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.
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Mother of the Bride, Kathy, truly wanted to embody elegance for her daughters big day and came in with some very specific requests for her mother-of-the-bride suit and her evening gown. She wanted to look elegant, detailed and yet understated for the ceremony. She also wanted the color to match the wedding pallet which was soft peach, ivories and gold. The lace was a Chantilly French lace and the fabric was 4-ply Italian silk crepe. We accessorized this look with custom made Valencienne jewellery set which was soft peach fresh water pearls and scattered Swarovski crystals.
Her reception gown was jaw dropping. Kathy came to us with a few inspirational photos mostly of Kate Middleton. Kathy has a great sense of humor. Upon giving us these pictures, she said, “Kim, I know I’m not Kate Middleton, but I know you can design something with changes to enhance my body shape and style that is similar to a Jenny Packham style.” We loved creating this gown. It was made of silk crepe and hand draped in silk chiffon. It was bespoke, custom fitted and absolutely stunning!
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Daughter Jenny wanted to make a bold statement with a show stopping, elegant and fitted wedding gown. When I met Jenny, I was taken by her sift features, petite body and gorgeous natural blonde hair. She was soft spoken and had a wicked sense of humor. How do I know this? Well, in Kim Style, while Jenny was changing out of one gown to put another gown on, she was standing on my podium in front of three mirrors, naked. I ran into the change room to give Jenny another gown to try on, tripped over her shoes, flew across the room, and landed on my knees. As I got tangled up in the wedding gown I was carrying, I could not get up! Kathy ran in and thought I had a heart attack, Jenny preceded to forget that she was naked and announced loudly and forcefully, “Kim! I’m a doctor! Don’t get up! Stay on the floor!” The more she spoke, the more hysterically I was laughing! Then they were on the floor with me laughing! Jenny screamed after she realized that I was not hurt, “Oh my god! I thought my wedding gown shopping days were over!” After this incredible first meeting, we were fast friends and it was clear to me that this relationship was going to be quiet special. Sitting down to design her wedding gown I felt although there was a softness to her and her personality, this gown needed to be very dramatic and had to have a strong presence to match her personality. Her couture wedding gown featured two different laces. One was a light weight Chantilly lace and the second was a heavily beaded corded Chantilly lace with two different patterns. The bodice was corseted and the back was low that we enhances with a back lariat necklace custom designed by Elsa Corsi.
The finishing details and accessories are very important to Valencienne. Kathy asked us to create a hand made wedding purse for Jenny using the lace from her own wedding gown. All of the jewellery for Kathy and Jenny were designed and created at our Elsa Corsi Trunk Shows that Valencienne hosts three times a year. Working closely with Elsa herself we picked pieces for their wow factor that worked with the gowns to highlight the ladies beauty. For Jenny, we collaborated on a Laura Jayne veil that was trimmed with a soft silver edge and enhanced with Swarovski crystal. The tulle was a French mirage tulle which is very soft and flowy which created a very romantic yet dramatic look worthy of a magazine cover.
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Both women wanted timeless, elegant and showstopping and put themselves in my hands. I couldn’t have asked for more wonderful clients to create custom couture bridal and cocktail wear for!
A big thank you to Toronto & Niagara Wedding Planner, Crystal Adair-Benning, of Distinct Occasions for sending us this super sweet mother and daughter! The wedding a peach inspired Niagara celebration on the family estate looked stunning! Photography by Life Images