Vancouver Fashion

Vancouver's online fashion culture magazine

Event Report: Style & Strut Bridal Fashion Event

January 30th, 2012 | Published in Event Report

Words by Jeanette Schwarz. Above photo by Linsey Hulls.

This past January 22nd, crowds of fabulous blushing brides-to-be and their entourages flocked to the fabulous Style & Strut Bridal Fashion Event, produced by DreamGroup Productions, at the Sutton Place Hotel in downtown Vancouver to hear celebrity host Randy Fenoli (from TLC’s “Say yes to the Dress”, pictured below by Linsey Hulls) share his infinite wisdom and enthusiasm in all things wedding dresses.

Randy Fenoli Style & Strut event Randy’s take on wedding planning had such a positive spin to it, that you would almost believe that weddings could be stress-free! His knowledge and passion were truly contagious; and convinced even the altar-shy and wedding-illiterate into longing for that ever elusive, perfect, princess dress–and the dream of being put on a pedestal and gazed at adoringly by all of your friends and loved ones.

Randy’s advice on surviving the stress of weddings? His book, It’s All About the Dress, featuring real brides of all ages, from size 2 to 22, and focusing on everything about weddings that is beautiful. The book keeps things in perspective, and eliminates the one emotion that all brides share: anxiety. With such positive sentiments such as “it’s not how many times you fall down, it’s how often you get up,” and, “it’s not what’s been given to you, it’s what you make of it”, he’s truly proved his success due to relentless positive thinking; and I’m convinced that his book would definitely make a great arsenal to have nearby during those times of duress whilst wedding planning.

(Ahem..bridesmaids take heed! Great gift idea here.)

My favourite Randy Fenoli quote of the day: “It’s really like riding a roller-coaster, in that you’re already strapped in, you’ve left the station. You have one of two choices, you can throw your hands in the air and enjoy the ride, or you can throw your head over the side and puke!”

Randy Fenoli Style & Strut event At the centre of the event was the glamorous Style Lounge, where plenty of exhibitors from all over Vancouver were pampering the brides-to-be with complimentary make-overs, eyebrow services, hair styling and more. It was practically a full-service salon where brides could try out everything from vaj-jewelling with Vajazzled (yes, it’s just what it sounds like!) and lash extensions, to high-end accessories and footwear; all in a few hours. A one-stop-shop to simplify the process of wedding planning for brides; and for the bridesmaids, so many fun ideas to include the bride in before her special day.

Among the vendors were popular Vancouver beauty hot-spots such as Noir Lash Lounge (merch pictured right by Jeanette Schwarz), BLO Blow Dry Bar, and Bombay Brow Bar; and among them numerous local makeup artists and jewellery designers. To add to the excitement, a bridal fashion show to set all eyes a-glow with wonder, featuring gowns by non-other than Paloma Blanca, Jim Hjelm’s Blush by Isabelle’s Bridal, a vintage collection by our own local-grown Eco-designer, Pure Magnolia, and a collection of dresses by Monique Lhuillier, Lillen Collection, Oscar de la Renta, Jenny Packham, and Lazaro by Bisou Bridal to close the show with a bang.

All in all, this was a uniquely inspiring event to spark the imagination of brides-to-be, and bridesmaids looking for unique ideas for pre-event celebrations. After one day in the world of a bride’s life, one quickly realizes that with so many cool ideas, great services, and unique products available to brides in our city to ‘pimp’ their special day, it’s hard not to get excited about matrimony; and well, pretty much all things love.

Published in Event Report

Fresh off the press

Archives >>

Fresh in Event Report

Event Report: a very classy book launch with Derek Blasberg

A great night, a new book, a classy affair not to be forgotten.

Blanche Macdonald Grad Show 2011: the spectrum

The 2011 Blanche Macdonald grad show delivered once again with an array of well-executed designs as proof of the hard work behind the well-respected fashion design program.