Beautiful Bridal Bouquets - Part 2

Here are some inspiration and  ideas for wedding bouquets.  These beautiful bouquets are created with deeper floral tones from the bouquet bar we created at our Meet The Wedding Experts Event.  What's your favorite bouquet?  Watch for Part 3 of our Wedding Bouquet Bar collection soon!

A bouquet blooming with romance and decadence by
The Wishing Well Florist

Dark Calla lillies accented by shades of peach and orange
The bouquet is also wrapped with ribbon to match and a lovely brooch accent.
brought to you by StemLine Creative in Chicago, Illinois 

A bouquet that's perfect for any non traditional bride with a mix of tropicals, tulips and sprays of mimosa wrapped with colorful japanese fabric by Topiarius

Lush greenery with sprays of orchids takes over in this stunning bouquet by
H. Bloom

Deep eggplant Calla Lillies are accented
with feathers and fiddleheads  for a fun and festive bouquet by
 Color and Company

A bouquet that's full and lush with soft floral tones embraced with dusty miller
by Fragrant Designs in Chicago, Illinois 

Romantic red roses, sedum and dusty miller greenery creates a delicate yet stunning bouquet by
Forget Me Knodt


A fairytale bouquet full of opulence and flowers in bloom complete with a brooch accent on a bevy of tulle.
Nancy Kraus Floral Design 

Photographs by: Ocken Photography

Beautiful Bridal Bouquets - Part 1

At our Meet the Wedding Experts event, held at Room 1520 we had many florists create beautiful wedding bouquets. The range in design was awe inspiring and each were unique in their own right. Many of the bridal bouquets were filled with bright colors which is a huge trend in 2012 as well as vibrant jewel and neutrals tones.  Bright colors are really making a pop. Blues, greens, pinks and of course the color of the season: pantone. Whether you enjoy bright tones or neutrals, flowers are a great way to add color to your wedding.  At the end of the evening, we had a raffle and many lucky brides took home these gorgeous creations. This week, we'll be posting more of the individual wedding bouquets from our Meet The Experts event. 

Guests looking at The Bouquet Bar....what's your favorite?

The Bouquet Bar at Room 1520...ready for our guests to arrive!
The room looked gorgeous with uplighting by Art of Imagination and the space designed by Debi Lilly of A Perfect Event.



Love the color mix of deep orange tones with the softness of tulips and dusty miller StemLine Creative Bouquet.
The acrylic versailles style chairs completed the look of the room by Tablescapes Rental.

A Scarlet Petal Wedding Bouquet



One lucky bride won this gorgeous tropical wedding bouquet by Fleur de Lis Floral



Happy couple with their bouquet from Stemline Creative

 Photograhs by: Ocken Photography

Sara Gabriel Wedding Accessories

Sara Gabriel Daisy Headpiece

Sara Gabriel Sue Veil

Sara Gabriel Sophia Veil

Vintage inspired looks are trending heavy for 2012 weddings.  It's true that what's old is new again.  Birdcage veils continue to make a big splash and lots of sparkle!  Lucky for you Sara Gabriel will be hosting a trunk show at The Left Bank  February 10 through 12th showcasing her gorgeous new  Spring Collection and magnificent veils.  Come meet Sara in person and she will make you a custom creation. Please call or email for an appointment;  773-929-7422.
Email:  TheLeftBank@sbcglobal.net

Introducing Ashley, Our New Blogger

Hello Everyone! I'm Ashley and I will be writing The Left Bank blog, Everything But The Dress.  Like most clients that come into our boutique, I am in the midst of planning my wedding in August.  My fiance, Brandon, proposed in June. I cooked dinner for him and wound up burning the fish on the grill. We laughed it off and were enjoying ourselves and the time together. We had been talking about getting married but he wanted to ask for my parents permission. Since they were out of town, he felt like he couldn't ask me. He was giving me a back massage and we were talking about how great our day was together and how much we wanted to get married. He turned me around and said, "I can't wait anymore". He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes.

Brandon, Ashley and our adopted poodle, Chandler

I am planning my wedding loving every moment of it. From the moment I got engaged, I knew what I wanted. I have been planning my wedding since I was a little girl so I knew I wanted a princess dress and a tiara. Within days, I had set up meetings at hotels and unique venues in Chicago.  In one day I eliminated most of the places and fell in love with The Congress Plaza Hotel. When I showed the space to Brandon he said "this is where we're getting married". In July I found my dress which was the 4th dress I tried on. My mom and I went wedding dress shopping at Belle Vie in Chicago and found the perfect Anne Barge dress that I am utterly in love with and cannot wait to wear. We had a terrific experience with our consultant Gwen, whose southern hospitality was so welcoming.  It is not exactly a true princess dress but as my mom says, it is an "angel" dress. Gwen suggested I come to The Left Bank for my wedding accessories and not only found my gorgeous hairpiece and earrings, but a chance to work in the wedding industry!

Brandon and Ashley

My bridesmaids are wearing long black Calvin Klein gowns from a Nordstrom's which I know they will be able to  wear again.  Their bouquets are yellow, orange and bright pink and I wouldn't dare ask them to wear any of those colors since most of them are very pale and as someone who is always being teased for her pale skin, I know you can never go wrong with black. Bright bouquets will really pop out against their black gowns.

I'm excited to share more of my wedding planning experiences on our blog and look forward to meeting many new brides and helping them stylize their wedding day!

Photos Courtsey of: Flash! Digital Portraits (Photographer: Samantha)

Budget Friendly Weddings

Weddings can be beautiful no matter the budget.  The Left Bank's, Susan Metropoulos, was on ABC TV Chicago talking about budget friendly wedding ideas; from fruit focused centerpieces to dyeing and embellishing your wedding shoes. There are so many ways to add to your wedding while saving money. One great option is serving family style cuisine.  This is a definite cost savings since there needs to be less staff and serving pieces, plus it's interactive and gets your guests talking and sharing around a table. For your escort cards, why not have them double as your guests favors too?  We love candy and food oriented favors and your guests will too?  Candles make any setting romantic and they are inexpensive. You can group them to use as centerpieces or dress them up by simply adding ribbon or pretty paper over them to add flare to your wedding. If you are looking for a more personal touch for your centerpieces, use framed pictures of your families, place them in pretty frames surrounded by candles for a true romantic feel.

Real Wedding: Kristen's Winter Wedding Wonderland in Lake Geneva

Kristen makes the title of our blog, Everything But The Dress, ring true; because she did just that. From her  Grazia Valentine shoes, our exclusive Faux Fur Statement jacket, Haute Bride Glam Cushion Cut Earrings, and her Laura Jayne Mirage Tulle Veil. She was elated to wake up to snow on her wedding day. The smile cannot be taken off her face as she looked and felt gorgeous wearing her gorgeous wedding accessories with her gown by Impressions Bridal. All of the pieces she chose from our boutique, The Left Bank accented Kristen's true beauty. Her earrings were such a hit, one of her bridesmaids has asked to borrow them for her own wedding.

Their wonderful wedding video filmed by Matt Mason at The Biltmore Country Club

Glam Cushion Cut Earrings by Haute Bride

Kirsten wearing a fabulous Faux Fur Statement Jacket with her attendants

 Photo: Matt Mason. Matt is a Lake Geneva Wedding Photographer

Wedding Location: Biltmore Country Club, North Barrington, Illinois

UR Supermodels at The Metropolitan Club Chicago

These gorgeous models did a fantastic job at the Metropolitan Club's Love at Breathtaking Heights wedding show in Chicago. The dresses were provided Belle Vie Bridal Couture and the photos were taken by Kenny Kim. We cannot wait to work with UR Supermodels again at Our Meet the Experts Event where they will be featured on WGN-TV

Meet The Experts at Room 1520

Meet the Wedding Experts along with CS Brides Editor and Chief, Elise Hofer, Thursday, January 19th, 2012 at 6:30 p.m.-8:30p.m. at Room 1520 in Chicago. A perfect event for any bride-to-be and her fiance. This event is complimentarym but you must RSVP since space is limited. Get your questions answered from how to manage your money to what invitations are perfect for your wedding day. Featuring a bouquet bar from Chicago's leading florists and great table top decor from Debi Lilly of A Perfect Event. Hors d'oeures from Pure Kitchen Catering, libations from Binny's and dessert from TipsyCake will be served.

Above Photo Taken At Salvage One Chicago by Tony Hughes of T & S Photography
www.tandshughesphotography.com

Suave Dry Shampoo Perfect for Bridal Updo's

Suave gave us a sneak peak at their Keratin Infusion line and we cannot be more thrilled with their new line. It's perfect for a bride-to-be whose about to go for a trial run. This dry shampoo is perfect if you need a little boost before your beauty appointment. Hairstylists say, it's better to go in for an updo with dirty hair because it styles better. It helps keep your hair manageable and maintain the smoothness that we all crave. In winter, our hair gets chapped and damaged from the weather. Dry shampoo fights that and with the fresh, fruity smell, will make you feel like summer is right around the corner.You want to look beautiful on your big day and maintaining your hair is part of that. Suave Professionals want you to look your best an their new line of Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo.

We will be giving away free samples of Suave Dry Shampoo and Hairspray at our Meet the Experts Event on Thursday, January 19th, 2012 at Room 1520. See our website for more details or email us at:  theleftbank@sbcglobal.net

Before and After (L and R) Using the New Suave Keratin Products

Love at Breathtaking Heights, A Bridal Show at the Metropolitan Club Friday January 6, 2012

Come Join Us This Friday at the Metropolitan Club at Willis Tower RSVP to nora.narkevic@ourclub.com