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.
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.
Entries will only be accepted until March 17, 2012; midnight. Don't miss out!
Anyone in the U.S. 18 and over can participate!
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