It is Almost Time for the Big Reveal of Jorge Manuel's Latest Collection 2012

THE ROCOCO COLLECTION 2012 will soon make its debut on the designer's website. Make sure to tune in on January 31, 2012 when the Architecture inspired collection comes to life. In the meantime we leave you with a sneak peak of one of the gorgeous gown that makes up the 16 piece collection of beautiful bridal dresses.

www.jorgemanuelweddings.com

Unveiling date: January 31, 2012

Collection Inspiration:  Brilliant Architects and their Famous Works 

Dress Names:

The Bernini            The Palladio

The Corbusier          The Maki

The Da Vinci           The Meier

The Garnier              The Michelangelo

The Gaudi               The Pei

The Ghery               The Sejima

The Hadid               The Van Der Rohe

The Lloyd Wright

Fun Facts About the Collection:

Collection took 6 months to make. 

40 Sketches were drawn 25 considered and 16 made the final cut.

What is different from this collection to the designer's previous collection? Introduction of new fabrics: Linen and Lace. Gowns are more architectural in structure.

60 models were considered for the campaign shoot. 

Photo shoot took place in two historical venues in Miami, Florida

Theme for photo shoot: Old World Architecture.

Featured Bride: Cate McCanless Clark in Jorge Manuel's 'The Emerald' Gown

The journey to finding the perfect wedding dress is not always so easy. What bride does not want to see herself in the most beautiful gown that represents in fabric who she is and what she stands for in a dress? It was a busy afternoon at HITCHED bridal salon when Cate met the designer at the trunk show. The amazing staff at HITCHED were able to narrow it down from the all the gowns in the store and find Cate her wedding dress.


"I met Cate at my trunk show at one of my retailers, HITCHED bridal salon, in Washington D.C. It was my first time in the city and I remember it being a cold winter. But, there was a warmth about Cate that clearly spoke to me. I knew she would be a Jorge Manuel bride from the moment I saw her in this dress. She glowed with happiness, and I could feel a relief on her part that the journey of finding a perfect dress had finally arrived," recalls designer Jorge Manuel.

"I am always so happy to meet brides. But Cate had a special shine to her that I could not explain. I was called back to the fitting room to meet her once she had the gown on. I remember looking at her and thinking that this is why I love to do what I do." Cate looked beautiful in the EMERALD dress. The gorgeous petal work, light weight silk shantung fabric and beautiful top stitching details on this dress gave the "something different" Cate was looking for in a dress. But, she would be no ordinary bride.

Cate had a simple, but special request. Her engagement ring sparkled yellow because of her canary colored diamond ring. Her unique taste demanded a unique dress and Jorge Manuel designed the gown in a butterscotch yellow color with a honey colored beaded lace to compliment her beautiful ring. Personalizing the gown for her by the designer made her wedding dress even that much more special. But what was it about the dress that called out to Cate so much? Simple, it made her envision what she expected to look like on her special day. It all became clear in her head, She saw herself walking down the aisle to a waiting groom who together would share a moment. And not just any moment. A moment in time where love would be exchanged in front of friends and family.  A promise would be made and tie them together forever in a bond of strength, love and understanding.

A couple of months past before Cate finally saw her wedding dress.  And some months more before Jorge Manuel was able to see any documentation of the big day. Thankfully, photographer Renee Sprink photography contacted the designer with the images that brought a smile to his face.

You can also view their emotional wedding video highlights by Ink Spot Crow Films in the video below. It is truly touching to see such a beautiful story of love and Jorge Manuel could not be any prouder of his retailer Hitched salon for being so wonderful and giving Cate the opportunity to find the one dress that will forever be engraved in these pictures and video for a long time to come! Jorge Manuel is also grateful of talented individuals like Renee Sprink and Ink Spot Crow Films for sharing with all of us a joy in time.

From all of us here at Jorge Manuel we wish Cate and Tim a world of happiness together. Your journey has just begun. 

Tim & Cate : wedding highlights from Inkspot Crow Films on Vimeo.

The Wait is Almost Over...The Upon A Star Contest is Soon Coming Your Way!

The 'Upon A Star' contest is Jorge Manuel's way of giving back. It is a contest that allows a fashion forward bride the opportunity to embrace her couture chic side and win a dress that makes her feel red carpet ready!

"I am so excited for this year's contest! We are working on so many surprises for this and we can't wait to see it come to fruition," says Jorge Manuel.

The Second annual JORGE MANUEL 'UPON A STAR' Win a Couture Wedding Contest is soon to commence! And this season the prizes get bigger and better! 

Without further ado, we proudly introduce this year's sponsor, HITCHED Bridal Salon from Washington D.C. The creative and amazing team that make up this wonderful bridal store composed of amazing stylists and wonderful owners, Carin Levine and Julia Kepniss, will make one very lucky bride's dream come true of winning and wearing a couture wedding gown designed by Jorge Manuel exclusively for this contest.

Judging will be done a bit differently this year as the public will be able to vote on the (6) finalists this season and account for 50% of the total points for the lucky brides in the running. The other 50% of points will be awarded by the Judges composed of a team of 3 judges from Jorge Manuel and a team of 3 Judges from our sponsor Hitched Bridal Salon. How exciting that you, the public, will be able to vote for your favorite Bridal contestant!

The winner will not only receive the one-of-a-kind couture gown designed just for this contest by the designer, but also her veil. What is different this year is that the lucky bride receives a custom gown made just for her!

The lucky contestant will be able to experience the true couture experience, a journey through the design path of a concept, a muslin and the end product... her custom made dress!

We will issue more details of this process in the next weeks to come in future blog posts. The Contest will officially launch on February 17, 2012 and all details about the contest as well as the applications will also be available for submission then.

What can we tell you about the dress other than the designer Jorge Manuel, with a joint effort of this year's sponsor, Hitched, worked side-by-side in designing the gown for the contest, choosing among beautiful fabrics and picking the perfect color for this truly magical and special dress. So after weeks and weeks of deliberation and preparation here at Jorge Manuel, we are truly honored to present to you this year's sketch of the 2nd annual 'Upon A Star' win a couture wedding contest.

Check back with us in the next weeks as contest information and details will become available. In the meantime we hope this sketch will give you a glimpse as to what's in store for this year 'Upon A Star' lucky winner!  A true design lover's treat!

It is almost time to reveal....

Jorge Manuel's 2nd Annual Upon A Star Contest sketch of the gown a special bride will be able to win, will be revealed here on this blog tonight! Make sure to check back at 8:00p.m. when the official kick-off of the competition will take place. All the information you need to participate will post right here. Stay tuned!

Designing a wedding for the Designer's Cousin and Best Friend

Jorge Manuel is a man of many projects. It is no surprise that he is always busy working on many tasks. It has become quite normal for the designer to juggle between trunk shows, direct campaign designs and plan his themed photo shoots. But, this project would be just as close to his heart as his many works -- His cousin's wedding.

The wedding planning process is a lot of fun, but it can also be stressful. So when his cousin, Vanessa, got engaged the designer did not hesitate to help her design the wedding. They both spent three months planning every detail with meticulous attention. The plum,white and charcoal color pallet served as the perfect canvas for the wedding planning process. Just like any other bride, Vanessa had to try on a number of gowns before finding the "one" that literally made her cry. The gown became centerpiece to the event and even provided inspiration for the wedding cake.
 

"My cousin sees beauty in opulence. The venue my cousin and her fiance chose has a rustic antique look that goes perfect with a contrasting modern-meets-old-world flair theme. The end product was gorgeous and I could not have been any happier with the outcome. As for my cousin...she was smitten and so were the guests! That in itself made me feel great about the couple of sleepless nights I spent with her planning the event, " recalls the designer.

Jorge Manuel truly admires the amount of work that goes into a wedding; especially, since he began his career in bridal as an event planner.  The designer wishes his cousin an eternal and blissful marriage. And may all the brides in 2012 find their perfect dress, their perfect wedding and their perfect love!

                                                                                                                   photos: Marcio Cavalcanti

When A Wish Becomes Possible...

It is almost here! Jorge Manuel along with a very special sponsor will once again make a very special bride one lucky lady! If you are a bride-to-be or know of someone who truly wants to wear an incredibly special gown on her big day, then this contest is sure to make all your dreams come true! Stay tuned in the next upcoming weeks for contest announcements on how you can participate.

The sketch of this year's contest gown will be gracing this blog and our Facebook page on January 15,2012 along with full contest details. Fashion-Chic savvy brides, this is one contest you wont want to miss!

Feel free to check back with us then or visit the designer's website for more information.

In the meantime check out our last year's winner's story JORGE MANUEL's 2011 Upon A Star Winner - Jeannine Lalonde