Glamour Closet (Photo from the website)

Glamour Closet is a very cute little shop on Columbus Avenue.  They have rows of samples (typically sizes 8-10) from well known designers (my friend tried on a stunning Vera Wang that was under $2000, where else can you find that??).   Every month they get a new shipment of designer dresses for you to browse through and try on, and everything appears to be in pretty good shape.  The workers are very friendly and really know their dresses.  Once you settle on a fit/fabric/style they can easily find some dresses to fit your budget and look.

Glamour Closet (Photo from the website)

They do not take appointments so if you go on a weekend I recommend going in early to beat the crowds.  When we got there on a Friday night after work there were only two other brides in the shop, which left us plenty of room to scour the racks.  The fitting area has three dressing rooms, which was not a problem when we were there but could be an issue on Saturdays, and one large mirror from which you can see all angles of the dresses you try on.

Another thing I love about the Glamour Closet is its dedication to the prevention of Parkinson’s Disease.  Parkinson’s has touched my family, so when I heard that a portion of their yearly profits are donated to foundations dedicated to researching a cure for Parkinson’s I was blown away!   By purchasing a dress from Glamour Closet I feel like you would no only be getting the dress of your dreams, but you would also be giving to charity.

Glamour Closet Logo From the Website

Visiting Glamour Closet was a low stress and very fun experience, so I highly recommend you check it out!

Glamour Closet

http://glamourcloset.com

114 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133

(415) 391-1515

By Erin Frank

Alterations are tricky. I’ve heard horror stories of brides whose dresses were ruined by sloppy, irreversible alterations, the results of which are generally revealed only right before the wedding (i.e. when it’s too late to do anything other than wear it unhappily or drop a ton of cash on a new dress at the last minute). I’ve also heard from brides who were hustled out of the bridal salon by a harried seamstress without a final fitting, only to find their last-minute fixes were never made and the bridal shop closed.

Tips for “Smooth Alterations”:

Shop early for the following and bring them to each fitting: Shoes, veil, jewelry (especially a necklace, as this might affect the neckline of the finished dress), and any slimming or enhancing undergarments you plan to wear.

Ensure deadlines are appropriate. Deadlines and multiple fittings are key to getting a dress altered well and on time. Take your dress in for alterations no later than 6 or 8 weeks before the wedding to allow enough time to get the job done.

Don’t diet yourself out of your dress size. You’re doing yourself and your seamstress a disservice by creating a last minute crisis situation when that dress is falling off of your newly bony frame.

Ask the right questions. There are no “dumb” questions when it comes to your wedding day. Make sure you understand exactly what work will be done when, when your final fitting is, when you can pick up your dress, and whether or not the alterations shop will press your dress for you before pick-up. Always try the dress on one last time to confirm that final changes or repairs were indeed made as you requested.

For my October wedding last year, I took my dress to SF’s Novella Bridal (www.novellabridal.com). I loved the results. I had ordered a dress with a tight fit that accommodated my disproportionately large lower half, which meant there was a lot to take in on the top. Knowing this, I wanted to go somewhere with great word of mouth that was friendly to dresses bought from other bridal salons (I had recently moved to SF and bought my dress before leaving New York). I enjoyed their professionalism, the timing, and the amazing finished dress.

Where do you think is the best place for bridal alterations in the Bay Area? Have you had a wedding dress mishap thanks to a careless seamstress? Share your experiences in the comments below!

By Erin Frank

If you’re planning to give a thank you gift to your bridesmaids, think about selecting some great jewelry. Not only can they wear it on your wedding day, but if you play your cards right, and get pieces with character, they’ll end up wearing them for years to come.

We here at Bay Area Bride Guide love shopping local. I just spotted this gorgeous handmade sterling silver jewelry by San Francisco-based Kendra Renee. I love the mix of hard metal with a sense of romance. It’s perfect for a wedding and bridesmaids with a little edge. Find more pieces at Kendra’s Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/KendraRenee.

Where should you start when planning your Lake Tahoe wedding? Tahoe Unveiled!  Tahoe Unveiled is an amazing online resource dedicated to providing you with everything you need to plan a successful Tahoe wedding.  In addition to a comprehensive vendor list, the site has a blog full of inspirational tips, and real weddings features.

Thanks to Tahoe Unveiled, you now have the opportunity to meet some of Tahoe’s greatest vendors in an intimate setting at A Day in the Mountains, hosted by One Fine Day.  This is an inspirational event designed to showcase the luxurious side of Lake Tahoe.  It is a place for brides to enjoy the romantic side of wedding planning; to get inspired by the vignettes and vendor’s exhibit spaces, and to enjoy wine, champagne, and food tastings from local catering companies.

Your typical wedding fair is set in a huge hall filled with rows of vendor booths.  A Day in the Mountains is significantly smaller, allowing you the necessary time to speak with each vendor and develop a personal relationship.  Instead of the standard booths, each vendor was given a large space to design, allowing them to better reflect their own personal styles.

As a bride at A Day in the Mountains, you also have the added bonus of getting some advice from noted wedding professionals.  Catherine Hall of Catherine Hall Studios will share some of her insider knowledge with you on such things as the best ways to prepare for being in front of the lens for the entire day, or that when you are getting ready in the morning you should rent a suite instead of a small hotel room, this gives the photographer more flexibility for the lens they can use.

Noted designer Scott Corridan is leading a seminar called “boobs and butts,” showing you how every woman can look like a model in her wedding dress. This includes tips for picking the best dress for your body type and ways to make you look, and feel, your best for your special day.  To help illustrate his point, three lucky brides will be picked to participate in the fashion show!

In addition to fabulous gift bags and prizes, every bride gets to go home with a better understanding of what they want for their Tahoe wedding.

Check out the Tahoe Unveiled page for more information about the vendors, and extensive list of prizes and giveaways.

Specifics:

Date: October 16th

Location: PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn

To Purchase Tickets Click Here

Bay Area Bride Guide is thrilled to be giving away two tickets to this amazing event!!  What do you love the most about Lake Tahoe? Tweet @BABrideGuide or leave a message on our Facebook page explaining your favorite parts of Lake Tahoe between now and October 9 and you will be entered to win.  One lucky person will be chosen on October 10^th!

This fabulous clip is from Sweet Grass Mill, and I found it on Etsy.  It’s gorgeous and a great price!

Sweet Grass Mill hair clip

Are you looking for something instead of the typical “behind the ear” feather?  This piece from NY Jolie Jewellery is so classy and beautiful!

NY Jole Jewellery

For a more dramatic option you should look at the Alanna Bridal Peacock Feathers.

Alanna Bridal Peacock Feather

Once you get outfitted with your feathers, it’s time to shop for the rest of your wedding party.  I love this cute option for your flower girl!  It is from The Headband Shoppe, and the photo is by ambphotocompany.com.

The Headband Shoppe

After you select your accessories send us some photos.  I love to see what you are interested in!

(All photos taken from Etsy, or the designer’s website)

I’ve lost about 14-15 pounds as my 10/10/10 wedding approaches, but so far I’ve still got the jiggly arms since I haven’t been doing weight training consistently. My dress is strapless and I’m worrying about the chicken cutlets that threaten to hang out over the sides of my dress. Eeks!!!

Tip: If you do not know where to start, the following two shows might be your answer.  The smaller numbers lend themselves to a more intimate setting, making it easier to talk to the vendors and see what they are all about.

San Francisco Wedding Faire

Location: The Four Seasons, San Francisco

Date: January 6, 2011

This bridal faire is small,  bringing brides and vendors together in a more intimate setting.  The vendors are carefully chosen to allow for a nice variety, and the Four Seasons in downtown San Francisco lends itself to wedding inspiration.

Classic Wedding Fairs

These are boutique style wedding fairs offered by Brocade Weddings.  They are located throughout the entire Bay Area, and current dates range from August 29^th in Palo Alto to November 14 in Pleasanton.  These bridal fairs offer fashion shows, seminars, samples, and a multitude of vendors for brides to mingle with.

Tip: The following bridal fair is perfect for those multi-cultural and tech-savvy couples looking for a great way to easily meld cultures and ideas.

International Wedding Festival

Location: Westin St. Francis, San Francisco

Date: October 3, 2010

(Also in San Jose February 20, 2011)

This bridal show has a focus on bringing couples and their families together, by offering a unique set of vendors to support everyone’s interests and cultures. This includes a huge variety of caterers, along with new wedding innovations that help bring family together (similar to Marry Me Live’s live wedding streaming services).  In addition to meeting with vendors, brides will be treated to a fashion show, and raffle.

Tip: If you just want to get out there and meet as many vendors as possible, the following expo is what you are looking for.  Its trade show atmosphere means that you will see a lot of vendors throughout the day, but keep in mind it could make it harder to remember who you spoke with.

Great Bridal Expo

Location: Marriott in Burlingame

Date: November 20, 2010

(Also at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose November 21, 2010)

The Great Bridal Expo is massive, and similar to a trade show, allowing for brides and grooms to meet the greatest number of vendors possible.  You can think of it as a one-stop-shop for all things bridal!

I was on the hunt for the perfect person to do my friend’s make-up for her wedding.  As the wedding day got closer she got more and more stressed, so I decided to kick it into gear and conduct some pre-screenings.  By the time I met Nikol Elaine, my friend had already found someone to do her wedding day make-up, but I may have just found someone to someday do mine!

Typically when I think of make-up artists I tend to think: caked on make-up, overdone, and unrealistic. Nikol Elaine is the antithesis of those stereo-types, which was obvious when I met her.  Nikol’s own make-up looked perfect (and natural), and her huge smile and bubbly personality made me feel like I was meeting up with an old friend.  (Yes, I admit it, I will judge a make-up artist at first site, and if I feel like her make-up is too thick and un-natural, then I automatically assume that she will not understand the look I want.)

Nikol began her career with MAC Cosmetics, and has been a make-up artist for over seven years.  Her passion for her work, combined with her love of meeting new people makes make-up artistry an ideal career path for her.  She loves sharing her passion with all of her clients while getting to know them.  With each wedding, Nikol gets excited because she has the chance to be a part of someone’s special day.

Make-up is not permanent, but can reflect a variety of styles.  Overall, her wedding make-up style reflects a “less is more” attitude, and after being a part of the wedding industry since 2004, she has helped more brides bring out their natural beauty than she can count!

I asked Nikol for a few tips for all of you brides out there, and here they are:

1) When planning your bridal make-up, go soft and do not overdo it.  You want to make sure that the person in your photos still looks like you.

2) When doing your own make-up, clean your brushes!  One of the best ways to do this is soak them in brush cleanser for up to an hour followed up by rinsing them under water.  Afterward, wash them once with shampoo.

Nikol is willing to travel throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and her reasonable rates begin at $75 for bridesmaids.  If you want a trial, Nikol is happy to schedule one with you, but it is entirely up to the bride.  It is hard to imagine someone not being comfortable around Nikol, so if you are still looking for a perfect-fit make-up artist, give her a call!

Nikol Elaine Makeup Artistry

707-953-6236

Nikol.elaine@gmail.com

www.nikolelaine.com

That’s the tagline for Rent the Runway, an online retailer that lets you borrow high end fashion for less.

I was considering borrowing a friend’s never-worn wedding jewelry but then I came across this fantastic piece for $50 for 4 days (retail $375). I think it’ll go swell with the hair accessory I’m getting from Etsy’s Pegasus Maiden with the coordinating feather below.

Ciner Antique Cascading Crystal Necklace (Rent the Runway, $50)

Velora by Pegasus Maiden (Etsy.com)

Pink feather for Velora

Do you have a beauty schedule for your wedding month/week/day? If so, I bet that your schedule probably includes some (if not all) of the following items

1. Spray Tan
2. Hair cut or extensions
3. Hair-do Trial
4. Make-Up Trial
5. Hair/Make-up On Wedding Day

Would you believe me if I said everything on your list can be covered by one person??  No, I am not crazy, and I have a new haircut that I love, along with some great photos highlighting Rachel’s work, that prove my point. 

I first met Rachel Browning at a Malibu Wedding I went to a few weeks ago.   When I heard that she spray-tanned the bridal party, did the bride’s extensions, up-do and make-up, and styled the bridesmaids, I was amazed.  Everyone looked fabulous!

Rachel is located in Oakland at Weeds Salon and travels throughout the Bay Area to work with brides on their special day.  Your beauty to-do list seems simplified with Rachel because she is a one-stop shop for everything you need beauty related.  She started out in high school, helping people style their hair for dances, but it was not until she was on vacation in Vegas that the styling bug bit her.  After spending the weekend styling her friend’s hair for their nights out on the town, Rachel realized that the best way to make a living would be doing what she loved, so she went to the Paul Mitchell School to become a hairdresser.

With over fifty weddings under her belt, Rachel has come to cherish her moments working with brides and loves the feeling that she has contributed to making her client’s wedding day perfect.  I do not think I could say it better than she did, saying “I get to make dreams come true. What could be better?”

Rachel is a natural with a curling iron, hairspray, and make-up wand, so of course I asked her for some tips to share!

• Go to your own stylist to ask for advice because he/she knows your hair the best.
• Have a basic hair/make-up look in mind.
• Be reasonable with your demands!
• Think about how your overall style will look with your dress.
• If possible, do a trial.   This will help you with peace of mind.
• After the trial take photos after 2hrs, 4hrs, etc to see how it will hold up throughout the ceremony and reception.

Rachel and I chatted throughout my hair cut and I can tell that her friendly and relaxed attitude would be perfect for a wedding day to help off-set the anxiousness of the bride.  I hope she is free in July to style my hair for my friend’s wedding!

Contact Info:

Rachel Browning – rachelbrowning20@yahoo.com

Pricing and a short bio can be found on the Weeds Salon website:

http://www.weedssalon.com/rachel.html