Koru Kate Finds: Giselle

Giselle Wedding Gown

Image by Elizabeth Dye at englishdept

Way back when I was on the hunt for the perfect wedding gown . . .

The Giselle wedding gown was my very first love.  Simple & sweet, just my style.   That Alencon lace detail?  I die!  Oh, I fell in love, so hard.  I printed out a photo of the Giselle wedding gown, tucked it in my wedding folder & considered the dress search over.  I'd picked out matching wedding invitations with an Alencon lace detail.  I was sold!

I booked my first trip to Lovely Bridal Shop during an Elizabeth Dye trunk show & although I was open-minded & tried on a bit of everything, Giselle still had my heart.  But I worried about a tea-length dress for a formal church ceremony, not to mention during winter.  During my second trip to Lovely, I tried on the full-length version of Giselle.  It wasn't right for me.  The fit was awful for my body & the lace detail was lost.  Giselle was soon forgotten when I fell in love, true love, with the last dress I tried on: my wedding dress!

Alas, Elizabeth Dye remains a favorite wedding gown designer of mine & as I happily perused her new, beautiful collection, I was pleased as punch to discover a redesigned, full-length Giselle to present as the latest Koru Kate Finds:

Giselle Wedding Gown, full-length

Image via Elizabeth Dye at englishdept

Love, love, LOVE!  The new, full-length Giselle is the perfect replica of the tea length version.  Same flattering A-line silouhette & same sweet lace detail.  It's absolutely divine in my humble opinion.  I don't wish I could go back & have this dress but I am really, really excited for the Brides-to-be that have this lovely dress as an option!  

Be sure to check out the other fabulous Elizabeth Dye options at The English Department too!

Yes to the Lovely Dress!!

I'm at Lovely Bridal Shop to get my wedding gown!

There are sweet touches everywhere you look,
including this Lovely banner on the second floor landing

The lovely first floor at Lovely Bridal Shop

Every Bride has a unique story when it comes to finding their wedding gown. Many told me they tried on the first gown & purchased it. Some mentioned long & hard searches including several bridal salons & hundreds of dresses before they found their wedding gown. Others fall somewhere in between those two extremes.

Here is my story.

I was (somewhat) patiently waiting for my Mom to visit from California before I started looking for my wedding gown when I came across a new bridal shop opening in the West Village of New York City called Lovely Bridal Shop. Lovely is striving to do something different: offer romantic dresses, reasonable prices, sweet atmosphere & a lovely experience. I started following Lovely's blog & researching their designers, becoming more & more excited to shop for my wedding gown.

I lost any & all patience to wait for my Mom when Lovely hosted an Elizabeth Dye trunk show, a designer I liked. On the beautiful spring day of my appointment, RZ & I headed into the city together & he dropped me off at the doorstep of the renovated brownstone that is Lovely Bridal Shop. I was semi-nervous that the hype may be greater than the reality but as soon as I walked through the door, all my fears fell away. I breathed in the calm atmosphere & took in the gorgeous decor which is beyond beautiful. And those racks of gorgeous weddings gowns- incredible!

For the next 45 minutes, I had a ball playing dress up as a Bride. In some ways, after so many years as a wedding planner, I could hardly believe I was the Bride in the mirror! I told the owner Lanie about my wedding, my style & my budget & she pulled several dresses for me. She was great about styling the dresses with ribbon sashes, brooches & flower pins when appropriate. All of the gowns were stunning; a few were definite contenders. I was drawn to two gowns the most & I decided my Mom could help me decide when she came with me.

Fast forward to a beautiful summer day one month later. My Mom & I returned to Lovely for the final selection. The plan was to show her my favorite dresses & maybe try on a few more gowns to give her the Lovely shopping experience that I had adored so much the first time. This time, we were helped by the kind Victoria who pulled the two dresses I liked & my Mom found three dresses for me to try on. My Mom sat back & relaxed downstairs while I came down to model each dress for her. We had fun playing with accessories like veils & headpieces to complete each look. I nixed Dress #1 because I didn't like the long version & I pretty much thought Dress #2 was the winner. Dress #3 & Dress #4 were fabulous, just not winners for me. Then I tried on Dress #5 & I fell in love instantly. Romantic. Simple. Me. This wedding gown was everything I had wanted & more- it blew me away.

I bought the last dress I tried on at Lovely Bridal Shop. That is my story of finding my wedding gown.