brides

Last night, Dave and I hopped down to New York to join our friends from David Tutera Inc in celebrating the premiere of Season 2 of My Fair Wedding along with the launch of David’s new line of wedding dresses, David Tutera by Faviana. We had such a great time. We were invited because Dave photographed one of the episodes from this season. It was an absolute treat to be a guest for this affair, rather than working it. Of course, that also meant we only allowed ourselves to bring a little point and shoot camera.

The event got kicked off with a performance by Nuttin But Stringz. This rock violinist duo totally captivated me. I love their music and their performance- they are clearly influenced by world music, classical, rock and hip hop. Check out their sound on their website and check out their moves below.

Then we were treated to a fashion show of David’s new line of wedding gowns. So different sitting in the seats rather than the press area, like we have when we were shooting for Lucire magazine. I could see just enough to develop some strong favorites. The concept behind the gowns is that they are all inspired by red carpet dresses worn by celebrities, refashioned into something glamorous for your wedding day. There is definitely something for everyone in this line, both in terms of style and body type.

My favorites? Let me begin with Eva. This dress starts off full-length with gorgeous tafetta roses directing the eye along a woman’s curves. The lowest part of the skirt can be removed to reveal a short party dress with an assymetrical hemline. A little surprise when the bride returns for the party. A fun, flirty, vivacious dress. I also really liked Charlize and Fergie, another dress that turns into a cocktail dress- totally wearable.

Gwenyth, below, was simply stunning. I loved the color imbued in this dress- champagne, ivory, gold, crystals reflecting the light- along with the lines and the empire shape. Beautiful, simple, elegant.

And another favorite was Olivia. It actually reminded me of something from the movie Titanic. Really soft with antique touches. And you have to love the cap sleeves bejewelled at the edges. So pretty.

They concluded with the grand finale dress- the Platinum Gown. This dress was dripping with 33 carats of diamonds, white keshi pearls and more than 145 carats of aqua marine. The dress was pretty, but honestly I liked the other styles better. I guess that’s a good thing because the Platinum Gown retails for over a half million dollars. Wow!

The last walk…

With David and Faviana- the model in the back is wearing the Platinum Dress…

One more note about the fashion show, Dave and I were totally laughing because we recognized all of the music. I don’t know a lot about music artists and I am not really up on what’s popular, so this is definitely a rare thing for me. (Dave actually does know this stuff- he is way more hip than I am.) But these songs were all the fun songs we hear at weddings. So of course, I knew them and they were totally appropriate.

After the fashion show, David (Tutera) introduced the premiere of Season 2 of My Fair Wedding.

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode with Quiana and Michael’s wedding. Quiana is so lovely, offers up surprises at every corner. And you can see how much she appreciated this opportunity. Totally fun moments from the viewing, which unfortunately I am pretty sure won’t happen in your living room, they shot butterfly confetti out at us when David revealed the ceremony space and the reception space to Quiana and Michael. Such fun!

I am so excited to see the episode that Dave photographed, now. It must be really different to watch the event unfold on the day, almost like slow motion, versus the edited version where everything happens in a whirlwind.

Okay and just to give you a sense of what Gotham Hall looked like last night. Love the lighting design.

A few young girls who had to get in on the runway action.

Dave photographed David Tutera’s decor from a wedding at Gotham Hall earlier this year and we always love seeing a space used in different ways. Set up for the fashion show was definitely different.

After diving into the dessert bar upstairs- yum!, we had to see what it felt like to be on the other side of the camera and stand in the lights. Aren’t we glam!

Thank you to David, Liz, Ashley, Nora and Nicole- you guys put together another amazing event- no surprise there- and we had a really great time celebrating with you. Congrats!