sample wedding gowns for sale

TWD’s First Fashion Show!

Written by: Kristy

As I slowly wake up this morning (without an alarm clock, yay!) I think all the excitement from yesterday is starting to hit me!  Yesterday was a busy and exhausting, but oh so fun day!  For those of you that don’t know, The White Dress was part of the vendor team at the Here Come The Brides bridal show that took place at Brighton High School yesterday.  And better yet, we had our very first fashion show!  (I still can’t believe that happened; who would have ever thought I would be putting on a fashion show?  This was a dream in motion people!)

So what was our day like yesterday?  Well, I am glad you asked!

It started nice and early as we had to make it to the shop by 8:30 am to gather the nearly 50 wedding dresses and sample wedding gowns for sale, we were bringing to the show, along with all the jewelry and headpieces, dress forms, supplies and other items for The White Dress booth.  It was quite an effort put forth by my team of helpers – my mother and sister-in-law, my two friends, and my mother and myself.  But we worked it out in about 45 minutes and headed to the high school by 9:30 am.  (Thanks girls!!!)

Then, we unloaded our three cars and began organizing!  (And for those of you who don’t know me, organizing should probably be my middle name….I have always been that way…I remember organizing my older brother’s cassette tape collection as a kid!  I digress…)  Amidst all the organization and set up, my models began to arrive!  Hair and makeup was scheduled to begin at 10 am and slowly, one by one, they began to transform!  The gals at Sncroniz Salon made all of them look fashion-show ready!  Thanks ladies!

{Lindsey, getting beautified by a makeup artist from Sncroniz Salon.  Also, is that just fuzzy photo work or an action shot…hmmm…}

{Sandra getting her hair did…um, done.}

{Abby looking excited for her big debut as a model!}

{Kimmy goes from straight to wavy.}

{Angie gets her fashion show face on!}

{The whole gang, hard at work!}

{Kim and Sandra – post hair, pre makeup.}

{Angie poses mid-hair prep.}

{Amy gets fierce – Tyra would be proud.}

Before we knew it, it was 1 pm and the bridal show began!  We met some lovely people including several brides who still hadn’t found their perfect dress.  (Don’t worry girls – we will do what we can to help you on this very important search!)  We also saw several of our brides – we like to call them TWD brides – who stopped by the booth to say hello.  This was a nice surprise since we always love seeing our girls!

Just before 3 pm, we had several special visitors arrive – a bunch of my family and friends!!  (I feel so lucky to have such great support from my loved ones.)  It was wonderful to see them all, who traveled near and far to see The White Dress’s first fashion show.  And it was extra special to see several cousins, including four little girls, who were BEYOND excited to see the wedding dresses.  (One of which was so excited she couldn’t sleep the previous night and who had laid out several different outfits as options to wear to the show!  SO CUTE!)

After a quick hello to my family and friends, it was time for me to make sure my models were ready.  I headed back to our dressing area and was greeted by eight stunning models (!!) and eight happy helpers (!!).  Wow.  That was a neat moment.  I definitely got a little teary eyed.

{Looking like supermodels, Lindsey and Abby are wearing the dresses, Jacquelyn and Joy.}

 

{Waiting for the show to begin!  Aleksandra and Angie are wearing similar styles, Samantha and Margo.}

{Cindy does this dress, Marcy, proud.  And sorry for the blurry photo – we are blaming that on sheer excitement!}

{Looking pretty before the show begins!  Kimmy and Sandra are wearing the dresses, Kelsey and Emily.}

After Cathy, the coordinator of the show, played some fun games with the crowd, the fashion show was ready to begin.  I have to admit, I was nervous as I introduced myself to the crowd!  But, as usually happens, after the first few minutes of being up there, I got used to it, and really started to enjoy it.  And, really, I knew that most people were not really paying much attention to me – it was all about the dresses!!  (And I can’t blame them, I love them too!)

So, set by set, we intermixed with the Brighton Tux Shop who showcased some handsome tux combinations (and some handsome models!).  Rick Bourbanais is an ol’ pro at fashion shows by now, so I tried to take some mental notes from him!

{Lindsey shows off the gown, Katherine, before the finale set.}

{Abby and Lindsey with their “wardrobe assistant”, Allison!  The girls show off the dresses Francesca and Darcy.}

I was SO pleased with how the show turned out – I had no idea how chaotic it would be as my girls changed each set.  They only had a limited time and I knew that some of the dresses were tricky to quickly get into.  But, every time, sure enough, they were ready to go, all in a line and in the correct order!  So, a HUGE and well deserved shout-out is going out to all my models and helpers:

My amazing models

  • The lovely and ageless, Angie
  • Work it girl, Aleksandra
  • I’m tall, I’m a model, Amy
  • The happy and enthusiastic, Cindy
  • The idea gal, Lindsey
  • Taking charge, Abby
  • The photo ready, Sandra
  • Sparkly, glowy, and flowy, Kimmy

 

My handy and sweet helpers

  • Mary “Chi Chi” – the fashion show coordinator extraordinaire
  • My mom, Cathy – the runner and TWD booth queen
  • My “other” mom, Beth – the guardian of all TWD goodies, and wardrobe assistant runner
  • Kerry – wardrobe assistant runner
  • Allison – wardrobe assistant
  • Kelsey – wardrobe assistant
  • Mariah – wardrobe assistant
  • Corrie – wardrobe assistant

So, to catch a few more photos and some video of the event, check out the latest from Brighton Patch here.  A huge thank you to Nicole of the Brighton Patch for featuring the show!

So, that’s a wrap!  Our first bridal show and our first fashion show – all tied into one!  A big thank you to Cathy Dedakis who coordinated the bridal show – we had a blast!  And I can’t forget to give a proper shout-out to the gals at Sncroniz Salon for making our girls look superb on runway – the hair and makeup was fantastic!  Another special thank you to Art in Bloom and Sassafrass Gifts who provided the lovely bouquets and clutch purses featured in our show.  Also, what is a fashion show without music to set the mood?  DJ Joe, of Mobile Rhythm DJs, gave us a hand there – thank you, thank you!  And most importantly, thank you to all the BRIDES who attended the show – you made our day!

{Here we are, the whole group together, post-successful show.}

Want to do it all over again?  Well, good.  We will be back in action at the bridal show at Crystal Gardens on February 5th.  See you there!