Golden Globe Red Carpet Inspiration

I finally had a chance to talk to my mom to get the skinny on what she thought of the Golden Globes (the poor thing has been so sick this winter). She was surprised at the lack of color compared to last year (I personally loved all the whites). She did mention she thought the skirt on Drew Barrymore's John Galliano's gown was beautiful.

I personally loved Kate Beckinsale's J. Mendel gown. So gorgeous. It reminds me of frosting. Yummy!

And just to prove how far bridal has come, one of the favorites of the night, according to Red Carpet Fashion Awards was a gown from Reem Acra Spring Bridal collection.

By the way, if you're looking for some red carpet inspiration you have to check out the blog http://www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com/ . She does a fabulous job!!!

Chicago Bridal Market

My mom just got back from the Chicago market last week. She sent me a few pictures of the MILLIE booth. This is our second time showing at a Bridal Market. With this economy it's hard to get retailers to try something new but my mom is determined!

Latest Bridal Fashion by Millie Design

So my mom has been back to the sketch pad lately...She has quite a few designs coming along...Here is one of my favorites. I like it a lot because it actually has a little cap sleeve....I think brides are ready for something besides strapless...

bridal fashion by MILLIE~ The Avery

photography by Christy B. Anderson

Here is MILLIE's latest fashion off the runway ~The Avery. A very simple gown but absolutely gorgeous. It's currently my favorite right now...it changes everyday... My mom has been working on some new designs. I'll post them soon.

Bridal Fashion Trends~ Birdcage Veil

I absolutely love the look of the birdcage veil. A trend I hope that sticks around for a while. I asked my mom to send me one for the MILLIE photo shoot this week. It is so classy. I love that it can be worn in many different ways. I can't wait to see it on our model.

photos from http://dallasbrides.wordpress.com/ and http://samanthaling.com/

Fashion Bride

One of my favorite blogs these days is Fashion Bride. What an amazing resource for bridal gown collections. The author reigns from Bucharest, Romania, so I love to read her blog and see what is going on in the other part of the world. The photographs of the bridal collections that she posts are fantastic and gives me much inspiration and ideas for photographing MILLIE gowns.

We were extremely honored to be asked and are currently in the process of doing an interview with Fashion Bride. Be sure to check in and see what my mom has to say about the business! Should be fun! Thank you Fashion Bride!

Vintage Wedding Inspiration ~ Grace Kelly

{image from dcnearlyweds.com, photography by Howell Conant and Life Magazine}

On the eve of the 52nd wedding anniversary (The civil ceremony was on April 18, 1956, the formal ceremony was the next day.), I thought it would be most appropriate to highlight our most beloved American actress, Grace Kelly.

Helen Rose , the wedding gown designer and MGM costume designer thought the formal gown should reflect the actress' personality—"simple but elegant, feminine, ladylike but not necessarily regal," and that Miss Kelly's dress should "not overpower her beauty." (very smart advice for all brides if you ask Millie). The famous wedding dress has a high neck, long-sleeved bodice and was made out of Brussels lace. The "bell-shaped" silk faille skirt has no folds in front, but is heavily pleated in back; three petticoats and a 14-inch long skirt. (How did she move?)

The headpiece was also made of rose point lace and decorated with a wreath of delicate wax orange blossoms,(Jackie O had orange blossoms?) leaves fashioned from tiny pearls, and wired lace motifs. The circular veil was also embellished with rose point lace motifs, including two tiny lovebirds, and accented with seed pearls. Her prayer book and shoes were also encrusted with lace and seed pearls.

I'm loving all the tiny details on the whole wedding ensemble, and how about those tiny, delicate buttons up the front of the dress? I love buttons! Though, I'm not sure how comfortable this dress was- long sleeves are usually so uncomfortable. She wore it well and the style became a huge hit in the bridal fashion world during that time.

If you have a little time, you have to watch these!!! Can you image your wedding being covered like this??? Crazy!!!

Jenna Bush Wedding Details

According to the Washington Post, Jenna will wear a "simple and elegant" gown by Oscar de la Renta. The gown is made of organza with embroidery, matte beading, and a small train. But don't expect any pictures they say....her man Henry is a traditionalist and doesn't want to see the dress before she walks down the aisle (gotta love an old-fashioned kind of guy!).

Jenna will have 14 attendants (or "house party" if you're a Texan), and they will be wearing short chiffon, Lela Rose dresses in green, blue, yellow, and lavender (pictured above).

Can't wait to see more details about the wedding in the next issue of Vogue magazine.

Hot Off the Press @ WWD.com ~ Oscar Designing Bush Wedding Gown

Monday, April 14, 2008
By Rosemary Feitelberg with contributions by Bobbi Queen
NEW YORK — First Daughter Jenna Bush is not expected at Oscar de la Renta's bridal fashion show today, and for good reason: The designer has already created the long wedding gown she'll wear for her May 10 nuptials to Henry Hager at the Bush family's Crawford, Tex., ranch.

Ahhhh...... so she didn't pick a Millie wedding gown but at least she has some good taste. Gotta love Oscar!

Princess Bride

{images from showbizz.cbs.com}

What little girl didn't want to be a princess one time or another in her life? If I had to pick the most famous wedding gown, I would have to say Princess Diana's wedding dress would win. I've never seen so much information about one lonely wedding frock. There are tons of photos, news segments, and even a book dedicated just to the gown itself. Amazing.....

According to the IcWales.co.uk, Elizabeth Emanuel (Diana's wedding gown designer) just came out with her own high-street wedding dress collection. It's everything you would expect from the Princess's designer- frilly, puffy, and full of romance. Not exactly Millie bride material, but if you dreamed of looking like Cinderella on your wedding day you might enjoy these fairytale styles.

Here is a taste of a few of the more simplified gowns from Elizabeth Emanuel's collection~

{images from elizabethemanuel.co.uk.}

Bridal Fashion Trends ~ Short and Sweet

{Click photo to enlarge}

At a booming 5"3, I really like the short wedding dress trend that is walking the runway right now. With my legs probably being my most slimming feature, I think it would make sense to show them off a little??? It's definitely not for your traditional bride but if you were going casual, I would think this style would be fitting. Loving the '50's inspired dress from the Vineyard Collection.

{images from instyleweddings.com, gown 1. priscilla of boston 2. anne barge 3. vineyard collection}

Beyonce and Jay-Z Wedding

{image from people.com}

Rumor has it that Beyonce and Jay-Z finally tied the knot. A lot of gossip out there; still no photos yet. I can't wait to see her dress!! Did she go white? Did she go sparkle all over?? A couple gossip columns have reported that Beyonce loved Hilary Swank's 2005 Guy Laroche Oscar gown so much she bought one in white?! Was it truly her wedding dress?? We'll have to wait and see.....

{image from about.com}

A Splash of Color on your Wedding Day

{the Isabella gown from bridalfashionbymillie.com}

One thing that has stayed relatively "sacred" in the world of wedding dresses is color. It's all about white or ivory; however, more and more women are using color as an accent to their overall look. Many opt for colored sashes or ribbons that either matches their bridesmaids or reflects their personal style. A dash of color certainly adds flavor to the traditional white!

Vintage Wedding Inspiration

To continue with the old wedding photo inspiration idea, I thought I would dig into the old shoe boxes this week..... Can you guess who this is? It's my mom and dad!! Okay, so I know I'm a little bias, but how gorgeous are they?

The story behind the wedding dress you ask?? The last time my mother saw the dress, it was in the attic next to my dad's hunting clothes...about 27 years ago. When we moved from Michigan to Colorado in 1981, the hunting clothes made it but no wedding dress????? This is certainly an on-going dispute in the Panozzo household. Ha!

The dress was made with white silk and featured a boat neckline, three-quarter sleeves with a sheath skirt and detachable train. It also had a lace panel running down the front. My mother said it only cost her $150.00!!!! (Remember folks, it was 1966...those were the days eh?)

I'm digging the sheath skirt with the detachable train idea. It's a trend that comes and goes.....I would think this would be ideal for a destination wedding........ Do you think Oscar is feelin' it too?

{image from Martha Stewart Weddings, Gown is a Oscar de le Renta}

Palazzo ~ Couture Bridal Fashion

My maiden name is Panozzo.....So we gotta give some love to Palazzo. Absolute love.

Palazzo (meaning "Palace" in English) is a couture label out of Chicago, launched in 1997 by ready-to-wear designers Jane and Saeed Hamidi.

They get an A+ for photography and design- loving their crisp, fresh style... Some major design inspriation here for Millie.

Jenna Bush Wedding Gown

So you've probably heard by now that the First Twin, Jena Bush, is getting married in May. Not too long ago, they announced it would NOT be a White House wedding. Though I was disappointed to hear that at first (how fun would it be to see a White House wedding?), I absolutely love the fact that she is a good ole' country girl and would prefer to have a beautiful, outdoor, private wedding at her parents' ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Knowing this much, I'm going to go out on a limb and say she very well could be a Millie Bride. My Mom thought it would be fun to design a wedding dress for her. I absolutely love it and can't wait to see the final design. Are you a Millie bride?

Which Bride Wears it Best?

My Sunday morning ritual is to get the paper and read the wedding page first. I love that the Richmond Times-Dispatch still does HUGE wedding & engagement announcements (where they list every little detail....back in Colorado they don't do this anymore). So when I opened my paper yesterday, I was surprised to see the first three brides all wore a Mantilla veil. Hmmm...interesting??? Only Bride # 2 mentioned that her veil was worn by two of her aunts, also from Richmond. I'm wondering about Bride number 1 and 3??

My mother wore a Mantilla veil, which was extremely popular in the '60's. Are they making a comeback? I love the sentiment of wearing your mother's veil (or a family member's). I would think this would be a lot easier than trying to wear their dress...One size fits all? Right? The only problem is.......this type of veil doesn't go with every gown. You would definitely have to go with a simple gown or one with only lace.

So I ask you- Which bride do you think wears it best? Bride number 1, 2, or 3?

Millie Wedding Gowns

I just received my "Millie" box in the mail yesterday. OOOOOhhhhh!! I can't begin to explain the beauty of these gowns. I had only seen Emily and Aurora on the website... and let me tell you, the photos on the web do not come close to showing you the quality and construction of these beautiful dresses. I took a couple, quick snapshots to try to show you (click on photo to enlarge)...I'll be working on the photography soon.

Also coming soon, I'll be starting a new mini-series called- "Millie Spotlight" (A take-off from the Unveiled -Designer Spotlight - Bridal Fashions by Millie). I'll be going through each Millie gown and giving you a more detailed description and more detailed photos (there is a lot of information on the website already). I know it's hard to order a gown over the Internet without seeing it. Hopefully this will help.

New Millie Wedding Gowns

Three new Millie gowns! Mallory, Toni, and Jessica. They won't be on the website for a little while, so I thought I would give you a sneak peak.

We've had the hardest time with photography. It's really hard to get good detail on a white dress and not completely lose the overall 'image'..... These photos, I'm afraid, do not do the gowns justice! Any photographers out there with suggestions??

Check It Out!!!

Designing Millie was featured on "Unveiled" today- A bridal blog society where all wedding related blogs can be listed. Yea!!! The "Unbride" started this new blog last week and I jumped on the opportunity to be listed, never expecting her to do a feature on us!!! So sweet of her. I knew I liked her from the very beginning....(Yes, I'm a confessed bridal blog stalker. Ha!)

Check it out baby!!!! Designer Spotlight - Bridal Fashions by Millie