Finding the perfect Wedding Dress

January 3rd, 2012

I thought being in the bridal business for over 5 years would make picking out my wedding dress a piece of cake (pardon the pun).  To my surprise it is everything but simple.  There is a lot riding on picking out the perfect wedding dress.  Your dress whether it is romantic, trendy, classic, simple or casual has to fit in with your wedding venue and theme not to mention your body type.  I have never tried on wedding dresses before so it was a shock to see an amazing couture dress on the mannequin and then to try it on and have it not look so amazing on.  My number one tip for all Brides-to-Be is to make sure you try on multiple dresses in all colors and styles.  For example, I tried on a dress in a color called “Cafe” similar to a  dark champagne color, not your typical color for a wedding dress but looked beautiful on with my skin tone which happens to be ultra white.   I thought I would love lots of beading and lace but once I tried it on, I wasn’t so thrilled. My experience was that trying on wedding dresses outside of your vision box will give you options that you never considered.   

I went on my first wedding dress adventure today with my Mom and let me tell you I had no idea what I was in for.  First stop was Zola Keller on Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Zola  is known for her bridal gowns for the past two decades, she has dressed everyone from Miss Latina Florida to Miss America.  I knew I was in good hands with one of the top bridal dress experts here in South Florida for my first run at finding the perfect wedding dress.   I was plesently surprised at  the wide variety of bridal dresses from simple to couture, the large veil selection and the decorative hair pieces.  I had Zola herself working with me in the bridal suite pulling amazing dresses for me to try on and fitting each one to my figure.  We started out with the couture collection, lots of beading, lace, and full heavy trains, I felt very “Dancing with the Stars” or about to skate out on the ice for the winter Olympics.  After giving my feedback to Zola that my style was more classic and simple she pulled out a couple more options and then I found the perfect wedding dress {Enter angels singing in the background}.  I have heard it so many times in my studio “You just know when it’s the one” I am talking about dresses girls not men but it’s basically one in the same.  It’s the feeling that when you put on the dress from the second you step into it, the way it fits your body, when you can actually see yourself walking down the isle holding your bouquet; you know it’s THE ONE.  I put on a beautiful dupioni silk classic wedding dress and fell in love.  

Another key tip from my adventure today is that it takes anywhere from 5-6 months from time you order your wedding dress to when it comes in, you then have multiple fittings, picking out the right veil with your dress and finding the right hair pieces and accessories, not always the easiest thing to find at last minute, so make sure you plan with enough time.  I have a couple more appointments scheduled this week before I make my final decision; in the meantime I wanted to feature my two top bridal designers Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera below for inspiration on their Spring 2012 collection. 

Oscar de la Renta Spring 2012

Carolina Herrera Spring 2012

Love is in the air at Fresh Beauty Studio, I love everything French, romantic, pink, crystal, elegant….. I could go on and on.  Having designed and created the look and feel of an intimate French bridal studio for Fresh Beauty Studio over 5 years ago, I am beyond excited to design and create(of course with the input from my wonderful fiancé) the ultimate French romantic wedding for 2012.  My company has worked with over 150 Brides for hair and makeup both nationally and in the Caribbean since our doors opened in 2006.  It is interesting now to see my industry from a different perspective as a Bride not a vendor.  I am excited to share with all of you Beauties my journey from picking the theme, designer dress, time saving tips, hair and makeup trends, the best bridal SHOES; which as we know is the best part.  I will disclose in my upcoming blog entries the vendors that I will be using and posting beauty YouTube videos on wedding makeup looks on www.youtube.com/freshbeautystudio  using Fresh Beauty Studio Cosmetics.  Below you will see a glimpse of my vision of the perfect romantic wedding.    

Romantic dress, Hair & Makeup Look

The perfect Bridal Louboutians

Carolina Herrera one of my favorite designers

Love the Bird Cage Veil

Elegant

Unique and different

Eiffel Tower Ice Sculpture

French themed stamps for your invitations

Escort holders

Details Details Details

My love of Paris is no secret; my whole studio is built on the foundation of love, romance, and Paris with actual pictures of my trip to Paris on my pink studio walls. I was just completing the hardest 2.5 days of my life at Rapport Leadership International 2 hours away from the exciting lights of Las Vegas. I stepped off the bus after a 2 hour bus ride completely exhausted and not looking forward to my red eye that was not Non-Stop if you can believe that.  I was shocked and completely surprised when my boyfriend came out of nowhere and said “I have upgraded your ticket” WHAT??????? I couldn’t believe it! not only because I was mentally on another planet but the whole logistics of him flying in, canceling my flight and booking the most romantic weekend ever without me suspecting a thing!

Raymond & Nikol

I was whisked off to the Trump hotel with a corner suite that was HUGE not to mention the best views of the Las Vegas strip!  I couldn’t believe how happy I was that I didn’t have to get on that 11:30pm red eye never thinking that I was about to be proposed to.  Raymond (the love of my life) told me that he made a reservation at the Eiffel Tower restaurant, Oh La La I was so excited and still in a fog.  I got ready, picked out a black sequined quarter sleeve Tahari mini and my red Valentino’s and we were on our way.  Raymond had spent time on all the details from meeting with my parents for dinner while I was away to receive their blessing,  a private elevator ride up to the top of the Eiffel Tower to a custom menu with the best bubbly I have ever tasted.  I am going along with this whole romantic night not thinking that this was THE NIGHT.  Once we got to the top of the Eiffel Tower it was 25 degrees which added to all the romance.   After I made peace with how high we were and stepped away from the railing Raymond got down on one knee and asked “Will you marry me?”  Did I mention that I was still in dream land not really computing that this all was really happening?  I said YES!!!!! It was such a beautiful night full of romance, love and Paris.

As a wedding hair and makeup artist having over 150 weddings under my pink belt, I look forward to creating the most romantic wedding in 2012.

Bisuos Beauties

Love from Paris

If I could go back to any era I would pick the glamorous days of the 1950’s and 60’s.  A time where style and grace ruled the fashion industry not just on the catwalk but on the real runways.  I loved listening to the stories from my Mothers glamorous days as a TWA flight attendant, the uniforms, the flights from Paris to New York and of course the prestige of being picked to fly with one of the best airlines at that time.  I can’t wait to see the new show coming this fall to ABC on September 25th. created by jack Orman starting Christina Ricci, Kelli Garner, Margot Robbie and Michael Mosley.  It’s a period drama about the pilots and flight attendants who once made Pan Am the most glamorous way to fly.

This movie has inspired me, on my flight to NYC next month I will be dressing  Mad Men style and sipping on a martini, of course in first class.

Flying High with Style

Stephanie + Kenneth from BlueShore Productions on Vimeo.

I was honored to be a part of Stephanie and Kenneth’s wedding this past February. Jessica owner of JCG Events www.jcgevents.com did an amazing job. The location was just beautiful at the Epic Hotel in downtown Miami www.epichotel.com Take a look at the video by Blue Shore Cinema www.blueshorecinema.com

I am doing a little redecorating in the studio for a another big announcement in the next couple of months. I have had this plan in mind for over a year and a half.  I am so excited to share this with you beauties! I stumbled across this picture today and thought that  these chairs would look perfect in the studio.

Sexy Pink Chairs

I will be posting pictures of the before and after so keep checking back.

Super Delicious

Besides my magazine, shoe and makeup obsessions; I LOVE perfume it makes you feel like a bombshell no matter what the day brings. I have a huge selection of eclectic perfumes on my vanity. I have tried to pair them down to just a couple, even naming one my “signature scent”. My newest addition to my collection is DKNY Delicious Candy Apples Limited Edition Sweet Carmel. Check out all three at http://www.dkny.com/accessories/fragrance/#/?s=12&p=2 

The Sweet Caramel limited edition one that I snagged the other day is 1 of 3 tempting scents from our DKNY Delicious Candy Apples collection. This scent is a perfect blend of apple and delicate flowers, topped with creamy caramel and vanilla. I have to say this was a great find!!!!

I am excited to announce that Fresh Beauty Studio will be offering Micro-Pigmentation (permanent makeup) starting March 14th, 2011. I have  researched the permanent makeup industry for the last three years, I wanted to find a way to enhance my clients beauty with a soft natural look that was more permanent then traditional makeup.  I studied one on one under the direction of internationally known permanent makeup artist Susan Church (www.susanchurch.com) owner and founder of IIPC (International Institute of Permanent Makeup) I wanted to study and learn from the best, after intensive hands-on training with Ms. Church in Los Angeles, I am proud to offer this service to my clients.

A sample of Micro Pigmentation

What makes Fresh Beauty Studio different is our extreme attention to following strict OSHA and CDC protocols. Fresh Beauty Studio uses only single use, disposable needles, casings, tips etc. You will sign off that you have seen your technician dispose of your needle in the bio hazard waste. As a client, this should be your number one concern. My main concern is protecting my clients and delivering the ultimate natural look with micro pigmentation.

Micro pigmentation is a wonderful procedure for clients that want a “base” for their daily makeup routine, it’s also great for people that have medical conditions such as Alopecia, Chemotherapy or are motor impaired. Whether you are an active person that doesn’t want their makeup to run during those intense workouts or want to save time on your morning makeup routine, permanent makeup can open up a whole new beautiful world for you.

We are currently taking consultation appointments now, all procedures from March 14th through April 16th, 2011 are $100 (see below for details) Take advantage of this special portfolio pricing that will be offered only once.

– Eyebrows-hair simulation “hair strokes” for a natural looking brows
– Eyeliner, top and bottom
– Eyelash enhancement
– Lip liner –Full lip color 
– Beauty marks

For more information on micro pigmentation please contact me at Nikol@freshbeautystudio.com