Introducing Nicole Miller & Bel Aire Bridal Headpieces

New to Maya Couture beginning in May of 2012, Nicole Miller will offer immediate shipment of their gowns, which run true-to-size anywhere from a 0-16.  Nicole Miller makes the perfect gown for a bride seeking a gown for destination, non-traditional, and second weddings.  They're also perfect for a bride looking for a second gown for her reception.  Their price range is great, ranging anywhere from $800-$3000.  Call the store today to set up your appointment and find out if your favorite Nicole Miller has come in yet! 

Maya Couture will now be offering headpieces by Bel Aire Bridal.  With quicker ship times than our previous designers, these headpieces are intricate and beautifully crafted by hand.  Coming in the month of May!

Ella Bridal Spring 2013 Preview!

Come meet the head designer of Ella Bridal for a sneak preview of their Spring 2013 Collection!  Be the first to try on and purchase these gowns that could be part of their 2013 Collection. Not even available to be viewed in photos online yet, you could be down the aisle and married before others have a chance to purchase these gowns!  In addition, any gown ordered will be offered at $75 off for two days only!  Appointments are required to try on gowns for this event, so be sure to call the store at 757-461-1690 to make your appointment today.

Maya Couture Voted "Best of Virginia" by Virginia Living Magazine!!!

Thank you for your votes to help us be the "Best of Virginia" by Virginia Living Magazine.  It is truly an honor.

Dressing the Dream

Worried about making that all-important decision to purchase your wedding gown?  I came up with a few tricks of the trade to make your experience as pleasant and painless as possible, and presented it as part of the VOW bridal event in February.  The information was so vital for brides at the event, that I wanted to make it accessible to as many brides-to-be as possible!

1. Create a plan before you begin shopping.  Consider the shopping experience: full-service, department store, big box, consignment, or custom made.  Arrive with a budget and idea of the personal elements that you want your gown to have.

2. It's never too early to get started.  Whether you are buying from a full-service salon or a chain that sells off the rack, you want to make sure that you have plenty of time between the delivery of your gown and your wedding date for trial runs for alterations; hair and make-up trials; accessory purchases; and possibly a formal bridal portrait.

3. Always make an appointment.  No matter what type of bridal shop you are considering, an appointment is essential and will provide a level of assistance and expertise that will eliminate a lot of stress.

4.  Shop with an open mind.  Most bridal gowns look much different on the body than on a hanger or in an advertisement.  Brides usually end up wearing a gown they never would have imagined for themselves.

5. Fit is what matters, not the size of the gown.  Bridal designers use a sizing standard that dates back to the 1940's.  It's common for many brides to size into a gown that is two sizes up from their normal dress size.

6.  The more guests you bring to help choose your gown, the less the experience is about YOU.  We recommend 1 to 4 of your closest family members and friends.

7.  Consider your shopping experience a trial run, so arm yourself with a few essentials when you go to your appointment.  Bring shoes that resemble the height and style you will ultimately choose for your wedding day.  The proper undergarments and foundations are invaluable.  Wear your hair and make-up in a similar look to your day.  Bring tear sheets and inspirational photos of gowns you are attracted to.  Don't forget a camera to capture your final choice!

8.  Once you've found "the one"- STOP SHOPPING!  Wedding gowns are beautiful and buyer's remorse is common if you keep looking after you've committed to your gown.  Remember the feeling you had when you knew it was the one and why you fell in love with your gown to begin with.  This will keep you from continuing to look.

9.  You get what you pay for.  Weddings can be expensive and the gown can be a hefty chunk of overall budget.  When you are looking for a gown, if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.  Shopping online, purchasing a gown sight unseen, or in a size too big or too small just because the price seems right, can come back to bite you.  In these instances, you will most likely pay more in alterations than you did for the gown and it still may not fit correctly.

10.  Your wedding look also includes your bridal party, so consider their attire as you are shopping for yours.  Many brides find themselves in shock and dismay because dressing the bridal party ends up being so much more challenging than they anticipated.  If you start early, set parameters and seek the help of a trained sales consultant, it can be just as smooth as finding your gown.

Don't forget that Maya Couture is a full-service salon and a one-stop shop!  Not only do we assist with your bridal attire, but also the attire for your bridesmaids and tuxedos.  We're by appointment only so be sure to call prior to coming in!  I hope that these tips will help make the best of the time that you have with us!

Introducing Ella by Essense of Australia!

While we're no longer carrying Impression, Davinci, Kitty Chen, and Moonlight, we've expanded deeper into some of our best-selling lines, so we've picked up both Ella by Essense of Australia and Sottero & Midgely by Maggie Sottero.  Ella's gowns are absolutely stunning- while affordable in price (ranging from $1000-$1400), they boast beautiful fabrics and exquisite design.  From their website:

Ella features affordable individuality for today’s unique bride. 

An enchanting collection accompanied with dramatic beading, lovely laces and beautiful fabrics, the Ella bride will walk down the aisle in elegance. With innovative designs catered for the destination bride in soft organzas, chiffons and charmeuses to the fairy tale princess wanting gorgeous satins and taffetas, the Ella collection will meet your design needs.

The designers at Ella are dedicated to producing the finest designs at a competitive price with careful attention to amazing quality, fit and finish.

Ella was gracious enough to send us some photos of their best selling styles to get your thoughts churning for what's to come from their 2012 collection.  While we won't have any of these gowns in stock, we've purchased from their Spring 2012 collection and are planning an Ella and Essense of Australia combined trunk show the weekend of January 13-15, 2012.  Here's just a taste!

Can't wait to show you all the 2012 images that will be on their way!  Don't forget to mark your calendars for that trunk show January 13-15.  We'll see you then!

Kelly Archibald & Jeff Dudley's Elegantly Rustic Pungo Wedding

Kelly first came to Maya Couture in January in search of her perfect wedding gown.  She narrowed it down to the beautiful Casablanca gown that she wore down the aisle and ended up finding the perfect bridesmaids dresses as well.  Her bridesmaids wore long, eggplant chiffon Jim Hjelm dresses.  In lieu of tuxedos, her groom opted for our midnight blue suit with eggplant ties from Jim's Formal Wear, ordered right through our store.

From Kelly:

When I first got engaged, I was so excited about shopping for a wedding dress.  When I started going into shops, I realized that many of them were madhouses that were run by snotty consultants.  I began to get overwhelmed.  I decided to check out a little shop I had heard of called “Maya Couture.”  When I walked in, I was immediately relieved to see real people working behind the counters who were helpful and knowledgeable.  I fell in love with my dress consultant, Misty.  She immediately made me feel comfortable and really listened to me when I explained what I was looking for.  I could tell she was very good at her job, because she began picking out gorgeous dresses for me to try on.  She chose a few dresses that I would not have given a second glance, and they ended up looking amazing when I tried them on.  Misty had a great eye for detail and her taste was impeccable.  She was very compassionate to the friends and family I brought with me.  Everyone loved her and the store.  My mom, my bridesmaids, and I called Misty numerous times, always frantic about something.  She would offer suggestions and give great advice every time we called.  She is so dedicated that she took off work on my wedding day to help me get dressed and to arrange my veil.  I feel like I have gained a new friend in her.  It is obvious that everyone at Maya loves what they do.  The excitement in the store is contagious.  I recommend this store for your wedding dress experience not only for the amazing dresses, but also for your own peace of mind.

Kelly's vision was always a rustic one, particularly with her venue being the farm in Pungo that had been in her now husband's family for generations.  Working with Palette of Petals in Virginia Beach for the nitty gritty details of her wedding, she was able to bring elegance to her rustic reception.  Below, see photos from Leigh Skaggs Photography of the gorgeous details and the great ensemble that she and her bridal party wore.  If you'd like to see more of her photos, go to Leigh's blog at http://www.leighskaggsphotography.net/.

Oh, and their dog made an appearance, too!

Military Brides Say Yes to Free Dresses!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Military Brides Say Yes to Free Dresses!

In honor of Veteran’s Day, Maya Couture is joining Brides Across America and giving away free designer wedding gowns to military brides-to-be!

Event Date: Wed. November 9^th, 2011

Event Time:  9AM-7PM

Place:  Maya Couture  

12 Best Square

Norfolk, VA

757-461-1690

Norfolk, VA—October 11, 2011, Brides Across America, a nationwide charity dedicated to providing free wedding gowns for military brides, announced today that Maya Couture, Virginia’s premier bridal salon, will be giving away free designer wedding gowns on November 9, 2011.  Bridal salons across the country are pleased to reward the military personnel who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Libya or Japan or whose fiancé’s are on active duty in these areas with this special pre-Veteran’s Day event.

“Without organizations like Brides Across America, many military brides would not have the chance to have a wedding due to deployment, timing and economic constraints. Many soldiers come back injured and take severe pay cuts.  It makes it very difficult to make ends meet not to mention have a dream wedding”, said Heidi Janson, founder of Brides Across America.   This is our opportunity to give back and say “thank you!”

Brides Across America and its partners have given over 7000 wedding gowns nationwide since its inception and are striving to double that figure by the end of the year.  Participating bridal salons will be preparing a select number of gowns to be given away to qualifying brides on a first come first serve basis. Gowns are valued between $500 to $3,000 and range from size 4 to 22.

“In recognition of those who serve our country in these challenging times, 2011, our fourth year participating in the bridal gown giveaway, will be our biggest yet”, said Maya Warburton, owner of Maya Couture.  “We have a responsibility to find as many ways as we can to support our troops and show appreciation for the service and sacrifices our military families make.” 

Maya Couture will be donating a portion of the accessories sales generated during the Brides Across America event to support the Navy Seal Foundation.

To qualify, brides must be engaged, be on active duty in the military, or have a fiancé on active duty, and deployed to either Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Libya or Japan within the last five years.  All military brides must show ID, copy of deployment papers, orders or other qualifying proof. Brides do not have to reside in the area where the giveaway is taking place. The gowns are pre-selected, and each event has limited amounts of gowns, and size ranges. The event is on a first come first serve basis.

About Brides Across America

Brides Across America, a Massachusetts based charitable organization focuses on providing free wedding gowns to those military brides that have not been able to have their dream wedding.  Brides Across America is connecting with bridal salons across the nation to help spread the military spirit.  Since 2007, Brides Across America and its partners have given away more than 7000 wedding gowns nationwide. 

For military brides who are ready to take part in this bridal opportunity of a lifetime on November 9th visit Maya Couture, 12 Best Square, Norfolk, Virginia, 757-461-1690.  

Let's Not Forget About Our Other Half!

At Maya Couture, we often find that tuxedos are the part of the equation that is left until the very last minute.  While brides have their gowns, their maids have their dresses,  and their flower girls have tulle coming out of their ears, the men's attire is left by the wayside.  This is usually for one of two reasons:

1. "I told him he's in charge of tuxedos."  Great!  We love when men come in the store and they take charge of what they're going to wear on the most important day of their lives.  95% of the time, grooms are wonderful at picking out exactly what they want and trying to get their guys measured and paid in a timely manner.  The downside is that oftentimes their groomsmen haven't been married and don't understand the urgency of getting measurements and payment out of the way in order to guarantee your tuxedo order.


2.  Lack of knowledge.  Whether it's not knowing the time needed to order and get a tuxedo in, the value of the product that you're renting, or what vest and tie will match, lack of knowledge can cause brides and grooms to shy away from picking out the men's attire for the wedding.  Thus, the tuxedo blog is born.


There are a few key points to remember in choosing and ordering your tuxedos:


1.  Please be aware that tuxedo/suit exchanges are often necessary.  Because these are tuxedo rentals, they are not a custom fit.  Tuxedos and suits have to go through a tailoring process just like bridal gowns and maids dresses, and we have a very small window to do all the alterations and exchanges within.  You and your party should be prepared to come in more than once if adjustments and exchanges are necessary, and be patient with the process.  This is to ensure you are properly fitted and look perfect for your special day.


2.  Please understand that we are very limited in what alterations we can make to rental items.  We can only let out or taken in jackets and pants if time permits.  If time does not permit us to make alterations, we will order you a new item which will arrive the next day unless we call in the exchanges after 5:00pm - then there could be a 48-hour turnaround.


3.  If anyone in your party lives out of state and is arriving the day before or the day of your event, it will be difficult to ensure that they are properly fitted.  To make sure we have plenty of time for exchanges and to make it more convenient for your out-of-state groomsmen, we can ship their rental to them directly the week of the wedding at their request.  Any exchanges can come to the store and be picked up by another member of the party or shipped to your wedding location.  There is not an additional fee for this service.


4.  In an ideal world, your groom, groomsmen, ushers, dads, ring-bearers and all the wonderful men in your life will have been measured and paid at least two months prior to the wedding so that we can ensure the accuracy of your full order.


Jim's Formal Wear, our tuxedo provider, offers a great service in their "Build a Tux" program on their website at www.jimsformalwear.com.  Check it out with your fiancee, then make an appointment to come see one of our consultants to start the tuxedo process today!

Strapless Alternatives

Ever since the epic wedding of Princess Kate & Prince William, brides have been inquiring as to the trend changes that we've been seeing in wedding gowns.  While a strapless gown looks great on any bride, we're seeing more and more styles come out that have straps, whether it be a one-shoulder strap, beaded spaghetti straps, sleeves, jackets, or cap sleeves.

Essense of Australia just sent the store some beautiful gowns that I'm going to use as examples.  The first is one of my personal favorites, Essense of Australia D1210:

 The bodice of the dress is beautifully beaded with small floral appliques throughout.  What I love about the gown is the sheer straps- they're beautiful and delicate, but still substantial.  The gown can also be altered to be strapless if requested.  This dress is perfect for a girl who isn't very busty due to the shallow bust-linen and deeper v-neck, and the cummerbund waistline is perfect to show off the smallest part of your silhouette.  Additionally, keeping things modern, the gown has pockets!

The next gown is Essense of Australia D1245:

The beauty of this gown is that it's the perfect fitted gown for a girl of any size- whether you are a 2 or a 20, the way the gown is rouched will be gorgeous on your figure.  The sleeves are just an added bonus- because the detail work goes below the bust-line and wraps around the shoulder, it highlights the bust, again, great for girls who aren't very busty, or for girls who are busty and want a gown that has straps without a deep "V" to over-accentuate their cleavage.

Maggie Sottero's "Bernadette" offers a beautiful alternative with lace cap sleeves, a higher neckline, and a gorgeous cut-out in the back:

 

Bernadette is made with gorgeous beaded lace, with beaded embellishment under the bust.  This gown is great for shorter girls- the lines of the sleeves and the placement of the embellishment will elongate your body.

A lot of brides lately are looking for a more "fun" look.  Pronovias' "Alison" is a great way to mix classic and fun with it's flirty one-shoulder ruffle:

 Alison has beautiful clean lines, and is even more beautiful with an accenting beaded sash of your choosing.  We also have two other gowns in the store that mimic this ruffled one-shoulder look.  If you don't like the ruffled look, flowers are also very "in" right now, and Val Stefani has created this beautiful gown (D79793) for an alternative:

Made out of a beautiful silk, this gown boasts a removable floral strap that complements the floral accents at the skirt.

There are a ton of brides lately that are looking for a short gown, and Moonlight has the perfect one with straps- with a lace bodice and a bow at the waist, the gown is full with pockets.  The most crucial part is finding the right pair of shoes!

There are much more where those came from... we've made an effort to stock the store with beautiful alternatives for those brides that don't want a strapless gown, and new gowns from our Fall 2011 collections are coming in daily.  I'm excited to continue to share them with you via the blog and Facebook- be on the lookout!