bhldn :: the exquisite bridal room

when i arrived at bhldn last thursday for the tracy reese event, i was pretty sure i'd died and gone to heaven. this was especially true when i found the gown room within. i have never been surrounded by so many frocks at one time!

here are just a few photos of my favorite details. talk about exquisite.
i've never been one to daydream about my wedding,
but with bhldn around, it certainly makes a girl begin to fantasize...

see more photos from the event here and here.

BHLDN :: a bridal boutique at its best

hello everyone!
are these pictures insanely gorgeous or what?!

this past week i was invited to attend a fashion show for tracy reese at the BHLDN shop in chicago. i was so excited to be there because i have been a longtime fan of tracy reese's designs. i will have more pictures of her items from the show to come but i have so many pictures i wanted to show you that i had to split it up into parts. this one showcases the boutique itself. next will be the exquisite bridal gowns and room at BHLDN and finally tracy reese's pieces.

but for now, just relish in these lovely pictures. quite honestly, you don't need a reason to visit BHLDN - there were tons of decor accessories i would put in my home for everyday use, there were plenty of dresses at reasonable prices that i would wear every day and so many beautiful pieces of jewelry that i would collect and cherish for decades.

if you have the chance to visit a BHLDN boutique, i strongly encourage you to do so. you will be in awe the entire visit!!

lonesome bride:: wanderlustings vintage collection

i collect vintage like some people collect bad habits. so i guess vintage could very well be my 'bad habit.'

this is why i've posted quite a few of items from my personal collection for sale in my etsy shop. there are a some items that i've been so excited to get my hands on that i didn't even bother reading the measurements in the item description -- because who needs to wear vintage clothing, right?! sheesh, caitlin. so needless to say, i have come to terms with letting a few of them go knowing that i was just not made for that size.

this 1960's wedding dress i think i am going to have the most tearful parting of ways with though. the details on her are so sweet and delicate. she had yellowed quite a bit by the time i found her in a forgotten chicago shop but i loved her just the same.

you can see her and the other items i just listed in my shop right here.

dream client :: tabitha's custom wedding piece

i'm just going to say it:: making custom orders can be a living nightmare.
but for the most part, they are an enjoyable and stimulating collaboration between artist and client.

the lovely tabitha here {pictured above} was definitely one of the most creative and fun clients i have ever had the pleasure of working with.

first off, the floral bouquet in her hair was what i constructed for her wedding. i had never done a piece in this color scheme nor arrangement before so i was a bit nervous but excited as well. tabitha knew almost exactly what she wanted from the get-go which is always such a relief. i get sooo scared when brides tell me to just do whatever or that they trust my sense of style. it's always nice to hear those compliments but the wave of pressure that washes over me when thinking about the pressure of their big day - yeesh!

i usually ask brides to send me photos or color schemes of their wedding bouquets or themes for the ceremony as well as figuring out what size arrangement they're envisioning or most comfortable with. this part is actually a lot of fun because some brides are just so darn creative. i once had a bride do an entire moodboard - she was incredible! i was so happy to have direction!

tabitha was also the same in that sense. she sent me the exact color scheme she was looking for in images as well as a picture of a bouquet arrangement that she was going for. it was glorious! i was so excited to stray from my usual pale pinks and creams and pump up the color!

her style is absolutely lovely and so much fun - so when she sent me these adorable pictures from her big day, i just had to share them!

i was so touched by what she had to say about her custom piece::

'{the headpiece} looked absolutely perfect and stayed that way all night, even with lots of crazy dancing... it was really pretty hard trying to organize the whole wedding from Vietnam and there were lots of little disappointments and compromises along the way, but when i received your headpiece, i opened the box and just said YES. it was the first part of the whole process where i felt unequivocally delighted, and then everything just felt so much better after that.'

this literally made me elated to hear that my handiwork could make someone's special day that much better. i can't think of anything more wonderful than hearing this from one of my lovely clients.

thank you so much, tabitha for allowing me to share this on my blog and a lifetime of happiness to you and your new husband.

if you are interested in a custom headpiece or want to learn more, feel free to contact me here.