Berta Evening Wear Coming Soon To Chic Parisien
Introducing, Berta Evening Wear.
Coming Soon to Chic Parisien.
See the full collection, as debuted at New York Fashion Week, here.
Real Chic Bride With The Loves of Her Life
Nothing makes our heart beat faster than a #RealChicBride, in Monique Lhuillier, who incorporates her great loves into her photos - her husband and her dog.
How stunning are these two? Yes, our bride Vashti, of course, but also her handsome husband and that adorable spotted pup.
Christian and Christina's Storybook Wedding on Lake George
Tell us a bit about yourself and your now-husband.
Christian and I (yes we’re Christian and Christina haha) live in Rochester, NY and are starting a hard cider company called Oak & Apple. We featured some of our cider at the cocktail hour with an ice sculpture (in the photos)
Before we get to any of the wedding details, let's talk DRESS! That Romona Keveza looked like it was made for you! Did you know what you wanted? What was the processes of finding your perfect, chic wedding dress? How did you integrate your person style into your wedding day look?
Loved my dress!! I was in Miami for a vacation and stopped into Chic Parisien for my first dress search/experience! The Romona Keveza Couture was the second dress that I tried on. It was absolutely breathtaking so I had to buy it on the spot. It was such an easy decision for me. I wanted a timeless classic look which was strapless/fitted and with all the details you’d ever dream. I also love floral which fit in perfectly with the fashion for this year! The Romona Keveza veil matched perfectly to the details on the gown. Couture never goes out of style :) The dress had some blush undertones so I went with a blush colored bouquet to bring out those colors. The flowers in my bouquet were David Austin Juliet Roses.
How did you decide where and when the wedding would be?
Lake George is such a magical place! We had both gone there a couple times growing up. The Sagamore Resort is the most perfect wedding location we’ve ever seen. We knew this was the best place we were going to find within driving distance from home (Rochester, NY).
This is a wedding that looked seriously detail oriented. How was wedding planning for you and where did the ideas for all those beautiful details come from?
Christian and I had a long engagement so the wedding planning was a breeze! We hired David Michael Schmidt (owner) at Renaissance Floral Design for all of our wedding day rentals, florals and design. The look we were going for was timeless elegance with simple white and green florals. We loved the antique/french look for the tables and chairs. I planned the whole wedding and it was so much fun!
Was there a moment in the ceremony that you remember particularly clearly?
The most memorable part of the ceremony was walking down the aisle. I just couldn’t wait to get to Christian! We didn’t have a “first look” because we wanted that special moment. It was very emotional.
Where did you go on your honeymoon? Any stand-out recommendations?
We shipped our convertible to California and drove down Route 1! We went from San Francisco/Sausalito to Napa to Big Sur to Santa Barbara to Beverly Hills over the course of 2 weeks. Our absolute favorite stop on the trip was Napa. We went to some of the best wineries and had delicious meals at Redd Restaurant and French Laundry. We stayed at the Auberge de Soleil Resort which we highly recommend. Definitely going back! We also enjoyed our stay at Post Ranch Inn at Big Sur.
Lindsay and Eddy's Wedding: A Work Of Art
Lindsay, who wore Monique Lhuillier, moved down to Miami, Eddy's hometown, a few years ago. So, it was back to her roots in Ohio for the wedding with a big Miami contingency in tow and a crowd of locals to help show them around town.
The bride, who has learned a bit of Spanish during her time in Miami, surprised the groom by reciting her vows in Spanish. It was a beautiful moment by a bride who looked nothing short of CHIC on her wedding day.
College sweethearts from the University of Notre Dame, the couple used both #lindsedwed and, the crowd favorite, #elgordoylarubia, the nicknames given to them by Eddy's family.
Photo Credit: Ben Elsass Photography™
Ersa Atelier: New Designer Preview
We're hosting a preview of Ersa Atelier, a brand new designer to Chic Parisien, through the remainder of this week. Ersa is a pair of sisters, Gabriela and Cristina Antonescu, founded the brand ten years ago in Romania - actually, this is the second sister/sister designer pair we have in store, Yolan Cris are also siblings!
Ersa uses exclusively rare lace and handmade precious fabrics and they specialize in a theatrical, but highly-wearable, gowns.
Here's a peek at their latest collection, but to truly see how chic these gowns are, you'll have to come into the store!
Hello World! We're On ¡Hola! TV
This was an exciting week around Chic Parisien, we wound up a stunning and successful Ines Di Santo trunk show, received some stunning new arrivals (check out @chicparisien onInstgramto see new gowns as they come in fresh off the runway) and we made an appearance on international television. Catherine visited the local studios of Hola TV to chat with the women of Lo Mejor De Mundo Hola to talk about wedding trends, showcase some of our current favorite gowns and answer questions about the wedding world.
A Jenny Packham, Gatsby-inspired gown, Monique Lhuillier dress fit for a princess, Yolan Cris dress for the boho-bride, colorful Hayley Paige number and sexy Mira Zwillinger made quite the splash on the set.
We'll be back soon with a link to the segment, so check in again and keep following us on social media for updates.
Ines Di Santo Trunk Show Recap
We were thrilled last weekend to host the latest Ines Di Santo trunk show featuring, for the very first time, the Ines by Ines Di Santo collection, a brand new line by the designer of gowns under $5,000.
The collection featured loads of on-trend dresses and the signature Ines Di Santo signature glamour and details. Brides who aren't afraid to show a little skin will absolutely fall for this collection's stunning cut-outs and deep-Vs. We're still seeing colorful gowns take a bit of attention from the pure white gowns that were the norm for so long; this collection featuring beautiful, muted shades of light pink, colorful florals, lattes and nudes.
You can always shop for the perfect chic Ines Di Santo dress, even when we don't have a trunk show going on. So feel free to call now and make an appointment if an Ines Di Santo is the dress for you on your big day.
Around The Boutique "Before"
We're closed today for a mini-makeover, we're renovating and rejuvenating the store a bit so it's extra chic! So we thought we'd share these photos as a "before." Can't wait to check in with the "after."
Make your appointments now and come see the new and improved Chic Parisien.
Don't forget, you don't have to be a bride-to-be to come shop with us, just look at these photos. Evening gowns, lingerie, accessories, and flower girl dresses are just a few of the other chic things you can pick up around the boutique.
Take the Quiz: Which Chic Bridal Designer Is For You?
Andrea In Monique Lhuillier
There are some brides who really stand out because they just look so comfortable on their wedding day. Andrea is one of those brides. This Monique Lhuillier dress looks positively perfect on her. The accessories only compliment her natural beauty.
She looks radiant and natural in her gown - what more could a #realchicbride want?
Photos by Wedding Nature at The Biltmore Hotel.
#RealChicBride Melissa in Monique
Now this is a stylish bride. Just check out the statement Melissa made out of a simple braid. Shot by her friend Karla Garcia Costa of KGohSnap, this #realchicbride looked positively radiant in her Monique Lhuillier Severine gown.
All Smiles In Hayley Paige
Is there anything more fun than an impromptu photo shoot? Nope. Luckily we had both an amazing photographer, Ray Santana, and three stunning models on hand to play dress up at our Hayley Paige trunk show a few weeks ago. With just the store as our chic background, the models and Ray did their thing and turned the store into an editorial shoot in the snap of a finger.
This shoot, worthy of a magazine spread, was made all the better by the perfect wardrobe, the latest Hayley Paige gowns, in her signature girly, jaw-dropping style. We've seen a trend over the past few seasons towards wedding dresses that aren't the stark white that was one the norm for brides. Hayley played with pinks, lattes, and beautiful illusion nudes.
We didn't even have to tell the models to smile, these chic, chic dresses has big smiles on everyone's faces.
No, No Thank YOU!
We just received this thank you note from the very beautiful #realchicbride Stephanie and we wanted to share it with you all!
Dear Chic Parisien team,
I would like to thank you for making my entire experience absolutely memorable!
Beginning with Lucy and ending with my last alteration.
Your teams attention to detail is like no other.
I walked in thinking I wanted one thing and walked out with something completely different. My dress was Lucy's pick and I am so grateful she pulled it. It was the second dress I tried on and I immediately knew that this Monique Lhuillier wedding gown was for me.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my experience so stress free and fun! Makes me want to do it all over again!
Hope you enjoy the pictures :)
Photos: Ray Santana Photography
Wedding Planner: Liana De Mena
Wedding Planner: Liana De Mena http://hgmakeup.com/our-location/
Berta Does It Again
We are so thrilled that Stephanie, this crazy chic #realchicbride, sent in these photos of her wedding day by Black & Hue. The very talented photo team really captured the beauty of Stephanie, her family and her Berta Bridal stunning dress.
Everything about this wedding is so swoony and unique. We are obsessed with her bouquet, his wardrobe and that heart-stopping picture of Stephanie shedding a tear as her dad and now-husband embrace after he walked her down the aisle. The light is perfect. The couple looks so in love. And that dress! Oh Berta, you've done it again!
Stephanie took some time to chat with us about what made this day special, how she fell in love (with her now-husband and her dress!):
How did you two meet?
We found each other by pure serendipity.
January 18, 2008, the day we met. Both of us attended the annual Belen Jesuit (the school Kiko went to) vs Columbus basketball game. This was a game that was talked about all year. Kiko was there because all of the seniors from Belen go dressed up as characters. His character of choice: the leprechaun from Lucky Charms. Our mutual friend would always mention him in our conversations, but I never met him until that night. After the game, my friend and I were talking about our plans after the game (where we were going to eat, which after party we were going to, etc.) and all of a sudden I notice a guy decked out in a green outfit (I vividly remember he was wearing a huge bow tie) approaching us. All of a sudden he turned to me mid conversation and said, "Hi, I'm Kiko". Our lives changed from that day forward.
When and how did you get engaged?
New Year's Eve, the last day of 2014, is when our lives would change forever. That year, we celebrated New Year's with Kiko's family in Gatlinburg, TN. We've been to Gatlinburg many times (it was our first vacation together), but this time would be the most memorable trip there.
Everyone knows I take an eternity to get ready, but that day in particular I took even longer. My luggage looked like it exploded. As I was curling my hair, Kiko came into the room and said, "Babe, make sure to look nice today because we're going to take a lot of pictures". At that moment, I KNEW Kiko had something up his sleeve. At that moment we were already dating for over five years, so it's hard to hide things from each other.
Kiko was acting normal that day. He didn't look nervous at all, so I started to think I was probably crazy for thinking he was going to propose. After shopping at the outlet mall and eating dinner in Pigeon Forge, we decided to go to Gatlinburg (which was about 10-15 minutes away) to wait until the ball drops. We decided to walk around until we found an open spot to watch the ball drop at 12. We found a CVS Pharmacy that was not as packed and close to the ball. Then, as we're patiently waiting to start the New Year, I noticed Kiko looking at me differently. I didn't really think much of it. Then, while we were counting down to 3,2,1, Kiko got down on one knee. At that very moment, everything went silent. I didn't even feel like thousands of people were around us; I only felt like it was just him and I at that moment. I even forgot exactly what he said, but tears of happiness streamed down my cheeks. I hugged and kissed him while he was still on one knee. He then stood up and asked, "Babe, is that a yes?" I, without hesitation said OF COURSE!! I wish I could relive the engagement over again.
How did you decide to come shop at Chic Parisien?
From the moment I got engaged, I knew exactly which designers I liked and the style of dress I wanted for our wedding. I made sure to do my research and saw that Chic Parisien carried several of my favorite designers (Berta being one of them). After reading all of the good reviews Chic had, I went ahead and called to make an appointment. I attended a Berta trunk show they had and that's when I found my dream dress: A long sleeve, open-back, one-of-a-kind Berta dress. The service was superb from the first phone call to book my appointment, to the moment I went to see the dresses, to the day I picked my dress up.
How did you know that was the dress for you?
I never truly believed I would know which dress would be the "perfect dress" because I didn't think it was true. I thought it would be like every other shopping experience. I took my mom, mother in law, bridesmaid, and family friend to my appointment. I died when I saw all of the Berta dresses hanging. Each of them are spectacular. I started grabbing all the ones I loved. Once they put all of the dresses in the room, I started picking the first dress to try on. I knew I which dress I wanted to try on first (the dress I ultimately chose). Angie, my bridesmaid, told me I was shaking when I put on that dress. I honestly can tell you that I fell in love with it. It was exactly what I was looking for, but I still wanted to try the other Berta dresses I picked. None of the other dresses gave me that wow factor I was looking for. They looked nice, and everyone in the room liked them, but no one was shocked like they were when I put that first dress on. Then after trying all of them on, I decided to try on the first dress again. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I knew at that moment that the dress I was wearing was "the one". I felt an indescribable emotion, one I didn't feel with the other dresses. At that moment, Alana asked, "Are we saying yes to the dress?" and that's when I yelled, "I'm saying yes to the dress!"
Tell me a bit about your wedding day!
Our wedding was at Bella Collina in Montverde, FL on December 27, 2015. The day was beautiful; not a cloud in the sky, 0% chance of raining; everything I was praying for. I was pretty overwhelmed the days leading to the big day because I planned and designed my own wedding. I wasn't nervous, but was worried about how my vision was going to look the day of.The bridesmaids and I started getting ready early because we were staying in Orlando (about 30-45 minutes away from the venue). The time seemed like it was slow in the morning, but once my makeup/hair artist started on me the time flew by. Before I know it, I'm at the venue waiting to walk down the aisle.
Kiko and I decided to do a first touch instead of a first look. It was a nice alternative, and was nice to hold his hand and talk to him before walking down the aisle. I headed back to the locker room to change quickly into my wedding dress to do a dad dress reveal. My dad had no idea which dress I chose because I wanted to surprise him the day of the wedding. My bridesmaids all lined up in front of me as my dad patiently waited to see me. That moment when my dad saw me for the first time in my dress was so magical. Definitely something I would recommend to other brides to do!
The time came to walk down the aisle. I was so excited! I was looking forward to this moment for almost a year and I was finally able to show Kiko my dress (hardest secret to keep away from him). I walked down to the acoustic version of Latch by Sam Smith. My eyes were locked onto his the whole walk down the aisle with a huge smile on my face. After the ceremony, we took some pictures with our family and bridal party and then headed to take pictures of just us two. After cocktail hour, we headed back and were welcomed as Mr. and Mrs. Cruz as we walked through all of our guests holding sparklers. We then danced our first dance while they lit the dance floor. After dinner, we started dancing all night hoping the night would never end.
Our wedding was in no way traditional. We wanted to have a unique wedding from the beginning to the end. When it was time to do a bouquet toss, everyone was expecting a bouquet toss. Instead, I decided to surprise my mom with my bouquet and dance Mama's Song by Carrie Underwood with her. She was so helpful during the planning stage that I wanted to acknowledge her.
We couldn't believe the night ended so fast! Before exiting, we started saying bye to our guests. It would be the last time that we would see them in a long time because we moved to Texas after our honeymoon. After we said our goodbyes, we exited while snow was falling all over us (I love the snow so much that my DJ had a snow machine and made it happen). It was the perfect ending to our amazing wedding day. Our wedding was exactly what we dreamed it would be.
Ines Di Santo and Maria Elena Appearance Weekend
It was such a treat to have the very talented Ines di Santo and Maria Elena in store last week. We kicked off the week with a cocktail party with A Joy Wallace in their honor where the champagne flowed, A Joy Wallace served up tiny, edible art pieces that were almost too pretty too eat (but it turned out they tasted even better!) and we mixed, mingled, caught-up, laughed and even helped a few brides find their Ines dresses during the party! Can you think of a better way to spend a rainy Thursday evening? We certainly can't!
We had two beautiful models in store trying on a rotation of Ines Di Santo dresses with Maria Elena Accessories because it just doesn't do justice to have those gorgeous dresses on the hangers all night.
Ines, the talented designer behind so many memorable #realchicbride looks, visited us with her daughter Veronica all the way from Toronto to show us the latest collection. We all agreed that the dresses were timeless, chic and each beautiful and artful in their own way, but it was the lace pantsuit that had us really dreaming of a funky, cool bride that would pull it off. We know you're out there - come visit Chic Parisien!
Maria Elena was in store with the inimitable Gisele Del Busto. They accessorized brides all night long and then all weekend long! Maria Elena was kind enough to give away quite a few of her signed books to brides who can take it home as a reminder of the day they said yes to the dress and the accessories! The Maria Elena showstoppers were the crowns - because no one can resist the urge to play princess for a night (and why should you?!). They range in size from queen sized to more delicate tiaras.
We also had the very talented Ray Santana join us. Not only is he one of Miami's most sought-after photographers, he's an old friend of Ines and he even shot Veronica's wedding! All the images in this post are by Ray, we're so grateful he came to lend an expert eye and document the night for us!
This was such a special weekend, we're sad to see it end. But, the chicness isn't over, it's just beginning as we continue our 2016 Trunk Shows with Berta next weekend and Monique Lhuillier right after. If you're a bride looking for your perfect wedding dress, January is the month to shop, so make you appointments now!
Stay chic!
xoxo
Looking Back at Lazaro's Chic Parisien Appearance
January has been busy, busy, busy around the boutique. Between holiday engagements, Valentine's Day right around the corner and wedding season about to kick off, we have an event scheduled for every weekend of the month - and then some!
We couldn't have been happier to kick off 2016 with the very talented, uber chic Lazaro. We invited our very beautiful friend Adrienne to come and try on the new Lazaro collection. With the help of Lazaro himself, we picked these few dresses to showcase as our favorites, but really who can pick just a few when they're all so chic! You'll have to come in and decide which is your favorite.
A Busy Week Ahead with Ines Di Santo and Maria Elena In Store
There's a lot in store this week! We'll have Ines di Santo and Maria Elena of Maria Elena Accessories visiting the boutique for a week of special events and trunk shows. Everyone is invited to celebrate with us as we welcome them into Chic Parisien for a few days that are sure to be chic, chic, chic!
Looking In Love In Berta
We see loads of photos of people looking in love around here, but this one just OOZES that je ne sais quoi that makes wedding pictures something really special and full of love. Maybe it has to do with the bride's stunning Berta gown?
Real Chic Bride in Monique Lhuillier
Meet #RealChicBride Stephanie, her stunning Monique Lhuillier dress and her #squad.
Front Row At Inbal Dror
Now that we're back from Bridal Market (aka #nybfw) we can finally share all these amazing photos that we snapped real time! Catherine and Keidy were in New York for the week soaking up all the chicness fresh off the runway. At Inbal Dror's Fall/Winter 2016 show, we saw a whole lot of classic Inbal; sexy, show-stopping numbers for a bride looking to make a statement. The slits were high. The neckline was low. And the silhouettes showed of a sexy shape. We swooned. We snapped pictures of as many looks as we could, but who could blame us for getting a bit distracted as these looks walked down the runway?
This collection played with fabric in new and interesting ways, swaths of silver flowed into nudes and nary a full white dress was seen. Notice the cloud-like, gossamer quality and the voluminous but ultra-light bolero in photo four.
Imagine how hard it was to pick what to buy for Chic Parisien! Don't fret, we know our brides and we're confident in our choices. Can't wait to announce when this collection will be here for a trunk show. Stay posted on our Instagram (@chicparisien)!
