<![CDATA[HARVEST HOUSE BRIDAL - Blog]]>Sat, 12 Jul 2025 07:48:15 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[The Age of Colored Wedding Dresses]]>Sat, 14 Apr 2018 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.harvesthousebridal.com/coloredweddingdress/the-age-of-colored-wedding-dressesAs a dressmaker of alternative wedding dresses I'm always delighted with the unique and beautifully offbeat concepts my clients come up with. In the past couple years though I have been particularly excited by the sweeping trend of colored gowns.
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More and more brides are rejecting the social construct of the white wedding dress. Instead, they are choosing to use their wedding day as a form of self expression. It's a day for the couples to show what makes them them and celebrate it.
I never get tired of hunting for the perfect shade of turquoise that's going to match their partner's tie or vest.
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]]><![CDATA[A Mythical Wedding Party]]>Wed, 11 Jan 2017 22:07:58 GMThttp://www.harvesthousebridal.com/coloredweddingdress/a-mythical-wedding-party       Your wedding can be anything you dream it to be, and that extends to your wedding party! It doesn't matter if you have a special theme, or just want to do something a little extra.
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       This wedding had a mythical woodland theme, and I wanted the bridesmaids (and bridesman) to look like magical fairies who emerged from the forest. They all had a pair of wings and flower crown, along with a decorated staff instead of a bouquet. I made each of these items by hand and personalized them for each person.
        The wings were each made with a wire frame and nylon cover, painted lightly to match the dresses but not stand out too sharply.
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       I really wanted these fairy bridesmaids to carry something special down the aisle. Originally they were going to have spears, but then spears turned into staffs. I'm glad I changed my mind; decorating six very different staffs gave the wedding an extra dash of eclectic and natural beauty.
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       Each of the staffs were made from a different kind of tree, and decorated with a combination of natural flowers and greenery, along with some added artificial ones.
       Then they were decorated with ribbons to match the rest of the wedding decor, also just to look absolutely beautiful as they drifted in the forest breeze.
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       They couldn't have looked more majestic walking down the stone steps to the wedding sanctuary.
     And no fairy outfit would be complete without the flower crowns. Again, I made each one to look unique, and used the same ribbons as the staffs so they would match.
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One thing's for sure, this was a wedding party you wouldn't want to mess with!
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Photography: Samantha B. Studio
Location: Wellspring Spa
]]><![CDATA[Peacock Steampunk Gypsy Fantasy!]]>Sat, 31 Dec 2016 22:22:04 GMThttp://www.harvesthousebridal.com/coloredweddingdress/peacock-steampunk-gypsy-fantasy     Sara approached me and said something like- I want a corset, and then I'm thinking like a steampunk gypsy layered skirt, in peacock colors.
       When I stopped wide eyed drooling, I told her- Yes. I can do that.
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        Sara and James had a spectacular October wedding at Fort Worden
I was honored to play my part by making her beautifully inspired dress. The design became a lovely combination of Sara's ideas and inspiration, and my own personal flair.
       We worked very hard together to pick out her fabrics, bounce ideas off each other, and fit in all her fittings in only two short months.
       The skirt was made in three different parts so that they could be used separately. We we going for a raggedy gypsy like skirt on the bottom, and a cleaner, more Victorian skirt on the top that would match with the corset.
       I crammed in as much layers of poof as I could without giving her a walking tripping hazard.
        I had so much fun working on this fantastic dress for this fantastic bride. I couldn't have been happier with it, and she looked absolutely perfect.
       We worked hard to get the corset design just right. As with any corset wearing bride, she wanted to be supported yet comfortable, have sleeves but still see the tattoo, and the ultimate challenge of being able to sit down comfortably.

       It was a combined effort between the two of us to hunt down and select the perfect fabrics. We were going for peacock colors, but also didn't want it to be too bright or look like a Halloween costume. Sara was very drawn to the dark blues and the more earthy fall tones. I didn't even realize at the time how perfect these choices would look with the October backdrop of her wedding venue.
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Photography: Chris and Sha'lon Pyke at Owl Creek Photography
Venue: Fort Worden
Bouquet and boutonniere: Petals Flower Shop
]]><![CDATA[Making my Own Wedding Dress]]>Thu, 08 Dec 2016 21:41:09 GMThttp://www.harvesthousebridal.com/coloredweddingdress/making-my-own-wedding-dress
Beyond making the dress, I also made my crown, veil cape, garter, and my bouquet. I was delighted to work with fellow artists to complete my outfit with custom boots and jewelry.
As a dress maker, I couldn't resist the chance to make my dream wedding dress. I spend months planning and researching. I wanted to make a sophisticated dress, while still indulging all of my little fantasies.
I put a lot of details into this dress, and did a lot by hand. I made all the flowers that I used. The lace and applique came from a donated 1980s wedding dress which I tea dyed to match the blush tone of my dress. To create the full, lush texture of my gown, I used over 50 yards total of tulle and chiffon.
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I used the skirt from my grandmother's wedding dress to make the petticoat for my gown. It felt like a great way to incorporate her dress into mine while still keeping my dress the color that I wanted.
After months of dedicated work, I finally felt like I had the dress of my dreams, worthy of the fairytale wedding to my epic partner.
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Photos by Samantha B. Studio
Makeup by Michelle Mai
Location: Wellspring Spa
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