Interns must commit to a minimum of 20 hours a week over a 4 month term. Possibility for a longterm paid position upon completion of internship.

Come celebrate the Holidays at Solutions Bridal! The holidays are a great time to find your gown and bridesmaid dresses before the new year's rush. January is the busiest time in the bridal salons due to the overwhelming amount of clients that get engaged in December, but still want a May-July wedding. We are encouraging all of our clients get their orders in before the new year. Pop into one of our salons today. We are open 7 days a week with a personal consultant available to assist you.

Sneak Peak

The adorable Anne Barge tea-length wedding gown arrived today! Designers seek inspiration from all mediums. This particular dress is inspired by the famous painter Edgar Degas.

There will be some exciting things going on with this dress on Monday. Make sure to check back in!

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!

Real Wedding: Michelle & John Dill

Michelle and John are the ultimate Solutions Bridal couple! We helped with the gown, accessories, bridesmaid dresses and tuxedos. During all of this, we really got to know the couple. We even got to see Michelle the day after as she dropped off the tuxedos. (Note to wedding planners: please include this in your services)

Their photos just went up on Damon Tucci's blog!

Raving Reviews...

I just stumbled upon a loving review of our Solutions Bridal Orlando location. Check out what this friend of a bride-to-be had to say:

Saint Paul, MN
9/2/2009 I am not a bride, but the friend of a bride-to-be. We were headed to the Collection when we drove by Solutions Bridal (we are not originally from Orlando, so we were rather ignorant about the available bridal shops). After our scheduled appointment at Collection, we dropped by Solutions without an appointment. They invited us right in.

This shop is exactly what you picture a bridal shop to be. The floor is wide, and there is a large platform at one end of the store with several mirrors so the brides-to-be can see themselves in all their glory. The floor is very spacious, so it is easy to browse through the dresses. We were not very familiar with a lot of the designers, having focused on Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier (I know, I know), but we found an amazing selection of dresses we loved. It is not true that all the dresses are the Cinderella sort. Many are, but this is not my friend's taste, nor mine, and Solutions had plenty of options to satisfy someone who wants a more simple and tasteful look.

The salespeople were very helpful. I asked for champagne and promptly received it (it was only on my fourth glass that I started to suspect it was nonalcoholic). All of the sample dresses were in very good condition. They gave my friend a bustier and some heels to help with her trying-on. They even put up with me circling the store, rifling through the dresses, throwing back glass after glass of (unfortunately nonalcoholic) champagne, and giving out loud opinions on every dress my friend tried on (and several the other brides tried on as well).

In the end, we found the dress. My friend looked amazing. This bridal shop is like one you see in the movies--the atmosphere was just so perfect. It really was such an amazing shopping experience. My friend's total wedding dress shopping time: 4 hours, 13 minutes. And the dress turned out to be about 3 thou cheaper than the Vera Wang she had originally had her heart set on--can't get better than that!

I should mention that this is a boutique store with a small selection of designers, but this is exactly what a bridal shop should be.

Source

Badgley Mischka Trunk Show!

Starting tomorrow a very exciting in-store event is taking place. The Badgley Mischka Trunk Show! The dresses will be a mix of best sellers as well as their new line, plus you can take advantage of the 10% off discount throughout the weekend. Dresses range from 3500-15000 giving every Bride plenty of amazing styles to choose from. Shawne, one of Badgley Mischka's fashion experts, will also be joining the fun until Sunday. Charity De Meer, a local Orlando photographer will be taking photos on Saturday and Simone from Makeover Station will be offering free makeup trail! We will be kicking off this amazing trunk show with Mimosas to celebrate the weekend! We invite all Brides & Bridesmaids to join us for this special event.

Come Join The Team

The Winter Park salon is looking to add two new bridal consultants to the team! To be a bridal consultant you must be passionate about all things wedding and fashion. Our salon has won numerous awards for customer service. We constantly strive to be the most innovative team providing honest style advice to all of our brides. Wedding industry related or customer service experience is preferred, but not a requirement. We will teach you all the tricks to the trade anyways!

The hours are 25 per week, but will increase to 30-35 hours in January. At 25 hours you are considered full-time and all of the company benefits apply. Only serious applicants please. We are looking to hire someone that can be a part of the team for at least a year.

If you think you have what it takes, please send your resume to tali@solutionsbridal.com. No phone inquires will be accepted.

Real Wedding: That makes you want an Invite!

Recently, our lovely bride Kiimberly dropped off her Kenneth Pool wedding gown to get it cleaned for an additional photo shoot. We took a peek at the gown to see the wedding day damage. We can always tell how much fun a bride has by the look of her wedding gown. Let's just say, she got her moneys worth of fun! After seeing this bridal gown, we had to keep an eye on her photographers blog. The pictures are up. Take a look at the Vue Photography for a full display of Kimberly's big day. The pictures say just as much as the dress does. We are so fortunate to have this amazing couple as one of our clients. She fell in love with her fiance in elementary school. Their story is quiet unique and special. Thanks Kimberly for sharing it with us!

Tears of Joy Seamstress Services

Everyone here at Solutions Bridal of Winter Park loves our in-house seamstress Holly Smith! Holly has been altering dresses for 16 years & owns her own alterations business called, Tears of Joy. Holly started altering wedding dresses 7 years ago & has loved every minute of it! She has told us seeing the Bride happy with the final outcome of her dress is the best part of her job! She does fittings at Solutions Bridal Wednesdays and Sundays; however, will alter any other brides dress with special requests on any other day. Holly works with all types of fabrics & bead work. Holly's advice is to give her 6 weeks till the wedding & to have your weight stable! Holly's contact information is (407) 760-4886 www.tearsofjoy.com. Here are some photos of Holly with one of our Brides, Marie Cicerelle getting her alterations done! -Brittany E.

A brand new dress!

A new Kenneth Pool dress, the Botticelli arrived today at our Winter Park store & it is stunning! The dress is a silk satin/tulle, with silver beading and curved neckline. We have many Kenneth Pool dresses in store & all of them are remarkable! Kenneth Pool is Amsale Aberra's collection that emphasizes couture & dramatic details. The dress will be here in store until next Friday! Please feel free to make an appointment with us & take a look at this beautiful gown as well as many others!

Re-wearing your bridesmaid dress.

This past weekend I stumbled upon the style guide for bridesmaids. As every soon-to-be bride knows, picking out the perfect bridesmaid dress can be a stressful event. Questions arise rather or not the girls you've selected will be able to re-wear their bridesmaids dresses. We say go for it! In Style Weddings Summer 2009 issue gave some great hints on how to re-wear and turn your bridesmaid dress into a hot new look for a party or date, and with the right accessories for the office too! Some ideas to re-wear your bridesmaid dress to the office are to match it with a short sleeved cardigan, heels and fun accessories such as a plated necklace. Re-wearing your bridesmaid dress to a date or party is less of a challenge then you might think. Matching the dress with a vintage belt, clutch, and a unique cuff is the perfect look to a semi-formal night out. Hope these ideas are insightful & valuable! -Brittany E.

Real Brides Go Editorial

Image by Rivini Bridal

With many thanks to Abby Liga Photography and our Solutions Bridal Stylist, Alicia, our Rivini gown "Thirteen" was transformed. The concept of the shoot was to showcase how a bride should celebrate her marriage by having unique, fashion-forward images taken of her days before her wedding. As Abby mentioned on her blog, everyone is looking for something different. These shoots represent who the bride is. Sometimes the bride gets suckered into wearing sister's early 90's veil down the aisle or the blusher over the face for her father. These are all great wedding traditions that are hard to do without, but may not necessarily represents the bride's personal style. The Couture Dress Sessions by Abby Liga gives the bride a chance to experience what its like to be on an editorial shoot adorn with accessories she loves. As consultants we have seen the same dress look completely different on two different brides. The dress really does become the brides after all the accessories, hair, and make-up styles are selected.

A day at the Courtyard

This past Thursday afternoon at the Courtyard at Lake Lucerne an amazing photo shoot took place. Abby Liga an extremely talented photographer based out of Orlando shot the photos. Her unique & fresh taste brought the location to life. Abby has a true talent for capturing the right moments & emotions in her photos. Designer dresses from Solutions Bridal were provided for the shoot and looked stunning in the hints of outside lighting provided from the Courtyard. The beautiful veils, necklaces, earrings & broaches were provided by Paris. Also joining the fun was Simone from Makeover station, she used her unique skills to give our model the big gorgeous hair & beautiful bright eyes that sealed the deal for the perfect picture. -Brittany E.

Expert Styling

Last month we hosted the Rivini Fall Trunk Show featuring Rivini expert, Indira Rivera. A Trunk Show is a prime opportunity to find your dream dress. Most stores only carry around eight samples from a particular designer. During a trunk show the designer sends in the whole collection for the bride to view during her personal appointment. The designer expert works as your personal stylist to help complete your look for the big day. They know all the custom changes and tricks of the trade. It was such a pleasure having Indira in for the Rivini Trunk Show. After working for Vera Wang for years, she made the switch to Rivini. She takes great pride in the line and has provided us with additional insight on one of our exclusive lines.

Join us on October 9th-11th for the Anne Barge Trunk Show with expert Jennifer Weinburg. The event is taking place inside Solutions Bridal Winter Park. Jennifer worked with McCaffrey Haute Couture for several years before moving over to Anne Barge Bridal. We are excited for the opportunity to have Jennifer in. Please give us a call to make your personal bridal appointment.
407.647.8666

(Picture: Left to Right: Tali, Amy, Rivini Armane Gown, Molllye, Indira, Alicia)

Last Saturday Chad Pilster from Pilster Photography joined all of us here at Solutions Bridal for a night to remember! While helping Brides try on their wedding dresses and get ready for their special day, Chad Pilster shot some of the most amazing photographs that truly capture the magic of our event. The overwhelming sense of happiness and excitement filled the room as the girls tried on numerous gowns. Mr. Pilster captured their excitement with each individual shot. All of us at Solutions Bridal send out a big thank you to Pilster Photography for such an amazing experience. For any Florida Brides looking for a wonderful photographer to capture the true emotions of your wedding day, Pilster Photography is defiantly the way to go! -Brittany E.

An experience to remember

Last Saturday Abby Liga from Liga Photography and Amy Morelli from 2U Collection joined us here at Solutions Bridal for a wonderful day with mimosas, while brides tried on numerous designer dresses. Abby Liga shot complimentary dress documentation to all the girls that tried on a dress that day! The entire experience was wonderful and both talented girls graced us with their presence, making the event all the more special. Abby Liga's amazing photography from that night can be seen in the collage posted along with this blog! Amy Morelli's stationary collections are creative, unique and should be used for any upcoming events you might be having!

Munch Much: Rehearsal Dinner Hot Spot

Last week, the Winter Park staff had great pleasure of attending lunch with two special vendors at Park Plaza Gardens on Park Avenue. The event coordinator, J Michael, of Park Plaza Gardens feasted our eyes with a scrumptious custom menu for 4 of our consultants, Michele with Michele Butler Events, and Stephine with NuVision Photography. From an arrangement of fresh breads all the way to the final bite of my hot summer pleasing sorbet, we were in awe of everything J Michael and his crew prepared for us. As we mingled in great company with Michelle and Stephine I couldn't stop thinking about what a great venue this is for rehearsal dinner or an intimate wedding reception. It has such a natural elegance with subtle brick walls and indoor plants adorning the walkways. Make sure to check out this venue and meet with the creative J Michael himself.