Dynamite Weddings Workshop!

Thanks to all the Dynamite Experts that participated in the Dynamite Weddings Workshop last Sunday! The brides have given the event great reviews so far, saying things like: "This workshop/class setup beats a regular bridal expo any day. The "hands-on" learning in the workshop, and learning from experts in-person provide a great head start for wedding planning. It was much better than reading advice from a magazine!"

The brides loved the themed tables:

Zen Garden
(flowers by Lilygrass Fresh Flower Design, storyboard by The Memory Journalists, table cards by Stephanie J Designs, dress from Bella Donna Bridal Salon, all tabletop items and chairs from Celebrations! Elegant Party Rentals)
Funky Chic
((flowers by Visual Impact Design, storyboard by Profinish Design, table cards by Stephanie J Designs, dress from Bella Donna Bridal Salon, all tabletop items and chairs from Celebrations! Elegant Party Rentals)
Current Trends
(flowers by Flourish Designs, storyboard by Dynamite Weddings, table cards by Stephanie J Designs, dress from Bella Donna Bridal Salon, all tabletop items and chairs from Celebrations! Elegant Party Rentals)
Outdoor Chic
(flowers by Visual Impact Design, storyboard by Allison Stahl Photography, table cards by Stephanie J Designs, dress from Bella Donna Bridal Salon, all tabletop items and chairs from Celebrations! Elegant Party Rentals)
Sparkling Glam

(flowers by Blooms by Martha Andrews, storyboard by Sharpe Photographers, table cards by Stephanie J Designs, dress from Bella Donna Bridal Salon, all tabletop items and chairs from Celebrations! Elegant Party Rentals)
Thanks to The Memory Journalists for capturing great photos throughout the event!

Dress Trials!

Ok...so I have to say that so far my dress trials have been the hardest thing about planning our wedding! I tried on over 40 dresses and went in with no idea about what I wanted. The team at Bella Donna Bridal Salon were great and had me try on tons of different dress styles: with beading, no beading, with rouging, fitted satin, organza, netting...

After weeks of trying on dresses by Pronovias, Casablanca, La Sposa, Melissa Sweet and others, I finally found the dress...it's a Jasmine Couture. While I can't share the dress that I selected for fear of Mr. Detonator seeing it, here are a few that I didn't select, but were still super fun to try on! The last one was choice #2!

Introducing The Detonator

I am SO excited to be contributing to Dynamite Weddings as a recently engaged bride!! Here we are just moments after, on the coast in Big Sur!!
Here I was fooling around with the camera, practicing ring shots :)!

Since our engagement in November we are planning diligently to get married this August. It's been fun, but trying at the same time, working to keep perspective on what's important to us and still plan a really fun event! To read more about our engagement story, check out my past blog post.Photo provided by The Memory Journalists

I am excited to share that we are planning a real Dynamite wedding, meaning all the professionals involved so far are Dynamite Experts. The purpose behind Dynamite Weddings was to share tips, trends, bridal advice and recommend professionals that we would be honored to work with on our own wedding. Well, our wedding will be an opportunity to showcase a real Dynamite wedding where couples can see that those we recommend are truly trusted professionals. While Mr. Detonator and I would be grateful to work with all the Dynamite Experts, we could only choose a few for our 100 guest wedding. The experts we are excited to be working with are:

Bella Donna Bridal Salon
Blooms by Martha Andrews
Celebrations! Elegant Party Rentals
Profinish Design
Sheffield Multimedia
Stephanie J Designs
The Memory Journalists

Check back next week for my dress trials that have proved to be the most difficult part of this wedding so far!!

Another Dream Fulfilled

Last Sunday was the Dream Wedding Show, with excited soon-to-bes, pals and professionals buzzing around from building to building to meet all the wonderful experts showcased at the event. In case you somehow missed our Dynamite Experts at the show, here they are:

Bella Donna Bridal SalonCelebrations! Elegant Party RentalsLuxury Limousines of Sacramento (Thanks Bill for the last 2 pix)
Music on the Move DJs
Sharpe PhotographersSheffield Multimedia
Stephanie J DesignsThe Memory JournalistsTsakopoulos Library Galleria

Thanks to the Dream Wedding Show for hosting another successful event! Thanks to all the brides who stopped by to check us out and were able to visit the booths of our Dynamite Experts! Congrats to our Dream Wedding Show winner! See you at their next event, Premier Wedding Show.

Dream Wedding Show This Sunday!!

Come check out the Dream Wedding Show this Sunday, March 1st at Cal Expo with exhibits from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., with the first bridal fashion show starting at 10:15! Dynamite Weddings will be in building 3 with tips, trends and Things Every Bride Should Know. Also be sure to check out the other Dynamite Experts that will be showcased at the event:

Bella Donna Bridal Salon
Celebrations! Elegant Party Rentals
Library Galleria
Luxury Limousines
Music on the Move
Sharpe Photographers
Stephanie J Designs
The Memory Journalists

We are lucky to have 2 tickets to giveaway to the first bride to respond! Leave a comment with your wedding date and what you hope to learn from the professionals at the Dream Wedding Show.

Bella Donna Bridal Salon - Sample Sale!

Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to purchase name brand bridesmaid and bridal gowns as well as accessories at a highly discounted rate! Bella Donna Bridal Salon will be holding their sample sale from January 9th - February 9th.

Call today to schedule an appointment with their friendly, knowledgeable consultants.

2663 Town and Country Place
Sacramento, California 95821
916.481.5065
BellaDonnaBride.com

Photo provided by The Memory Journalists

Thanks To You!

Thanks to you all who came out to see us at the Premier Wedding Show making it such a success! We truly appreciate the support and hope that we reached a few new brides that hadn't yet had a chance to check out Dynamite Weddings! Hopefully you got to see all the fantastic vendors that participated and possibly recognized a few of them from Dynamite Weddings.

We also want to send a special thanks to the Premier Wedding Show for inviting Dynamite Weddings to participate. Here are the other Dynamite Vendors that participated in the show:

Bella Donna Bridal Salon

Celebrations! Elegant Party Rentals

Luxury Limousines of Sacramento

Music on the Move

Sharpe Photographers

Sheffield Multimedia (hard at work)

Stephanie J Designs

The Memory Journalists

Visual Impact Design

Disclaimer: None of the Dynamite Weddings photogs took these pics. NJ did.
Note to self-Ask DW photogs to take pics next time and stay far away from camera. ;P

Spotlight On - Bella Donna Bridal Salon

Bella Donna Bridal Salon is a Sacramento based salon offering an array of stunning sample dresses for you and your bridesmaids. Bella Donna’s knowledgeable staff wants to get to know you and assist in making sure that you find a dress that fits your needs, vision, and expectations for your wedding. They listen to your story and learn about the details of your special day. Bring your ideas, your magazine clippings, and your imagination. They will discuss with your vision of the perfect wedding gown – then they will find it. Bring your mother, your sister, your bridesmaids – everyone will be comfortable in their relaxed, intimate salon. You will be shown to your very own fitting room, complete with mirror, pedestal and a seating area for your guests. Visit Bella Donna Bridal Salon and be prepared to be pampered.

site: www.belladonnabride.com
address: 2663 Town & Country Place, Sacramento
email: info@belladonnabride.com
phone: 916.481.5065

Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists

Real Dynamite Wedding - Dan & Elisa

Dan & Elisa Bryant - The String to His Heart

Elisa and Dan's meeting was provoked. Dan had recently finished the Ironman World Championships and a self proclaimed break from dating. His buddies were participating in a SWAT demonstration at the school where Elisa taught and one of them noticed Elisa, or should we say her "gear". Leonard told Dan, "you have to ask this girl out...she had an REI Polar Tec 100 jacket." Dan was skeptical at first until Steve agreed. Dan thought why not...so the following day he left this message, "I'm Dan Bryant, I'm a friend of Jamie Jones, a teacher at your school and she gave me your number. I was just wondering if you would like to meet?" No return call. Two days later, talking to his friends, Dan found out the reason he hadn't heard back from Elisa. Jamie's last name wasn't Jones and she no longer worked at the school. Realizing that he may now be know as the "creepy stalker", he thought one more call to explain himself and get another chance may be in order. He called and she agreed to meet him. They met at a local brewery in Sacramento and learned a valuable lesson: Persistence may be needed when the right girl is wearing a Tec 100!

The Engagement
Dan was taking Elisa out to dinner to celebrate her completion of the portfolio for her National Teaching Credential. Elisa arrived at Dan's to find his door wide open. She went inside and there was a note on the table that said to follow the string through the house since "she holds the string to his heart". The string lead through the house and in each room was a note attached to an object. Each note told how each object reminded him of their relationship and memories over the last year. There were four notes in the kitchen, one in the dining room, three in the living room, and one in each bedroom; it was one big piece of string through the whole house. The end of the string was in the bedroom. Dan was standing there dressed to the nines in a spiffy suit. Dan rambled off what he thought came out as just garbled mushy wonderful sentiments and then got down on one knee and asked Elisa to marry him...with a ring pop. She said yes of course! He stood up and gave her his grandmother's ring. He read Elisa a letter he wrote describing the history behind the ring and his amazing grandmother. Dan treated Elisa to an elaborate three course meal at the Firehouse Restaurant that night. It was an original, unforgettable evening!

The Big Day (June 21, 2008)
Elisa and Dan's special day started at the Rocklin Park Hotel with the girls all getting ready in the couple's honeymoon suite. The fellas were getting ready in a nearby room waiting for the departure time to Morgan Creek Country Club. Elisa's amazing dress was complimented nicely by her "something blue", her shoes! The ceremony was decorated in celadon green and shades of pale yellow with beautiful chivari chairs and a columned alter, overlooking the calm lake at Morgan Creek. You can see from the pictures, Elisa was anxious to get down the aisle with her dad and meet Dan's comforting smile. The reception was A BLAST! Each table was decorated with table card names for triathalons and bike races that Dan has participated in. Live music was provided by The Time Bandits, a kid's table was set up in the corner with color crayons, dum-dums, playdough and a big paper table cloth for the kid's to decorate, and the breeze in the night air cooled off the hot June summer day.

Ceremony/Reception Location: Morgan Creek Golf & Country Club
Coordinator: Heather Johanson @ Morgan Creek
Photographer: The Memory Journalists
Officiant: Pastor Mike Walton, Lutheran Church of the Cross
Bridal Gown: Bella Donna Bridal Salon
Bridesmaids Dresses: Ann Taylor, Arden Fair Mall
Invitations: Paper Garden
Bakery: Dulce Delights, Stephanie George
Florist: Visual Impact
Reception Music: The Time Bandits, Bay Area

Trend - the New Taffeta

Taffeta is becoming a preferred fabric for wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses. The taffeta that is used for gowns now doesn’t look like the taffeta that was used back in the 80’s. Now, it is more light weight and catches the light to give the gown a gorgeous glow. Trend provided by Bella Donna Bridal Salon
Photo courtesy by The Memory Journalists

Tip - Know your Wedding Gown Budget

Know your budget before you start shopping for your wedding gown. Make sure you tell your bridal consultant your budget before you start looking so that she doesn’t grab a dress that is way out of your price range. You don’t want to try on a gown that you fall in love with and then realize that it’s over your budget.Tip provided by Bella Donna Bridal Salon.
Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists.

Trend - Micropleating

Hot for 2008: micropleating! Look like a grecian goddess in the new chiffon gowns with empire waists and tiny pleats throughout.Trend provided by Bella Donna Bridal Salon
Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists

Tip - Hollow to Hem

If you decide on a wedding gown with lace or beading around the hemline, always ask the consultant if the gown can be ordered "hollow to hem". This means that the consultant will measure you from your collar bone to where you want the finished hem to lay, and then order the dress for you in that length. There is usually an additional charge for this service (anywhere from $100 to $300), but it will save you money and time during the alterations process.

Tip provided by Bella Donna Bridal Salon
Photo courtesy of Sarah Maren Photography

Trend - Simply Elegant

Wearing a simple dress and adding just a little sparkle is very popular. This also gives you the opportunity to add something borrowed to your gown by taking an antique brooch or a vintage pin and adding it to your dress.Trend provided by Bella Donna Bridal Salon
Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists

Tip - Press the Dress

If you are traveling with your wedding gown, don't forget to line up a fine dry cleaner to press or steam your dress and veil before you wear them. For destination weddings, ask your hotel for a referral.

Tip provided by Bella Donna Bridal Salon

Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists

Trend - Modesty Is Stylish

Although the strapless neckline is considered timeless and classic for its ability to showcase beautiful shoulders and collar bones, the cap sleeve is making a comeback. This season, look for v-necks and sheer cap sleeves on the runway...you'll be pleasantly surprised by these alternative styles!

Trend provided by Bella Donna Bridal Salon

Photo courtesy of Sharpe Photographers

Tip - Notice Your Fit, Not Your Size

Remember that wedding gown samples run small so don’t get discouraged if your wedding gown size is one or two sizes bigger than what you normally wear. Remember to always select the larger size if you are between sizes.

Your gown can always be taken in; it can’t always be taken out.

Tip provided by Bella Donna Bridal

Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists

Trend - Not All Whites Are Equal

Remember that most wedding gowns come in ivory.

More and more brides desire ivory gowns because they still appear as white to the eye, but don’t wash you out like a white gown. This is usually a better choice for most skin tones and your guests will probably not notice the difference.

Trend provided by Bella Donna Bridal Salon

Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists

Tip - Don't Forget Alterations!

Remember that alterations are not included in the price of your wedding gown. Most of the time you will need an alteration here or there and you will definitely want a bustle if you choose a gown that has any sort of a train. This is also important to remember when considering the budget for your wedding gown.

Tip provided by Bella Donna Bridal Salon

Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists

Bella Donna Bridal Salon

Bella Donna strives to make your wedding gown shopping experience unique, personal and most of all fun! The bridal consultants at Bella Donna take pride in their great customer service and will do whatever possible to help you find the perfect gown. We like to listen to your story and your vision for your special day. Bella Donna has a relaxed, intimate atmosphere where your close friends and family can watch you glow in your perfect wedding gown. You will be shown to your very own spacious fitting room, complete with mirror, pedestal, and seating area for your guests. Bella Donna wants you to relax and enjoy this magical time in your life. Come prepared to be pampered!!

site: www.belladonnabride.com
e-mail: esther@belladonnabride.com
contact: Esther
phone: (916) 481-5056
address: Town & Country Village
2663 Town & Country Place
Sacramento, CA 95821