26 Jun Belle, Maddison, Bella, Lula and Kate…Oh My!
Oh how I adore New York, the sights, food, wine and….you guessed it, the shopping. These days brides do not have to hop a flight to “the city” to find bridal couture heaven. Charleston, South Carolina is home to some of the most sought after names in the couture world. We decided to take a trip to a few of our favorite boutiques with Betsy Mullinax Photography. The first stop, Belle Couture Bridal.
Sarah Black, the owner, takes pride in offering every bride personal attention and a relaxing experience. The store carries the exclusive lines of Modern Trousseau, Claire Pettibone, Melissa Sweet, Vineyard Collection, Lea-Ann Belter Bridal, Reverie by Melissa Sweet, Thread, Nicole Miller Bridal and Local Charleston Designer, Kira Elizabeth Designs.
Ohhhh, now off to the uber posh Maddison Row. It’s designers include some of the top names in the industry including Carolina Herrera, Ulla-Maija Couture, Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier, and Legends by Romona Keveza. These designers are sold exclusively in South Carolina by Maddison Row.
Maddison Row recently changed ownership. It is now owned by Brenda Spadoni-Urquhart who also owns The Little White Dress in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Charleston boutique is being managed by a couture veteran, Lindsay Nowak. She is a Clemson graduate with Charleston roots. Ms. Nowak was previously with Charleston Magazine and Fashion Week in addition to her upscale bridal gown experience with Priscilla of Boston.
Maddison Row has some AMAZING trunk shows coming up this summer…A Little White Dress Event partnered with Bella Bridesmaid and, “The Best of Vera” (Vera Wang that is). They are definite mark your calendar events…more information to come soon!
We have all heard of {and love} the fun, flirty and fabulous LulaKate, a quite sought after line of gorgeous bridesmaid attire. And now Katherine, the designer, has launched a couture wedding gown collection. The Kate McDonald Bridal Collection made its debut at Charleston Fashion Week 2010 this past March. Each gown was designed by Katherine McDonald, founder and owner of LulaKate. She was inspired by the women in her life, both past and present, famous and family.
The gowns utilize timeless silhouettes with modern European fabrics and details. The bridal gowns range from full, tulle ball gown skirts to elegant straight skirts, sweeping trains, and hand beaded collars. The collection is quite diverse, each fabric hand picked for the silhouette, from Italian silks, chiffons, and fancy French lace- with one show stopping ostrich feather skirt thrown in the mix! These gowns are designed in Charleston, SC and sewn in the USA.
The Kate McDonald Bridal Collection is available exclusively at the LulaKate flagship store in Charleston, South Carolina. To make an appointment to view the full collection call 843.805.7193.
Now, we cannot forget about the lovely bridesmaids and Bella Bridesmaid is a perfect place to find the just what the bride and bridal party ordered.
Bella Bridesmaid consistently fills the need for stylish, wearable and modern bridesmaid dresses. Bella Bridesmaid is the only boutique in Charleston that exclusively caters to the bridal party. Only the best bridesmaid dresses by today’s top designers are found at Bella Bridesmaid, such as Amsale, LulaKate, Simple Silhouettes, Jenny Yoo, Coren Moore, Cynthia Rowley, Two Birds Bridesmaid, Lela Rose, Priscilla of Boston and Melissa Sweet and many more.
Photographs by Betsy Mullinax Photography
