Monday, April 27, 2009

Boutique Couture


About a month ago I had the opportunity of meeting Emily, owner of Boutique Couture. It is located in downtown Chattanooga, TN. I had the opportunity of sharing some of my dresses with her and was delighted that she wanted to carry my gowns in her store. We put a couple of my gowns up in the windows for a few weeks to see what customers thought. The response was all positive. I'm posting a picture taken of me outside of her store. We have lots of plans for this summer including  a fashion show.....stay tuned.



Friday, April 24, 2009

One more one-shoulder gown

This dress can be taken straight off the red carpet to the church! Love it!

StudioWed Cocktail Party





A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a cocktail party at StudioWed  in honor of Lara Casey, editor for Southern Weddings Magazine. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet a lot of Atlanta's top vendors. Below are a few images from the evening, courtesy of Andrea Taylor




Key Lime Pops by Sweet Sensations

Cupcakes by M Cupcakes



Jeremy with A Bryan Photo, Lara Casey, and myself



The Anatomy of a Dress



Have you every wondered why wedding dresses don't look more like what celebrities are wearing to the Oscars or Emmy's? Why does it seem that when it comes to wedding gowns we are limited to mostly a strapless gown made of satin? I have come to the conclusion that there is not enough versatility in wedding gowns. If there are rules to what a gown should and shouldn't look like, I'd like to mix it up and say a bride can wear whatever she feels most beautiful and comfortable in. Each week I will be posting ideas of dresses I believe could be made into a wedding dress. It will be a mixture of non-wedding gowns mixed in with wedding dresses that are a bit more out there in style than the norm. I hope it can inspire and give ideas to what a gown can be. That is the whole idea behind Chaviano Bridal Couture, to inspire and create. This week I am focusing on the one-shoulder dress. I love this style and it is becoming more and more popular in the wedding business.




Photo Shoot


Back in January of this year I had the opportunity to shoot with Garrett Nudd for the sample dresses that would be on the Chaviano Couture website. Garrett and his wife Joy photographed our wedding back in 2006, and we have been great friends since. I was thrilled he accepted to shoot my wedding dresses! They have been such a  support to me thru this whole process. Check out their site, their photography is phenomenal!! www.garrettnudd.com

Below I am posting some pics from the shoot in January.We shot in an old building in downtown Chattanooga, TN. It had no electricity, which means no heat. The high that day was 20 degrees! Needless to say it was freezing. I'm going to post some behind the scene pictures, so you can see how everyone was bundled up! The actual pictures from the shoot are on the website. www.chavianocouture.com





Fulfillment of a dream



I can remember the first time I sketched a bridal gown, I was 12.  I've always loved drawing, sketching, creating ( I get that from my dad )I wanted to design bridal gowns, and the number of sketches grew and grew throughout the years. In 2005 I got engaged and knew I had to design my own wedding dress. On my wedding day I wore my own design, and decided I must pursue my dream. 
It took a couple years for me to decide what I really wanted to do. I was still in school finishing my nursing degree, and life can get really busy. I tossed around the idea of starting a new line of dresses or making custom made dresses. After much thought,prayer, and time, I decided I should offer brides the opportunity to have a custom made one of a kind dress. Not only would it be a gown that encompasses all the elements a bride loves in a dress, but it would be made to fit her and only her. Nobody else would ever have that dress to wear. I believe that is what a bride should have.
I can now officially say that Chaviano Bridal Couture has launched ! God has truly blessed and for that I am so thankful. I look forward to sharing Chaviano Couture's success and stories through this blog, so stay tuned.......Annette