During the next week I am off to check out some of the latest wedding gowns by 100s of different designers.  Belle’s will select gowns that flatter and look totally fabulous for our brides!  New gowns will start to arrive in the next few weeks!

And with that in mind - we are clearing out last years gowns at wonderfully discounted prices.  If you were looking to save a bit of cash on your wedding gown make sure you get into this sale before its too late.  Appointments this week are full, but there are still a couple spots (as of now) open next Saturday - the 6th.  Call (325)673-0033 to make your sample sale appoinment now!

For those of you that have been waiting for an awesome gown sale - here ya go. This sale is by invitation only. How do you get an invite to the secret sale? Easy, sign up below!

This sale is 100% secret. Each day between September 1st and October 26th, Homecoming weekend at ACU, you could get a sale coupon and save up to 80% off your wedding or homecoming gown! It doesn’t matter if you have already been to Belle’s Bridal or not.

Each day between September 1st - October 26th, an email will go out to ONE lucky person on our list with a voucher that entitles you to save 20%, 40%, 50%, 75%, or 80% off! That person will have the opportunity to attend the Secret Sale, choose their gown from select styles, and save on our gorgeous wedding and formal gowns! Make sure to RSVP to your invitation by phone by the deadline on your email. This is an awesome chance to get a wedding gown or homecoming dress at a HUGE discount!

This sale includes gowns by Alfred Angelo, Maggie Sottero, Winnie Couture, Bailey Couture Formal Gowns, Belle’s PROM!, and lots more!

I told you a freakin fab sale was on its way. Here it is! Check your email daily to see if you won the invite to the secret sale! You won’t want to miss this!

SIGN UP BELOW!

If you aren’t on our email list - get on it!  You can get specials via email that you cannot get any other way.  You also get notification of private sales, coupons, and wedding day advice.  The last email that went out had notification of a private sale AND a coupon for $200 of a wedding gown!

Newsletters are sent out about every 10 days and offer exclusive offers on bridal gowns, bridesmaids, prom gowns, tuxedos, and photography.  So, if you have an event coming up, the best way to stay in our sale loop is via that newsletter.

To sign up, simply go to our website, enter your email address, and that’s it!

Here is the link: http://www.weddingsbybelles.com/bridal.htm This is the sign up box that was set up for bridal, but it will acutally keep you in the loop on everything above as well.

Could saving money be easier?

Besides the gown and your guy, what else is around after the wedding? The flowers die, the food is eaten, the dancing’s done, and what do you have left to remember the most special day of your life? Photographs. Besides your gown, photography is one of the most important purchases for your wedding.

There are tons of things to blunder at your wedding.  Some will go unnoticed and other’s you’ll regret.  This little post is to inform you of the common wedding photography blunders and how to avoid them.  Whether you are a Belle’s Bride or not, every girl deserves to have wedding photos!

Common Wedding Day Photography Blunders:

My budget is for a country wedding. We are spending less than $10K total and I can’t see forking over 20% of that budget to a photographer. Anyone can take a picture, right? Wouldn’t I be better off buying a nice camera and letting my friend shoot it?

Wedding photography is way more complex than your normal snap shots. That is the primary issues here. Add that to the fact that a wedding is a once in a life time event and you have a recipe for disaster by allowing a novice to shoot your wedding.

“Weddings have some of the screwiest lighting situations a photographer will encounter,” according to Mike Ward at Belle’s Photography. This creates all sorts of problems for those who aren’t prepared for it.

I’ve seen brides crying about their photography. 90% of the time it was because they let a family member shoot it. I kid you not, at one wedding the designated photographer was a newly-wed family member. They were too lovey dovey to notice he didn’t remove the lens cap until the entire wedding was over.

TIP:  Just because you have a professional camera doesn’t mean you will get professional results.

Apples and Oranges

When you hire a photographer, you want to make sure they are a wedding photographer. Yes, there are different kinds of photographers, just like there are different kinds of teachers. You wouldn’t enroll in a music class if you want to learn about modern art, and expect to be taught the same thing.

The same holds true with photography.  Comparing a child photographer and a sports photographer is like comparing an apple to an orange.  They are both fruit, but they are different.  A child photographer has a different daily experience and most likely different equipment than a wedding photographer. A wedding photographer will have lenses that preform in dim lighting, from very far away, and can go very wide. Photographers have equipment according to their specialty. If they state they have a specialty, pay attention to it and don’t beg a puppy photographer to shoot your wedding.

TIP: Size DOES matter (lens size).  Wedding photographers have the correct assortment of lenses to make sure no one is inches away while you say ‘I do.’

The Hack Factor

There are people who decide to shoot weddings, put up a pretty website using stock photos purchased off the internet, take about $1,000 from you, and they have NEVER shot a wedding before in their life. You will most likely get the same junk random relatives would have gotten. “You will see everything from severe issues with exposure to noise to white balance - assuming they even get the shots,” according to Mike, owner of Belle’s Photography. Yes, there are shots wedding photographers KNOW they have to nail. Novice NewBs don’t know that and are not prepared to take it on.

So, how do you figure out if the photographer you are considering is a hack or the real deal? Fool proof method is certification via the Professional Photographers of America. The photographer had to pass a rigorous test to prove themselves competent. It is easy to check, just log into the PPA website and do a search.

The next method to preventing the ‘Hack Factor’ is a little more time consuming, but worth it. When you talk to your photographer, ask them questions. Ask why they use what equipment they use, how many shooters you’ll get, will they be the one to shoot your wedding, how do you back up your work, do you shoot jpg or raw, can I see proofs from a whole wedding you have recently shot, how do you handle unexpected occurrences (camera body failure, card failure, broken flashes, etc). You can write down what they say and check it, but more importantly - can they definitively answer you. If you stump your photographer, its a good clue he or she is still a novice.

The photographers we recommend have shot many weddings. Belle’s Photography even teaches other professional photographers how to shoot weddings at wedding photography workshops. They are up to their eyeballs in this stuff every day - and you can tell. Their photos are magnificent. To see more of their work, click here.  Our stores even share the same name - Belle’s.  You know you are gonna find beautiful stuff with a name like that!  ;o)

Other resources to find a wedding photographer:

Professional Photographers of America:  Any photographer can join, but you can also find listings of certified photographers and master photographers.

Wedding & Portrait Photographers International:  Again, membership is open to any photographer so inspect your choices.  An award from the WPPI is something worth noting.

Wedding Photojournalistic Association:  This is a listing of PJ wedding photographers.  This association does screen its members, and only accepts members with an emphasis on wedding photojournalism (they follow you around, rather than dragging you from pose to pose.  PJ = no poses).

When purchasing your bridesmaids dresses, you tend to think about a good match for your wedding colors 1st. Say you like purple, you go and find purple gowns in the shade you are totally lovin’ - hooray! Then you have the task of deciding whether everyone is gonna match or you want everyone uniform. Allowing your bridesmaids to choose their own gowns is very considerate and can still coordinate beautifully. Other brides choose a universally flattering cut (yep, there is such a thing), with a combo of these two theories and have all the bridesmaids uniform, with the exception of the maid of honor.

Then comes the tricky part - price.

Belle’s Bridal Boutique caters to brides who typically spend over $1500 on their wedding gown.  They want papmering.  They want couture.  And price is no object.  While this may be the case for the bride, the bridesmaids often are singing a different song. So what’s a stylin bride to do?

Well, this is where Belle’s comes to the rescue!  Ya know how we have super fab bridesmaids gowns, most of which are priced between $200 - $300?  Well, you can now get those same gowns at a fraction of the cost via our “No Frills” bridesmaids program.  You get the same dress, for less.  How does the no frills program work?  Easy.  Select the bridesmaid gown you like from one of our designers.  Choose your colors.  Get your sizes and place your order.  Easy peasy.  Nothing is done in the store, except placing the order.

You can take your time selecting the dresses on the designer’s website.  And best of all, you now have online prices without the online hassle.  When your dresses arrive, they are handed to you the same way you’d receive them in the mail - bagged and folded in the box.

And for our couture brides who are happy with our full service bridesmaids program the way it is - we still have that.  No worries.  Belle’s is trying to make our bride’s lives a little easier one thing at a time.  To be eligible for the No Frills Bridesmaids Program you must have 5 or more bridesmaids in your party, and select your styles, colors, and sizes yourself.  That’s it!  No Frills Bridesmaids prices start at $129.99.  We are not offering this program as mail order - you have to live close enought to place and pick up your order at the store.  For more details about our new bridesmaids program, contact the store.

Yesterday a beautiful bride got to pick up her couture gown.  We had created a special gown that was just for her.  It offered the beauty, structure, and elements that she desired in a wedding gown.  We placed her order last winter.  Yesterday was the 1st time she got to see her gown.  It was so exciting!  I love it when a bride isn’t afraid to go after EXACTLY what she wants.  The fit flattered her figure and the material choice was perfect to compliment her skin tone.

This stunning couture satin gown was made by Winnie Couture and adorned with crystals and silver.  The bride customized the gown by making changes to the pattern thereby allowing for an A-line skirt, longer train, and using satin rather than silk.  The bride completed the look with a single layer handkerchief veil adorned with 3 Austrian crystals.  I cannot wait to see the bridal portraits!