While the gown may take the spotlight on our bride’s big day, we never underestimate the power of accessories in completing the wedding day look. Shoes literally come in every shape, size, colour and style for brides who want to truly make a statement. High Heels These are the most popular wedding day shoe by far. Most brides opt for …
We are honoured to have a guest writer on our blog today, a Valencienne bride herself. In such great detail Alison has written about her very own personal experience behind the doors of Valencienne. Each and every client of ours has such a unique custom design experience and it is a privilege to be able to create not only their …
I’ve been a huge fan of Elsa Corsi and her jewellery since I first meet her a number of years ago at the Wedluxe Show. She is the incredible force and designer behind this exceptional jewellery line. We both realized that her sparkles would compliment our Valencienne gowns beautifully and that our store would be a great location for Elsa to host Trunk shows for Toronto Brides. Her jewel’s are meticulously made …
Every once in a while, we get to work with both a mother and her daughter that share such a love and a friendship with each other that its hard to not get caught up in there enthusiasm. This past July, Valencienne created three custom designed gowns for these two lovely ladies Kathy Roberts and her daughter Jenny. Mother of the Bride, …
I love fashion. I’ve always loved fashion. I watch red carpets like others watch baseball (Go Jays!). Earlier this year during the 2015 Met Gala I predicted the latest bridal trend – the naked gown, sheer dress, veiled couture – whatever you want to call the trend, it’s design is clearly all about showcasing the body in sheer, barely there, …
There are literally hundreds of articles on the internet explaining the trials and tribulations of wedding dress shopping. Some expunge about only bringing one other person to your appointment, others talk about waiting six months before your big day to even start. Malarky! As a couture bridal gown designer, I want brides to know my fool-proof plan for finding the …
Every year the Grammys and Academy Awards influence fashion and style. It’s no different within the bridal industry, already Valencienne is being asked for versions of the Taylor Swift gown, embellishments like Katy Perry and plunging necklines such as Beyonce. Even not so popular gowns like Rhiannas’, people have had negative opinion towards but there is no doubt that that …
Saturday January 31st 2015, Marked the Fashion event of the year- The Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards. It was such an incredible event filled with such promise for Canadian talent, artists and designers. I felt honoured to be there and quite proud of my 30 year contribution to Canadian fashion. I was able to spend the evening catching up with many designers and industry friends who I have …
When Mariana arrived for her appointment at Valencienne, she was very casually dressed, wearing leggings and a loose top. She announced that she was a cousin of a previous client of mine and that she loved her cousins’ gown. She was having a very difficult time finding exactly what she was looking for and decided that custom was the way …
Last week, Valencienne Bridal had their eyes set on the New York Bridal Couture show searching for what was ‘haute’ on the runways for Spring. Dozens of top designers showcased their bridal collection at the annual bridal week. Next years bridal trends are Peplums, textured bodices and lots of tulle and the colour trend is red and Black gowns. The …
Toronto’s latest star is our bride, Ashlee B. She’s not only a star in this blog but she is one of our brides that gave Valencienne a tremendous testimony on our video. ‘’The Making of a wedding gown’’ Shot by Andrew and Emily of Honey and Dear. Ashlee is outgoing, gregarious and full of life. When we met it was …
When I was 21 I opened a bridal store named Valencienne on Bloor St.It was a store that came to be known for extremely elaborate wedding gowns and the whole store was a sea of big, no make that huge gowns, all with extraordinary details. Massive skirts, larger than life crinolines, trains that had no end, big over exaggerated …
When Lorraine walked into Valencienne wanting a wedding dress, it was the usual Saturday afternoon appointment and I thought, ‘A bride with her Mother, Father and her fiancé – What is her fiancé doing here?’ You see we have never had them as part of the wedding gown design team. This is really quite unusual. Not surprisingly, so to was …
When my clients come into my bridal salon I love talking about special events. As I prepared to write a blog this week my question was simply, ‘What was your favourite gown in past years at the Oscars?’ It was great to hear that many of my personnel favourites were also theirs too – after all, who could forget Pretty …
When our bride, Julie, walked into my store with her Mom, her Sister and little dog."Pupo” I thought ‘your kidding me right – a dog in Valencienne’. My beautiful bridal salon filled with magnificent silk wedding gowns and you bring a dog here. Our meeting was not starting off very well and with 27 years of experience in the bridal …
Valencienne surveyed our brides and some of our most trusted wedding peeps and came up with this list of favourite wedding blogs, websites and wedding shows and why they liked them. This list is based on the style of the site, wedding content and information and photography because without the eye candy these sites just wouldn’t be so appealing. After …
Its sure to be the wedding of the century and the big day has finally arrived. Designers will be glued to the TV tomorrow and some are standing, scissors in hand at their cutting tables to start the new trends of this upcoming Wedding year of 2011. I am sure that most custom wedding gowns will have elements of her …
So what is Couture? The original term of ‘Haute couture’ came from the exclusive French Fashion houses that refer to creation of exclusive, ornate, high fashion, custom-fitted clothes that are made to order for a specific customer. Here at Valencienne, ordering a couture gowns means every customer walks out with a one of a kind, original creation; and it all …
The happy couple – Kate Middleton and Prince William Looking forward to their magical day. The Kate Middleton inspired wedding gown by Valencienne, “Where did the concept for this gown come from?” Simple it’s the same as designing for our very own Toronto brides. We look at the client, how they dress, what’s their personal style and take into consideration …