NEW DRESSES!!!!!!

Before starting let me congratulate my SIL ("I is what I is and I ain't what I ain't") mentioned in my last post. She has recently been hired as a slightly tongue-in-cheek advice columnist in the White County News: "Ask Lula Belle." Congrats, Abi ...uh Lula Belle!

The new dresses from Venus and Bonny have shipped and they are so pretty! No, really, they are! So much so, that I basically sold two of them "out of the box" before they'd even been steamed! All of them have gotten a really positive response from the brides who have been the first to see them.

It's fun to see the styles in person as they were ordered only from pictures. The modest vendors didn't come to Atlanta for the past market. Thankfully, everything looks even better in person than their photographs.

There are a few style trends that are obvious from this new group of bridal gowns. One is BOWS. The dress pictured is by Venus, but they are certainly not the only ones to be in on the new trend. Bonny and Eternity also are using bows this season as an accent. (Though certainly not on everything lest a "bow-hater" out there should start to panic!)

As a bride last week said, "I can't believe I like it, but the bow is so cute!" Bows haven't been really "in" for a while, and that little detail is very "fresh" as well as "pretty."

The other trend in this season is LACE. Several of the "stand-out" dresses have lace, lace and more lace. Rich, beaded lace is so classic and elegant. These fulfil a need that probably wasn't adequately addressed in the last season.

Several of these styles have the "fit and flare" silhouette similar to the dress to the left. This can be so flattering to a wide variety of figure types.

If your dream wedding dress has yards and yards of sumptuous lace, this is the season for you!

And remember, any current dress you see in white is also available in ivory.

So bear with our "mess" as we'll be busy "Oooooo-ing, ahhhhhhhing" and unpacking and steaming for a little while longer. By that time, of course, the new Eternity dresses should be here!