Photo shoot: behind the scenes pictures

Yesterday was my first full photo shoot for the new dresses.  Below are candid shots from the day (and yes, you may also consider this your sneak peak of the week, b/c you’re seeing two dresses you haven’t seen before.)   Overall is was a great day; exhausting, freezing cold, but much fun.

This is my favoite picture of the candids.  It was blindingly white outside this window w/frost & snow on a pine tree right outside.  It was a great contrast to the dress & I can’t wait to see the real pics.

My model, Christina getting her hair done by Tasha Valenti

Kim getting shots of Christina in the window.  This one is fun b/c it shows her barefoot.  There are lots of things you find out in the pattern making / production process.  Like that you forgot to mention to your pattern maker how tall your models are.

Touch up between shots.

Margo Trueblood, my Director of Sales & Marketing, steaming the Millicent veil.  Did I mention that every one of my gowns have matching veils?  You’ll want to know that for future reference.  And if you’re one of the 300 stores on our contact list, you’ll be talking to Margo here shortly.  And if you’re not on our list & want to be, please let us know!

Tada!  The Millicent. 

In case you haven’t started to notice, this is the coolest castle ever.

Notice everyone wearing coats?  It was freezing in there!  It was about 11 degrees outside & I’m not sure it was much warmer inside.  Poor Christina kept covering up with a tablecloth we swiped off a side table.

And here’s the Beatrice.  And Kim directing the pose.  Awesome doors, no?  Not so awesome?  The lint, dirt, & grass from the tile floor that kept getting on the dress hem.  Where, I ask you, is grass coming from in the middle of a snow storm in Colorado?  We have to import grass in the summer & treat it like royalty just for it to stay around until October.

Directly to the right of whoever took this shot is a Reuben.  Painting.  gah.  And there’s a Rembrandt in the dining room. 

A crew shot.  That’s Ricardo, Kim’s lighting guy holding the little lighting thingy.  And Tasha, the hair person, in the coat.  And Katelyn Simpkins, the make up artist, in the jean jacket.  Plus Kim & I.  I think I’m eating.  Which I’ve decided to stop doing after seeing photos of myself.

This is the room where the runway show will be.  March 14 & 15.  Let us know if you want to come.  We’re giving away cool stuff.  You’ll want to be there. 

Great view of the gigantic flower.  This dress is a little bit sweet & a little bit sassy.  Because I know you are, too.   And you can see the clothes pins on the back of the gown.  Because Christina is too skinny to talk about.

 

It was a great day & I can’t wait to get started on the next 5 gowns.  Those will be shot in the same location on March 2.  The gowns above are already for sale in The Little White Dress Shop in Castle Rock, Colorado.  The entire line will be ready for retail sale at our launch party, March 14.  But if you are interested in carrying some of the gowns ahead of time, please contact us & we’ll get you set up.  If you are a bride looking for my gowns in your local area, please let us know where you are.  As I mentioned, we have just over 300 stores that we are targeting & we will do our best to find one near you that will help you find the gown you want!

Sneak Peek of the Week

I have a photo shoot on Monday for 4 dresses, matching veils, and jewelry.   Just wanted to show you a quick peak at my 2nd cameo.  You’ll see more photos both here & on the website by the end of  next week.

25 Random Things

I’m working hard & fast on delayed production issues this week to get us ready for Monday’s photo shoot.   I leave you today with my list of 25 Random Things, a Facebook chain mail thing:

 

1) I tagged every 3^rd person on my list at random.

2) I got married when I was 21.  Which was apparently way before the rest of you.

3) I want to like coffee, but I don’t.  I will occasionally drink a latte, but it’s got to have flavored syrup in it.

4) I have never travelled internationally.  I’m not for sure how that happened.

5) I’m a night person.   But Kevin & the kids are not, so I have to work to adjust my body clock.  Left on my own, I would sleep from 1-9 am.

6) I love to read fiction.  Snarky chic lit is my favorite.

7) I worked for the state of Arkansas in the international economic development division once.  I know, that job doesn’t match up with the rest of my career, but there you go.

I gave birth w/o drugs once.  Not recommended, is all I have to say about that.

9) I was pregnant with my 3^rd & visiting my parents in Arkansas when 9/11 happened.  The girls & I had tickets to fly back the next day & ended up stuck there another week.

10) I grew up in the Church of Christ, but have since left it.

11) I am a kick ass pattern maker.

12) I was Jr. Miss Faulkner County in 1989.  Which is totally embarrassing.

13) I am learning social networking & frustrated that it takes up so much of my day.

14) I rarely wear make-up.

15) My hair is naturally curly. Not curly enough to be cute, just annoying.  Which is why you’ve never seen it that way.

16) Random people in public yell at me.  It’s happened to much to be a coincidence.

17) I am a touch claustrophobic.  Like when I’m in an airplane & everybody stands up to leave, but you can’t move for 5 minutes.  I have to do Lamaze breathing through that.

18) My husband was a pastor for 17 years. Wait, that’s not about me.  But that means I was a pastor’s wife for several of those years.  Which people who know me now find shocking. J

19) I’m not very good at math.

20) I’m creeped out by spiders.  Not afraid of them, just totally freaked out by their existence.

21) I really love home made tapioca.

22) I haven’t had a pet since I was a kid.

23) I learned to shoot a gun when I was 8. 

24) My kids are 22 months apart.  Both times.  So my first was just past 3 ½ when my 3^rd was born.

25) I’m not a very good cook.

Josephine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday I had a photo shoot with the re-make of the Josephine gown.  This was just a quick photo shoot to get the new pictures up on the website before the save the date cards go out for the launch party, but I’m very pleased.  This is also your indroduction to Christina, my new spokesmodel.  She’s so beautiful & really represents my customer perfectly.   And, yes, the necklace is part of my new collection!

 

Josephine & 2 other gowns will be in The Little White Dress Shop www.lwdbridal.com by the end of the month, and the remaining 5 debut collection gowns will be there by the end of February.  There will also be 8 veils and 4 necklaces as well. 

Please contact Margo Trueblood, my Director of Sales & Marketing at 719.650.8502 or margo@alisabenay.com for information about how to find our gowns in a salon near you or information about attending out launch party March 14 & 15.

 

For information about editorial coverage, please contact

THE VANGUARD PR

Jennifer Smith Tapp

773.315.4491

http://www.thevanguardpr.com/

All photography courtesy of Kim Nodurft www.kimnodurft.com

Sneak peak of the week

Well, I was trying to make sneak peaks just little bits of each piece without showing you the whole thing.  Then I opened my e-mail just now & got this picture from my jewelry designer:

I’m just too excited not to share it with you.  It’ll be here for the photo shoot on Friday, so you’ll see better pics next week on the website.  It’s made from freshwater pearls & swarovski crystals.   squeeeeeee!!!

An open question for Wedding Designers & Event Planners

I’m hoping you can help me out with something.  I have a launch party coming up March 14 & 15 to debut my new couture line of bridal gowns, veils, and jewelry.  We’ve established our corporate culture to start from the beginning in a manner that will best serve, not just our bottom line, but be a benefit to everyone we encounter.  With that in mind, I try to look at what advantage am I giving to everyone involved in the launch event.   We’re offering complete concierge service for the weekend, shuttling everyone from the airport & also to the event itself, offering tours of the castle venue (it’s amazing!), and a discount ski package at a resort in Vail to round out the stay.

The Saturday evening event (March 14) is for boutiques from around the country and also for the press.  We already have confirmed national media coverage & are hoping for even more exposure.  There will be a runway show and a cocktail hour with live models displaying the gowns.  The Sunday afternoon (March 15) is for the Colorado bride to preview the line & set up an appointment to come in to my Colorado boutique, The Little White Dress Shop, and try on the dresses with the designer (me!).  Trunk show discounts will be offered for the week following the event.  Boutiques and brides alike will also have the opportunity to participate in our charitable initiative “100 brides for 100K” ™ that will benefit the Koman Foundation.

So now that you know what’s going on, here’s my question to you as an event planner:  How do I involve you?  Not only in the launch event, but in the time going forward from there.  My goal for the time from the launch party in March until we show at Market in New York in October is to create a national brand awareness campaign.  I want to go into market in October, not as the new kid on the block that’s just debuting, but as the up & coming designer that most everyone has heard the buzz about & can’t wait to meet (and has, just possibly, already started to stock in their store as an early adopter).  Quite a bit of a brand awareness campaign hinges on good buzz and excellent word of mouth and I am well aware that you event designers hold the biggest little black books in the business.  Just the few of you that I have had the privilege of getting to know so far have been amazingly helpful.  By just saying something as simple as “Oh, by the way, you should meet so-and-so…..” has turned into things for me like national media coverage & introduction to potential buyers.

I would like to create a network of event designers that I can be in continual contact with.  I want to give you updates on new styles, trunk shows in your local area that I may be doing,  and details about our company.  But I feel like I’m doing all that just to get something from you.  How can I give back to you?  What is it that you might like to have from me in exchange for some good blog love & possibly a few key introductions?  I really feel a bit stumped on this one & could use any assistance you are willing to offer.

Thanks so much, you’re the best!

Spare Parts

Well, if you think I’ve been remiss at posting over the holidays, you are correct. But I had a good reason.

On December 15th I was scheduled for a hysterectomy due to complications from fibroid tumors. We made it all the way to the hospital & 45 minutes before the procedure was supposed to have begun, found out that my insurance company had denied the surgery. Thank you very much Rocky Mountain Health Plans. Who, btw, will no longer be my insurance company as soon as this is all worked out.

So I went home that day (after getting treated to a steak lunch, I had been fasting all day for a 1 pm surgery & Kevin said I deserved a nice lunch at least from the ordeal) and started working on some further pattern work. I do have a launch party looming in the near future, after all. That Friday I became violently ill just completely out of the blue., and kept being sick all weekend. I ended up in the ER Monday night (the 22nd). I had gall stones stuck in my bile duct and apparently my body was, um….starting to shut down. I will not begin to describe the fun that causes. I’m nice like that. Don’t want to make you spew your coffee on the screen**. I had a scope procedure Tuesday morning & had the gall bladder surgery on Christmas Eve.

I did make it home late Wednesday night & slept on the recliner. Kevin slept on the sofa in case I needed anything I got to have cookies with Santa, so it all worked out. I’ve been slower to recover than I want to be, but am getting back to work slowly but surely. If you think I should be getting in touch with you about something but haven’t, please feel free to e-mail me a gentle nudge.

**And? I like to always have pictures with my posts. So I googled pictures of gall stones. And they were so disgusting that I didn’t post them here. See? I’m good to you. really.

Frost: Winter in Colorado

We’ve had snow here in Colorado Springs off & on for the past week or so.  Yesterday we hit a record low of -8.  It was sunny and not windy, though, so it didn’t feel as bitterly cold as you would think.  Anyhoo, the snow reminded me that I didn’t post these pictures a few weeks back.  One of the amazing things about living in Colorado is the unique weather conditions.  We’re at about 7000 ft above sea level, so things get funky up here in the clouds.  Sometimes right at the first of winter you get the frost like in these pictures.  You’ll just wake up & find everything coated in ice, but it’s not that cold out.

 

 

Um….I’m not entirely sure how I made the gallery below.  Hmm, will have to remember that for the future.   I’ll leave it, even though some of the pics are duplicates.

Sneak Peak of the Week, and other news

Here’s your very first sneak peak!  This was a muslin I fit this morning on my fit model.  This dress will be made from 2 shades of cream dupioni.  The flowers will be slightly different colors, but the box pleated ribbon trim is the actual ribbon.

On to other news.  I met last week with Ann White from Cherokee Ranch, which will be the venue for my launch party.  We’re confirmed for March 14 & 15!  If you ever wanted to get married in a Castle, this is the place to do it!  Here’s some photos I swiped from their site:

Breathtaking, no?  Don’t you want to get married there?  Just give Ann a call & she’ll set you up.  I’m not even giving you a look into the inside yet, you’ll see some amazing shots coming out of my photo shoots.  Including a knight in shining armor!

The same day I met with the castle, I also me with Kim Nodurft, my photographer.  We toured to castle together to get an idea of the layout for the launch party and also for the photo shoots that they have been gracious enough to allow us to do inside the castle.  We met with my new model, Christina, who’s a dream.  Here’s Kim & Christina:

America the Beautiful

I am so proud to be an American on this day.  I took this photo of Pikes Peak this morning from my kids school.  I usually try every year to document on my blog the first snow to cover the Peak, but I missed it this year.  This is the first day in about a month, though, that we’ve had full snow coverage on the mountain, not just a dusting.  So appropriate this morning, for America’s mountain to have covered herself in a new fresh blanket of pure snow.  Erasing any harm or hurt she may have seen before this day.

I am so immensely thrilled to have been a part of history unfolding last night.  That in a nation, who in as recent history as my own parents generation saw it’s own citizens brutally murdered for trying to enforce the basic civil liberties of it’s own people, was able to elect the right man to lead us forward.  Not because he is black, but because he is the right choice, and he just happens to be black.  We were able to look past the barriers that have so abhorrently divided the generations who have come before us and come together to collectively decide the path of our future.

I leave you with the song written on top of my favorite mountain:

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!

O beautiful for pilgrims feet,
Whose stem impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through
wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and twice,
for man’s avail
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!