When Annie H. first came to us, she came with a photo of a gown she had seen in an upscale bridal boutique in Chicago. Not being able to find the dress in any of the Michigan salons, she thought perhaps we could create something similar. Needless to see Annie and her mom, Bobbe, were delighted with the result. Annie's gown was an intensive labor of love. It was created from a vast array of Alencon lace appliques, with a few layered tone-on-tone flower petals. The dress itself was ivory silk taffeta with an organza overskirt of the same shade.

On July 2, Annie and Cory Knill returned to her home town in Wisconsin to finalize their vows. The ceremony and reception took place at The Kendall Barn in Three Lakes.

Annie's photographer, Becky, owner of Brown Street Studios in Rhinelander, Wisconsin created some of the most fabulous photography we've seen. Becky is available for travel just about anywhere.

Girls never change. Whether it be a little girl making her First Communion or a high school teen attending her Senior Prom, she usually gravitates to the same thing: "Lots of Bling!"

We stepped out of our normal routine to do a favor for a couple of friends with special requests:

Sophie Buatti was making her First Holy Communion in May, and her mom Stacey asked me to make her little daughter something special. Sophie actually designed her dress [which was sleeveless] and asked us to add the jacket. She wanted an A-line skirt with pickups instead of the usual gathered full skirt. Also, and more important, she wanted lots of Bling, so we added a lace with sequins and tiny pearls.

Rachel Nowak wanted a slim lilac dress with lots of Bling. Her mom, Liz asked us to help Rachel attain the dress of her dreams. We started with a stretch charmeuse in just the right color and found the perfect trim in our inventory. We matched the bold trim with a silver stretch sequined fabric at Haberman Fabrics in Royal Oak. The dress fit her like a glove. Rachel was glowing.

Our first June bride, Nataliya Laypa, wanted something special for her June 4th wedding. Since both she and her fincee Vlad grew up in the Ukraine, they dreamed of returning to their homeland and the beautiful town of Zalishchyky to finalize their wedding vows and reunite with friends and family on this joyous occasion.

For her special day, Nataliya wanted a combination of elements that she saw in two prominent American designer gowns; one by Monique Lhuillier and the other by Jenny Lee. We put them together [and added our own touch] for a breathtaking finale.

Working with Nataliya, we created her one-of-a-kind perfect gown of diamond white silk taffeta and organza. Hand rolled taffeta roses and organza ruffles intertwined gracefully to form a garden of flowers on the skirt. The small train that gracefully swept the floor in back was bustled up later for dancing.