I was greeted this morning with a cheerful and complimentary e-mail from someone at Sarah Houston couture gowns. Her e-mail, subject line: "Feedback," simply stated, "Just wanted to congratulate you on your great web site - we just found the Our Wedding site recently and think it's wonderful. Is always nice to find a refreshing, informative & clean  bridal site such as yours."

Well! Thank you so much, I think I'm blushing. And I thought: Sarah Houston gowns...who are they? So I went on the site, and they make lovely amazingly gorgeous gowns like a new spring morning after rain -- bright and billowy and modern.

One downside: looks like there aren't any proper Sarah Houston stores in the U.S. -- they're a Canadian company. (Their gowns have been pictured in lots of national and international magazines.) But perhaps some local places sell their gowns.

Even just for ideas, take a look. So pretty.

Plus, when people are nice, it makes you want to be nice back, doesn't it?

Thanks Sarah Houston couture!! Props right back at ya.

Posted By Haley Myers on Monday, February 1, 2010 in Sacramento Wedding Blog Gowns Fashion + Beauty | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bella Donna Bridal Salon, the local bridal gowns store in Town and Country Village off Fulton Ave., opted in for a website makeover and apparently, a new look for the store as well.

The new site is more comprehensive: starting on the homepage, you'll see designers they carry listed at the bottom (Jenny Packham, my favorite!), and options for bridesmaids dresses broken out below. While the website is not set up for viewers to scroll through lots of dress photos online, it is much more user-friendly. The events page lists upcoming events, including a preview collection at the end of the month (where yours truly will be present).

What's new with the store? I haven't visited yet, but I hear they have a new wall color, and have arranged the dresses in a way to be easier to see. Will we miss the charming Tiffany blue aura, or will we be enamored with the new color? Don't know yet. But send us some photos, ya'll.

Kudos to the Bella Donna team, and a special nod to Nicole, the manager, who's done an amazing job, again making Bella Donna one of the best bridal salons in the region.

P.S. - The Memory Journalists has studio space in Bella Donna Bridal Salon. They took the lovely photo that accompanies this post. :)

Posted By Haley Myers on Friday, January 8, 2010 in Sacramento Wedding Blog Gowns Local Resources Fashion + Beauty | Permalink | Comments (1)

House of Fashion is having a big blowout sale at the end of the month, hosted at the outlet location in East Sac at 38th and J streets, where you can find designer dresses more than half off. Just like we see on "Say Yes to the Dress," the blowout sale will likely be a crazy, crowded event where brides have a chance to fight for their dress at majorly slashed prices. First come, first served.

When: Dec. 19, 20, 23, 26, 27, 30 (these six days only)

Where: House of Fashion Outlet, 36th and J streets, East Sacramento

Deals: A dress that might normally cost $900 will be going for about $200.

Layout: Each room has a price associated with it. There will be a $199 and under room, a room with prices from $200 to $500, another with gowns from $600 to $1,000, and the last room with gowns from $1,000 and up.

For more info: Call Jen at the main House of Fashion store at 554-7440, or Lori and Dawn at the outlet at 457-7618.

Posted By Haley Myers on Friday, December 4, 2009 in Sacramento Wedding Blog Gowns | Permalink | Comments (0)

Maya Couture, a wedding gown store in Norfolk, VA., is celebrating Veteran's Day (Nov. 11) in an interesting way this year: giving wedding dresses away to military brides-to-be. Maya Couture joins other gowns stores and manufacturers to celebrate our troops as part of a group called "Brides Across America." See the home page for who qualifies. The closest participating store for our region is called The Bella Bride in San Francisco.

Posted By Haley Myers on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 in Gowns | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brides Against Breast Cancer is an organization with a very cool mission: to raise money to fight breast cancer, encourage brides to donate their used gowns. The organization then sells the gowns and uses that money to fight the pink fight. Can we say creative? Who wants to trash the dress when you could donate it to a good cause? I found out about Brides Agaist Breast Cancer when a mother-of-the-bride e-mailed me, telling me her daughter just donated her gown to this cause. Thanks Shelia! The donated gown is pictured at left, courtesy of Jen Stewart Photography.  

Read more on the subject in Brides Against Breast Cancer's article, "Don't Trash the Dress: Saving Gowns, Preserving Memories."

Posted By Haley Myers on Monday, September 28, 2009 in Gowns | Permalink | Comments (0)