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!

Bridalfashionbymillie.com

I'm very excited about our new home page to the MILLIE website. I love this picture and cannot wait to see the rest of the new photos on the website!!!!

photography by Christy B. Anderson

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 Photo Shoot

photography by Christy B Anderson

Well, we finally went back to Yorktown Beach and finished the rest of MILLIE's photo shoot last night. 10 dresses!!!! We almost ran out of light.......Christy grabbed this last shot of the night......Gorgeous! The dress is Tyla.

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.

Cover Girl

Kiersten, our MILLIE model was playing on photoshop and made this magazine cover. I thought it was too fun not to share. Some day...Some day.......

Bridal Photography~ Christy B. Anderson

Last month Christy and I put together a fun photo shoot. We were able to work with Tracy Gilland and Lara Bridger (hair and make-up) from Urban Escape Salon and Day Spa and Event Planner, Margret Snead of Willow Manor. Our models, Kristen and Kiersten did a fantastic job and were great troopers braving the heat. Thank you all so much, it was a pleasure to work with all of you!

The two MILLIE gowns featured here are the Aurora and Emily .

More MILLIE in Roma

How fun are these shots??? I'm so getting a Stevie Nicks vibe.....What do you think? Love it!

Denise Andersen Photography

MILLIE in ROMA

MILLIE has sailed over seas and has landed in Italy.....Can you believe it? (For the full story please click here.)

How fun is this? I can't wait to see more of Denise Andersen's work (who happens to be That Bride's mom). It's a very dramatic shot, and I'm loving it!

Bellissimo~

Christy B. Anderson Photography

Let me introduce you to MILLIE's new photographer~ Christy B. Anderson. A random story......I was at my daughter's softball practice one day and started talking to one of the other moms...She just so happened to be a photographer and when I saw her work, I knew instantly God had sent me an angel. Her talent and skill amaze me, and I'm so excited to work with her.

She came over to the house yesterday to "play". We're still figuring some things out, but we wanted to get started and see what we had to work with. The gorgeous model's name is Kristen, a friend of Christy's, and she did a fantastic job. I wanted to thank both of them, and I can't wait to "play" again!

More photos coming soon.......

That Bride

YEA!!! That Bride received her MILLIE box on Thursday and do you know that crazy girl sent me the cutest email and pictures that day??!! That's what I love about her....her enthusiasm for life! I love it! I have to share the pictures and a snippet of her email.......
Millie,
The dress came today! It's so amazing, and I swear it's hanging on the closet door laughing at me because there is no one around to help me try it on. I even tried putting it on by myself, but that is kind of impossible. I am going over to this girls house tonight, so hopefully she will have time to help me put it on and take pictures so I can post what it looks like on. I didn't know that you would be sending it in Ivory, I am so obsessed with it! Such a great surprise. I always thought that I would be this really picky bride who went through thousands of dresses, but I am so in love with this dress, there is a good chance I won't want to send it back!

When I opened the pictures my jaw dropped!! I couldn't believe how gorgeous she looked...I mean, the dress fits her like a glove!! I was so worried she might not like it or it wouldn't fit....(Worrying is such a waste of time, isn't it?) The best part is she was so excited she didn't care if her hair was done or if she had any make-up on. Gotta love it! It's so much fun to see a MILLIE on a real live bride!! (Not living in Colorado, I only get to go to the store a couple times a year, if I'm lucky, so my experience with MILLIE Brides are few and far between... That's why I love the Internet!)

For That Bride's side of our little story, please check out her great post here. She's having a tough time deciding on which MILLIE bolero (Yes! my mom designs awesome boleros as well) goes best with the Aurora. I actually think they both work...it would just depend on what time of day and where you would be getting married...so for this photo shoot it's kind of hard...Outdoors in Italy....Hmmm?? What do you think?

please click on photos to enlarge

MILLIE on The Knot!

Like Jenny from the Block~ MILLIE is on The Knot!! Oh YEAH!

The Knot wasn't around when I got married, so it took me awhile to figure out how much it had to offer.....WOW! I so would have died for something like this when I got married. So many resources right at your finger tips! I'm curious what you girls think about The Knot!? Do you use it? Do you like it? Inquiring minds want to know!?

That Bride

Don't you just love a great story about how two people met? Like how you met your husband in high school or how you and your best friend hated each other before becoming BFF??? Yeah, I think this new friendship with That Bride and MILLIE will be a story we will always remember.

During my midnight blog searching, I had come across a new bride called That Bride. I immediately fell in love with her spirit. So when I read about her ordering a $40 bridal gown off of Ebay for a bridal shoot in Roma...(her mother is a photographer) I knew I had to help! So with this comment our friendship began;

"I SO would have let you borrowed a MILLIE gown..."

She responded quickly and before I knew it, we had a deal and I'm sending her the Aurora. Yep, I've never met her and I completely trust her....I know it sounds crazy, but I think it's going to be so much fun!!! I can't wait to see her in the dress and see MILLIE in Europe! It's going to be FAB-U-LUS! Stay tuned!!!!

HOUSE OF BRIDES

Let me introduce you to MILLIE's new BFF....... {a little snip it from their site}

House of Brides

House of Brides is the oldest bridal name in America. We were established in 1929 and have since grown to 6 huge brick-and-mortar stores in Illinois. House of Brides offers everything for your Wedding, all 30% - 40% off retail prices. As a large retail chain selling Worldwide in volume, we can offer our customers the same designer collections they find at more expensive bridal shops for incredibly lower prices! All Wedding Dresses are completely free shipping within the continental U.S. at House of Brides. Shipping is free for Bridesmaid Dresses when 2 or more dresses are shipped to the same continental U.S. address. Plus, there’s NO charge for sales tax!
Order online with House of Brides.com and join the thousands of satisfied customers we have been serving for 79 years!

Coming soon to an Internet near you....bridal fashion by MILLIE on House of Brides

Oooooohhhh....... I can feel it now.......Watch out world- here we come!!!!

On Friday morning my mom called with wonderful news. House of Brides found MILLIE on The Knot and they want to sell our dresses on their website!!!! YEA!!!!!!!! This is so exciting for us..... My mom has been so busy with the shop that we haven't been able to invest the necessary time to get MILLIE off the ground and into cyberspace~ A true answer to our prayers.

{I need to take my daughter to school right now......I'll come back later today and introduce you to HOUSE OF BRIDES...(Being a Mom comes first, right? Ha!)

TAG

I've been tagged by the adorable Style-ish.

RULES:
1) you link back to the person who tagged you. {link above}
2) post these rules on your blog.
3) share six things about yourself.
4) tag six random people at the end of your entry.
5) let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs

My 6 random facts about Millie:

1) My mother started Bridal Fashion by Millie in 2007.
2) Millie is named after my grandmother, Mildred Shrum.
3) All of the gowns are named after special women in my mom's life.
4) There are 10 gowns in the collection.
5) A Millie gown only costs between $500 and $700.
6) You can purchase a Millie gown on the Internet.

I tag:
1) Creature Comforts
2) Peonies and Polaroids
3) Black Eiffel
4) Perfect Bound
5) Style me Pretty
6) Blue Orchid Designs

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!

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?

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??