TRUNK SHOW... What It Means and How It Can Make Your Wedding Dress Shopping A Sweeter Experience

This past weekend Jorge Manuel had the honor of flying to California and meet all of his Jorge Manuel Brides. "I feel so fortunate because they [brides] are all so beautiful and have so much style. I am humbled by their choice of selecting me as their bridal gown designer. What a beautiful store and team that work at The White Dress. Never felt so special nor so validated in what I love do to most in this world...bridal!" commented Jorge Manuel about his experience at this past weekend trunk show.

A trunk show is a designer's full collection that travels to a store hosting the event for the weekend. The reason why trunk shows are a great way to shop for your wedding gown is that the designer or a representative from the label travels with the entire collection to help you pick the perfect dress. In addition, trunk shows are the one time when brides can come out and meet their designer. It is such a treat to meet the person who created your wedding gown. It is even more so when you have the chance to personalize the dress by making one or two possible changes to your gown bringing out the best of you. These shows help you to connect with your dress in a completely different level. You feel more connected to it since you know how and why it was created. Here are some quick tips to making your trunk show experience even that much more enjoyable:

 

1. Get the Information. Check the bridal store website or call your nearest retailer store and ask them about their trunk show schedules and who and when will be showing. Once you have all of your information do your research!

2. Research. Visit the designer's online website and familiarize yourself with their style and product. You will soon discover what designer has the esthetic you are looking for. Once you found the perfect designer, then schedule your appointment for their trunk show by calling the bridal retailer near you.

3. Make an appointment. Once at your appointment keep an open mind. Tell your sales person what you like and don't like, but don't be opposed to trying on styles. You never know which one will sweep you off your feet! Most often brides end up purchasing the one gown they never thought they would buy.

4. Don't let your group get too big! Be selective in who you bring. Your group should consist of those whose opinion you truly value. You don't want to second guess yourself. Trust yourself!

5 . Come prepared. Walk into the trunk show thinking you will walk out of it with your dream dress! It is the only time you will have the opportunity to see gowns that normally aren't available at the store. Once you find your gown don't question your instincts. Sometimes the search is simple and other times it takes some work and it will not always come with tears! You will just know it in your gut, and regardless if its at a trunk show or not, when you get that feeling go with it!

6. Be realistic. Set yourself realistic goals. Come with a budget and try to stay on track. You don't want to disappoint yourself with an expensive gown you can't afford. Tell your sales person how important it is for you to stay on budget so that you can try on the perfect gowns you will say yes to the dress to once you find it!

7. Stop looking. Truth be told that if you seek you shall find. That goes with the wedding gown shopping experience. If you keep looking and shopping you will never find a dress! There will always be another gown you'll like, but if the one gown you selected makes you feel like a million bucks then why keep looking?

8. Remember you will save on a trunk show. Most retailers offer anywhere between 10-15% discount on bridal gowns purchased at a trunk show. Remember to consider your savings when you budget yourself for your dream dress.

9. Time. Check with your retailer about the time it takes to make your dress. Most design companies take about 14-16 weeks for delivery time after order has been placed. Make sure to give yourself enough time before the wedding to shop so that you don't run into rush order fees.

10. Enjoy the company of your friends and family. Celebrate your dress find with your family and friends once you find the "one." Take the time to make it an evening dinner celebration with those who helped you through your dress finding journey.

Jorge Manuel Travels To Reveal His Latest Collection 'The Rococo Collection' At The White Dress In California

This weekend Jorge Manuel travels to Corona Del Mar to meet the gorgeous brides of California who will be able to try on the gowns from the designer's latest ROCOCO Collection 2012. Brides will also have the opportunity to meet the designer and personalize their wedding gown with him.

"I am so excited to see real brides step into the Rococo Collection gowns, especially because up to now brides have only had the opportunity to view them in pictures," describes Jorge Manuel.

The White Dress will be holding a chic soiree to kick off the weekend trunk show on February 24, 2012 from 5-7 p.m. If you are in the area, stop on by to meet Jorge Manuel and see the gowns in person!  But if you have your heart set on one of the gowns from the collection and want to try on his gowns call the amazing girls at the THE WHITE DRESS and let them know you are coming!

TRUNK SHOW

When: February 24, 2012

Where: The White Dress, Corona Del Mar, California

What: Latest designer collection: THE ROCOCO

Who: Contact the amazing girls at The White Dress they will help you find your dream dress! (The amazing staff of The White Dress: Marlis, Carrie, Brielle, Andrea, Leah, Britney, Nancy, Katie will help you).

The Making Of The Upon A Star Win A Couture Wedding Gown Contest Dress

There is always excitement around the Jorge Manuel Studio when the UPON A STAR contest draws near. It is soon after October's bridal market that the designer begins to plan his next annual wedding gown contest giveaway. It starts by looking at his stores and choosing the retailer that is most excited about participating. (Photo courtesy of Ritzybee.com)

He began this contest 2 years ago with hopes that someone who truly wanted to wear a wedding dress designed with and for a purpose would stand out and give him the opportunity to fulfill her dreams.

Jorge Manuel was raised around a grandmother who loved to sew wedding gowns, and it is with the genuine care that he learned from her how many blessings comes from giving back in life. In turn, this is a way he can respond to a community that has offered the designer chance to exceed in what he loves to do most.

The creative process is a blend of many emotions. It is the genuine interests of other peers in his professional industry that make the UPON A STAR win a couture wedding gown contest what it is. Ultimately, it is a contest that brings together bridal professionals who also once shared a dream. In this case, they come together to make one very special bride's WISH a reality. Hence, the reason the contest was named with a crystal clear concept of making dreams happen.

" It is all very exciting and exhausting. There is so much that changes from one year's contest to the next. It gets bigger, more complex and definitely more demanding. I am always traveling or working on a future collection or promoting a current one. Taking the time to do this contest truly challenges my organizational skills. It is my grandmother's memory that keeps me going and pushes me to, at the very least, make someone's special day even more special," recalls the designer.

As soon as the chaos of bridal market is over, the designer and his team start to brainstorm on the UPON A STAR win a couture wedding gown contest. For 2012, Jorge Manuel invited HITCHED bridal salon to join on his contest dress giveaway venture. HITCHED salon is known for remarkable customer service, as well as, incredible bridal gown stock choices for brides looking for that perfect dress. It is their fantastic work ethic and dedication to the bridal industry that truly made him reach out to them. Once they accepted sponsorship, both companies came together and after several meetings agreed on what this year's UPON A STAR gown contest and gown should look like. A total of 5 sketches with 5 very different styles, various fabrics and color options were considered.

The gown began with a rendering of sketches. Once the final sketch was finished the drawing took form in a muslin. This muslin is what the designer uses to physically see, in a lesser quality fabric, what the intended gown will look like after patterns are made. Changes at this point are adjusted to the muslin and then passed back unto the original patterns for corrections.

"The hard part of doing a dress is not really knowing how it will turn out until the end when it is finished. Once you have the sample, replicating the gown is quite simple," says the designer.

As the process continued, so did the choices. Fabrics and colors were then selected. The concept for the gown was for it to be simple, modern, yet ethereal. The "Eternal Flame" gown for this year's contest was named after the song that both owners of Hitched and best friends, Carin Levine and Julia Kepniss, shared in common as adolescents. After all what is a STAR? Is not an eternal flame? The UPON A STAR contest gown quickly found its name soon after the last button had been placed.

The UPON A STAR gown is a gorgeous 100% off-white Silk Taffeta and Silk Satin mermaid silhouette with French beaded lace. It took countless hours, pattern makers and a team of very talented seamstresses to make. The beading was mostly encrusted and done by hand. Truly a special gown for one very special bride.

If you would like to participate in this year's UPON A STAR dress giveaway by designer Jorge Manuel and brought to you by Hitched bridal salon in Washington D.C. then visit www.jorgemanuelweddings.com for full contest details. While you are there, fill an application and make your wish UPON A STAR. You never know it might be you who's wish comes true!

Entries will only be accepted until March 17, 2012; midnight. Don't miss out!

Anyone in the U.S. 18 and over can participate!

The Upon A Star Win A Couture Wedding Gown Contest Kicked Off At Hitched This Past Weekend

Photography by Ralph Alswang www.ralphphoto.com

Our Sincere Thank You...

We are so blessed to be giving back to a community that has given us so much in return. We are beyond proud of our retailer Hitched for supporting the bridal industry in ways words cannot explain. And to all of our sponsors who so generously lent a helping hand in this year's UPON A STAR Win A Couture Wedding Gown contest..Thank you!

The Upon A Star Contest Gown Unveiled This Weekend at Hitched

The Jorge Manuel's UPON A STAR win a couture wedding gown contest  is going on now through March 17, 2012. This annual contest started in 2011 by the designer in hopes of making one very lucky bride's dream a reality. This year Jorge Manuel pairs up with HITCHED bridal salon in Washington D.C.

If you are a bride who has dreamed of walking down the aisle in a couture wedding gown then this might just be your opportunity. We want to hear your story! You might just be wishing upon the right star! Applying is simple and easy!

THE PRIZE (gown is shown above)
JORGE MANUEL and HITCHED, this year's official retailer sponsor, will give one lucky bride a gorgeous gown and veil (valued at $5000) plus a one night stay at the beautiful FAIRMONT hotel in Washington D.C. the night she is crowned this year's UPON A STAR winner at the UPON A STAR celebration at HITCHED in her honor!

APPLY
Visit jorgemanuelweddings.com to apply. Submit an essay (600 or less) stating what is your definition of love, what are your wedding decor plans and why this dress would make your wedding that much more special.

WAIT

Entries must be in by March 17, 2012 at 12 a.m. to qualify as an entry. Once submissions are reviewed by our group of judges, then finalists will post on the designer's website two weeks from March 17, 2012.

CAMPAIGN

Friend us FACEBOOK (facebook.com/jorgemanuelwed) and TWITTER (twitter.com/jorgemanuelwed). You don't want to miss on contest updates and details. Once the six (6) finalists are posted the public will have a chance to vote on their favorite. These votes account for the 50% of total points for each finalists.

WINNERS
Winner will be announced at the UPON A STAR celebration party at HITCHED in Washington D.C. in May 2012.  

Get your Engines Started And Those Thinking Clocks Ticking Because The ‘Upon A Star’ Contest Has Begun!

What is the ‘Upon A Star’ Contest you ask; Well, it’s an annual contest where designer Jorge Manuel and one of his retailers team up to gather brides from close and far to compete for a chance to win a couture one-of-a-kind wedding gown and matching veil by the designer exclusively made for the contest. (Total value of almost $5200). Last year the Upon A Star contest drew 252 entries from all over the U.S. where 5 finalists made the cut. 

This second season is bigger, better and easier to participate! If you or any friend you know is getting married and hasn’t found that special dress or simply does not have a budget that permits it, then let them know we are in the industry of making dreams and would love to hear from them. The gown up for grabs has already been posted in a sketch on earlier entries of our blog. (Click this link to see what it looks like.) The official Unveiling party is happening today at HITCHED, our official retailer sponsor, in Washington D.C. Pictures of the actual gown post here real soon so keep checking back with us for details. In the meantime you can go on our website and start applying. Applying for the contest is easy!

Apply online on the designer’s website at jorgemanuelweddings.com. You will find all contest details under the Contest tab or by clicking on the contest ‘UPON A STAR’ picture of the designer’s homepage. Applications must be submitted with a photo of you and your fiancé and a 600 word essay answering three basic, but very important questions:

1.      What is your definition of love?

2.      Let us in on the wedding and décor details?

3.      Tell us why this dress would make your wedding day even more special!   

Then once you have submitted your entry wait till the contest entry window comes to a close for all applicants on March 17, 2012. A pre-selected panel of six judges will read all your entries then and pick their favorites! It won’t be easy, but they will have no choice but to narrow all the fabulous stories down to just six (6) finalists.

The six (6) finalists will post and be featured on the designer’s website open for public voting soon after! How exciting that all your friends around the world will be able to get to know your interesting wedding plans and your creative essay about love.

Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com.jorgemanuelwed and twitter at twitter.com.jorgemanuelwed for important updates and announcements that will be posting throughout the contest.

Campaign! Make sure you get as many friends as possible to go on our site and vote for you! 50% of the final score depend on it. The other half of points will come from the panel of judges. But, not to worry! All finalists are already winners! For the first time in the contest history the ‘UPON A STAR’ contest will give each finalist any custom Jorge Manuel veil or accessory valued at $450.

The Grand Prize winner will be announced at the big UPON A STAR CELEBRATION PARTY at HITCHED, where they will also be giving a free night stay at the gorgeous Fairmont Hotel in Washington D.C.! Imagine that! You could be at the brink of applying and be in the running for a stunning gown and veil, a free night stay at the gorgeous Fairmont hotel, meet and greet with the wonderful Hitched staff and the Designer of your wedding gown and a celebration party celebrating you!

We look forward to crowning our next ‘Upon A Star’ contest winner soon! In the meantime get those thinking clocks ticking and apply! You have from now till March 17, 2012 for the chance to win your wish “Upon A Star!”

Guess Where We Will Be This Valentine's Weekend?

Jorge Manuel and Hitched salon have a duo affair this weekend as they celebrate two events for two very different, but fantastic reasons.

The designer's IRIS COLLECTION 2012 will be front and center at a TRUNK SHOW at HITCHED in Washington D.C. this FEBRUARY 17 and 18. If you are a bride that loves texture then this trunk show might just be what you have been waiting for. The IRIS COLLECTION is a collection inspired by color and the feelings a spectrum of hues can emote with each designed gown. If you haven't done so, or aren't familiar with the collection visit the designer website (jorgemanuelweddings.com) for pictures, details and information by accessing the bridal tab under IRIS COLLECTION 2012 folder or you can click on the links found on the left side of this blog to see each dress. It is a collection for those who truly love art and the timeless quality significance of the wedding dress.

The IRIS COLLECTION 2012 is a 17 piece collection of gowns each named after the color it was inspired in. In celebration of romance, Jorge Manuel, named the gowns in the five languages of Latin: French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish.

We are also so excited for Friday's official launch of the 'UPON A STAR' win a couture wedding gown contest by the designer and sponsor HITCHED. We have already released the sketch for the gown one very lucky bride will be able to win and walk down the aisle in. It is a truly beautiful and a one-of-a-kind dream in Taffeta and Lace! [click the following link to see the sketch for this year's Upon A Star Gown]  Upon A Star Official Sponsors and Gown Revealed .We will be posting pictures of the dress reveal shortly after contest launch.

If you are a bride who just got "hitched," or a bride who just hasn't found that "it" so uniquely beautiful in a dress then allow us to suggest for you to check back with us on Friday, February 17, 2012 when the official kick off for the 'UPON A STAR' win a couture wedding gown contest goes live on the designer's website. You never know....it might just be you who will win! Brides and fellow wedding fanatics...start your engines because this weekend looks like its going to be a lot of fun!

If you are in the Washington D.C. area and would like to see the IRIS COLLECTION gowns in person or want to stop by to meet the designer please call 202-333-6162 to let them know you are coming!

 

Normally We Wouldn't Post Gossip About Artists On Our Work Blog Site But This Angel Deserves We Acknowledge Her Enormous Set of Wings

Your Voice Will Guide you Home...

 We normally like to blog happy news about our company and work. But this news truly touched the designer Jorge Manuel. It only seemed fitting to thank her for all the beautiful songs she left us with.

"I grew up listening to her. She makes up so much of my childhood years  and her passing serves as a marker that time passes and so does all those you love. Someday we all must go, it will never be easy nor will I ever be able to fully understand why some angels lose their wings so young and so soon. It makes me sad that we may had missed how sad and alone she felt to give in to drugs again. I truly hope before she left she knew how much she was loved and how much she touched so many people's lives with her music....with her voice....may this same voice guide her home!" - Jorge Manuel

Jorge Manuel New Campaign Ads Will Soon Grace Bridal Magazines

The ROCOCO COLLECTION 2012 newest collection from the designer will have a new face for his campaign ads that will run in national magazines this next season. We hope you enjoy these gorgeous shots from his latest beautiful bridal collection.

The UPON A STAR CONTEST is almost here!

We are all so excited for the kick-off of the UPON A STAR win a couture wedding gown contest on Friday, February 17, 2012.  We will be at HITCHED salon in Washington D.C. this next weekend and during our IRIS COLLECTION 2012 trunk show we will be revealing the dress one very lucky bride will able to win and wear down the aisle on her glorious wedding day.

The gown is a one-of-kind design creation by Jorge Manuel and collaborated by the wonderful staff at HITCHED. This year's "Upon A Star win a couture wedding gown' dress is valued at  $4730 and it could be yours! Plus, what girl wouldn't love to walk down the aisle in a dress designed and custom made just for her! Stay tuned for details on February 17, 2012. This year's contest promises to be bigger with more surprises, including runner-up prizes, a complimentary one-night stay at a beautiful five-star hotel in Washington D.C and a big Celebration party with the wonderful girls and the designer at the UPON A STAR turning over party at Hitched!

Complete contest information, including how you can apply to enter, will post here and on the designer's website (jorgemanuelweddings.com). If you or anybody you know dreams about walking down the aisle in a one-of-a-kind couture wedding gown then check back with us for full contest details. Get those engines running because the 2nd annual Jorge Manuel 'UPON A STAR win a couture wedding gown' contest is about to begin!

The Making of the ROCOCO Collection: The 'MEIER' Gown

One Dress At A Time: The Meier

The road to designing is neither an exact path nor an easy one. There are many obstacles along the way that can make or break the design of a gown. Details that can land you a dress in a magazine, store window or bride, or not.

The Rococo Collection started with the idea of designing architecture into a dress. Jorge Manuel feels that architecture exists in everything since everything in life is designed. This collection had been long time coming as sketches and ideas had steadily been building up 6 months prior to its conception. "There were times where I would be half asleep and I'd bolt out of bed shuffling around in the darkness of my room for a pen, pencil...anything that would write so that I could set the idea in my head unto a piece of paper, corner of a book, or even a piece of mail, "recalls the designer. Ideas spur from anywhere and from anything. The term being creative is simply a person's ability to be opened to these ideas no matter how or where they come from. When one is able to absorb and process their surroundings and translate them from your mind into abstract form then creativity is rooted and established.

This particular dress was born from the ideas of an Architect, Richard Meier, who is known for using white predominantly throughout his designed work. Designing this gown was as different to Jorge Manuel as Richard Meier had been with his "white" inspired work in a world where concrete, grays and blacks dominated the architectural spectrum. " I had never designed a gown with so much coverage and much less covered in lace. This would be a new challenge for me and I was confident that it would turn out beautifully," explains the designer; "the first step was to sketch what I had in mind. I did a couple of renderings and started to form a list of words to describe what emotions I wanted to convey in this gown."

Words like "romantic, timeless, feminine, soft," and "powerful" made the top of the list. Jorge Manuel understands how heavily saturated the market is with gowns made of lace. So how would he put different into what is already "not so different," was truly a big concern for the designer. It would take weeks before the perfect lace would make the cut. Out of endless options, Jorge Manuel settle on his two top favorites. One would have gorgeous repetitive circular details that were smaller and fit the bill with his list of words, but the other choice had giant circles embroidered in organza, cut crystals and seed beads seem to draw his eye more. "I saw it finished in my head before I had even unrolled the fabric. Once I saw the lace on the table, I knew it would make my list of words a reality in fabric form," recalls Jorge Manuel.

Finding the perfect lace sent Jorge Manuel into a whirlwind of fantastic ideas and his sketch began to change from one design to another. The gown started to shape itself and by pairing the gorgeous circular lace with the "white" silk shantung and polka dot sequence lace for the bodice as backing, the MEIER gown took life. The designer knew right away that it would become the crown jewel of the collection. Sewing pieces of lace together in itself is an art form. The process of dress making is as much tedious as it is beautiful. All together a dress can take months to make depending on the style, fabric and detail of the gown.  It would take a team of three specialized seamstresses to assess and make the beautiful hand-made Meier dress. Specifically:

The MEIER took 5 sketches, 1 final sketch, 1 pattern maker, 3 talented seamstresses, 3 weeks to make, 1 muslin, 10 yards of light weight Silk-Shantung, 2 yards of Lace, 7 hours of re-beading, and 36 Satin covered buttons to confect and bring to life.

The Rococo Collection is a collection based on design inspiration. It is project that changed constantly and nothing was as it should be until the end result. It was a journey of self discovery and adventure.

We are so proud to introduce to you THE MEIER from Jorge Manuel's ROCOCO COLLECTION 2012. For more information on the gown and other gowns, you can visit designer's website (jorgemanuelweddings.com). 'Til next time... when we feature another dress from the collection through the designer's perspective.

The day Grows Closer When The UPON A STAR Contest Wedding Gown is Revealed

We are just a little over a week away before Jorge Manuel's 'UPON A STAR Win A Couture Wedding Gown contest' dress is revealed at Hitched Salon in Washington D.C. on February 17. The journey to making the dress has been an exciting one. The project began months ago when the designer sketched various ideas for this special one-of-a-kind gown. The sketches were then submitted to this year's sponsor and incredibly talented group of ladies at Hitched Salon. After several meetings over the phone, sketch design editing, fabric selecting and color choices, the "Eternal Flame" dress came to be.

Owners, Julia Kepniss and Carine Levine, have a very fond childhood memory of the song "Eternal Flame,"and through song they would become best of friends and venture out into the bridal industry as admirable store owners. For this reason, Jorge Manuel found most fitting to name this year's UPON A STAR wedding gown "Eternal Flame."

"I thought it best appropriate to name the contest UPON A STAR because it is a contest of making dreams come true. And that very saying "that when you wish upon a star," anything is possible. The star theme has always been a big thing with me when naming the dresses for this competition. But this particular dress name fit so perfectly into this year's contest for two reasons. The first reason is the story behind the store owners Julia and Carin and their history with the song title "Eternal Flame." I wanted the gown to represent their bride's tastes and style, while representing who they are as a wonderful store. The second reason is that what is a star? just that....an eternal flame...thus the perfect name for this gorgeous dress. It has been fun working hands on in this project. The lucky winner will shine as bright as any star in this gown!" recalls Jorge Manuel.

So there you have it, while brides gear up to get ready for the contest, both Jorge Manuel and this year's sponsor, Hitched Salon, prepare to embark on a wonderful journey of making dreams come true. Stay tuned here and on the designer's website for full contest rules and details. This year's UPON A STAR contest promises to be a dream maker's dream.

Something is Brewing at Studio Jorge Manuel...

and that something is the almost completed gown for the 'Upon A Star'Win A Couture Wedding Gown contest that will soon be revealed. One very lucky bride will have the opportunity to win this gorgeous one-of-a-kind dress by designer Jorge Manuel. Stay tuned as contest details will become available here and on the designer's website on February 17, 2012.

If you look closely you will see the MICHELANGELO dress from Jorge Manuel's latest collection the ROCOCO COLLECTION 2012 that just unveiled on the designer's website. If you haven't seen it yet hop over to his site (jorgemanuelweddings.com) and check out his latest collection of gorgeous bridal dresses!

It Is Finally Here....Jorge Manuel's Newest Collection, the ROCOCO COLLECTION 2012, Makes Its Debut

Jorge Manuel brings to life his newest collection, The ROCOCO Collection, inspired by famous architects and their work. It is the culmination of a six month journey down the sketching, fittings, fabric selecting and editing path. "I am huge fan of architecture and I've been meaning to make a collection inspired by my favorite architects from the past and current. I kept putting off the concept because I felt time would tell me when it would be the right moment to bring it to life. I come from a family that loves to travel, and I've been fortunate enough to have seen many of the places and works these architects designed and made. I thought it proper to name each of the dresses from the collection after each and every one of them respectively," shares the designer.  The ROCOCO collection is a homage to these architects who have one by one contribute so much to the arts and our culture. The idea for naming the collection ROCOCO derives from the diminutive design of the Baroque. At a time when the rebels were considered artist, the Rococo era arose triumphantly and going against the grain became the fad. Jorge Manuel is proud of his latest collection of bridal gowns and invites you to travel with him through each gowns' journey, design idea and the famous architect who inspired it.

Jorge Manuel proudly presents his sixth bridal collection: THE ROCOCO COLLECTION 2012. To view full collection and to learn more about this season's concept visit the designer's website at www.jorgemanuelweddings.com for more information.