grand opening event

The White Dress Grand Opening Event

Written by: Kristy

Even though it has been over a month since our Grand Opening Event, I am still floating around near Cloud 9 about it all – it was such a fab week!  And of course, I can’t keep that all in, so I must spill the beans to you…even if I am just sharing all the wonderful photos and vendors that helped make our event an event!

{Our front entrance dress that day!  By Lis Simon.}

It started off with a bang – on Saturday, January 14th – with a full line up of bridal and bridesmaid appointments.  And on top of that, we had lots of people walking through to check out the shop for our big grand opening weekend.  If you happened to come by that day (thanks!!) you probably noticed our shop was transformed a little bit.  We had a lovely dessert table in our front nook that had some amazing cupcakes and cake pops from the Wedding Cake Art and Design Center.  These were paired with some oh-so-adorable wedding dress cookies provided by Great Cakes.  With these two amazing vendors, our front pedestal table besides being decked out in yumminess, also reminded me of all those beautiful cake and dessert displays in wedding blog land.

{Mmmmm.  Deliciousness.  I might have ate about 5 too many cake pops that day…}

A few short steps away, we had some beautiful wedding art on display – large canvas framed photographs taken by ignited Photography!  Goodness, we were so lucky to have both Kevin and Heather (of ignited Photography, of course) at the shop all day to chat with our brides.  Plus, it allowed the TWD team some eye candy to look at all day long.  (Ok, ok…we know that the wedding dresses should be enough, but we LOVE all aspects of weddings, so it was neat to see something else that is so common in a bride’s world.)  And of course, Kevin and Heather were around all day and night to snap some photos to document this event – which is exactly what you are seeing here, so a big HUGE thanks to both of them!  (And, by the way, Kevin and Heather are such wonderful people – and just so happen to be the perfect kind of people that you would want to hang out with, and entrust with your wedding photography.  And of course, their work speaks for themselves…it is truly beautiful.)

And just around the corner from that, we had a beautiful table display in the center of our jewelry area, decorated by the amazing Colleen of Bella I’venti Events.

{So pretty, no?}

She had set up a sample reception table display that was, in a word, enchanting!  I won’t even attempt to describe it since I know it wouldn’t do it justice.  Plus, photos are worth a thousand words…so here are some photos to show you exactly how awesome it was.

 {We loved the pink and gray here – it totally reflected our shop!}

{A close up of the hanging decor.}

And, just outside the shop, one of my favorite parts of the entire day – a pink Hummer limousine!!  Perfection Limousine provided an amazingly girly limo to let everyone know that we were celebrating!  It was pretty neat.  And we even got a sneak peek of the inside before the evening was over.  And just so you know, the inside was just as awesome on the inside as the outside!  (I really need to get invited to a bachelorette party that partakes in partying in a hot pink hummer limo.  Just sayin’.)

{In all its pink glory.}

{Another shot of this beaut.}

{Ok, ok, just one last shot.  I love it!}

Overall, it was a bustling and fun day at The White Dress!

And then…it turned into a hopping and elegant evening!  After our last appointment, we transformed the shop (and by “we” I mean, Colleen of Bella I’venti!) to prepare it for our Private Cocktail Party!  After removing all the jewelry shelves and veil racks and rolling them out of the way, we had room for some high top cocktail tables which were paired with some glorious candlelight to really set the mood.

 {The party begins.  And isn’t it pretty?}

{I love these large vases.  Elegant, simple, classy.}

 {A cocktail table decorated in a very Kristy-like style…with a bow!}

{The fabulous pillars of flowers and candles – these were at our front desk.}

Rachel and Lauren from Whispering Pines Golf Club also came by to set up and man (woman?) a food and cocktail table…and that is precisely when the yummy smells started wafting through the shop!  (Wow, the food was SOOO good!  If you have 5-star quality food as a must-have for your wedding reception, you absolutely must check out Whispering Pines!)

And right near our food and cocktail table, we had our dessert table.  Added to the cupcake, cake pop and cookie display mentioned earlier, we also had another vendor provide desserts for our guests, Chef Cathy of Supper Made Simple.  Mmmm.  All the guests raved about all the food from the party.  It. Was. Delish.

 {A shot of the business cards representing the different dessert vendors.  And if you look closely, check out the detail on the wedding dress cookies in the lower right hand corner.  Superb job, Great Cakes.}

 {A delicious display thanks to Whispering Pines.}

 {The food in action.}

 {Fruit kabobs from Supper Made Simple.}

{Desserts, desserts, and more desserts!  Can anyone tell that I have a sweet tooth?}

The guests started arriving in the early evening, and the mood turned to party with each guest’s arrival!  There was a great turnout – friends, family, community members, and local business owners.  I feel so blessed to have had the support from all.

 {Here I am greeting and chatting with TWD guests.}

 {Hugging my graphic designer!}

 {Chatting with Larry and Betty of Baran Video Productions.}

 {Chatting with some family that came for the special event!}

 {Here are some local celebs and supportive local business owners, Mark and Barb Binkley of Cooper & Binkley Jewelers and Rick and Lori Bourbonais of Brighton Tux Shop.}

 {Checking out the snazzy sweater my nephew was wearing for the event!}

 {More friends and family – you may recognize Alek here – a TWD bridal style expert sporting a fab pink and black flower fascinator.}

{A peek of the action through the dresses.}

And before I knew it, the night was over.  Some of my closest friends and family were remaining and I remember thinking how I couldn’t believe that I had just celebrated a successful first month of The White Dress being open, and that I was standing amongst my favorite dresses (the wedding kind!), and somehow, someway, we made this little dream of mine a reality.

I am pretty sure I had a perma-smile on my face all day and night.  (It might still be there right now.)

{All lit up at night!}

And now, my closing thank yous:

  • Thanks again to all the vendors who made this so special: Bella I’venti, Great Cakes, ignited Photography, Perfection Limousine, Supper Made Simple, Wedding Cake Art and Design Center, and Whispering Pines Golf Club.  (Please check out their work and link to their websites above!!)
  • Thanks to all who came to enjoy the celebratory cocktail party – family, friends, and community members.  It meant so much to me that you took time to attend!
  • And though they are included above, I wanted to give one big huge shout-out and thank you to ignited Photography again for documenting this very important TWD event!  (Kevin and Heather – we love you!!)
  • Thank you to all brides who shopped and found their perfect dress that day!  (We love TWD brides!)
  •  And thanks to you for sharing in this with me!

  Chat soon!