DONT FALL IN LOVE WITH A PICTURE!

Recently I have had many brides looking for a dress that they found in a fashion magazine and want to purchase that exact dress. Then when they try on the dress they are upset that it does not look as how they imagined it would or match the look of the picture. It is rare that a dress in a magazine will end up being the perfect dress for you. Your dress shopping  experience will be much better if you go to a shop and try on many styles of gowns so you can find the style that fits you best. Many brides are suprised that they end up not getting what they originally had in mind or saw in a picture. So remember the dress shopping experience is supposed to be fun and remember to keep an open mind, you might suprise yourself!

WARNING - DO NOT BUY A WEDDING GOWN ONLINE!

When searching for a good bridal gown online store, there are many of them that show up in your search results however, there are a lot of online bridal stores who use original designer wedding gown photos and slash the price dramatically in the hopes of persuading online shoppers that they’re getting a huge deal on designer dresses.

Here is REAL DEAL-- Designers DO NOT support online bridal stores! I have contacted all possible designers that you could think of, and NONE OF THEM support online bridal stores (unless the online bridal store has a physical bridal boutique). So, what do these online stores sell? They sell designer replica gowns. What I am strongly against is using the designers’ original photos to promote their products and mislead the  shopper. If they want to create their own version of the designer gowns, they have to make an effort to create a sample dress for their buyers to see—NOT just show the original photo and tell them “your dress will look similar to this…” There are a lot of bride-to-be’s who still fall for this scam.

Please do not be misled, and if it sounds to good to be true it is and you get what you pay for. Go to a bridal shop where you can try on, touch and see exactly what your gown is going to look like. This will save you a lot of heartache and money in the long run.

Rose City Bridal Showcase

We participated in the Rose City Bridal Showcase this weekend and it was a great success! Our booth replicated our shop space with a Paris theme and we had 13 wedding gowns in the fashion show. Here are some pictures of the booth and the fashion show.

Magnifique Boutique New Commcercial

We are very excited that we now have a commercial on Weddings Portland Style! If you would like to view our commercial just click on the attached link. Weddings Portland Style

Addition to our "Couture Consignment" gowns

We are excited to have a gorgeous Birnbaum & Bullock (Selma) gown. It is made of beautiful 100% raw silk, is strapless, in a refined “mermaid” style, and has a beautiful trumpet skirt that just touches the floor. It is a classic style with a bit of sexiness and whimsy. Please call for an appointment to come and try on this spectacular gown.

Magnifique Boutique welcomes WTOO Gowns by Watters & Watters

We are excited to announce that we will now be adding to our amazing line of gowns. We are now going to carry WTOO gowns by Watters & Watters. Personally I am close to this line as my wedding gown was a WTOO gown. These gowns are gorgeous and we are excited to add this line to our gown collection. We will also be carrying the WTOO bridesmaids dresses as well.

Magnifique Events (Kendall and Freddie Wedding)

Here are some photos of Kendall and Freddies gorgeous wedding at the Aerie at Eagle Landing. They had spectacular weather and Kendall danced the night away! They are such a sweet couple and really great to work with. I loved everything they chose from the brown and light blue colors to the filligree custom linens. My favorite part of the evening was watching Kendall dance to Bad Medicine by Bon Jovi, she loves the 80's hair bands. The night was not coplete until they played a few holes of putt putt golf and a sparkling departure. They were such a fun couple to work with and I wish them a lifetime of love.

Another Gorgeous "Couture Consignment" Gown

This is a stunning Alvina Valenta mermaid style used wedding gown made of oyster silk duchess satin. The style number is AV9662. The bodice is a gorgeous ivory Alencon lace, features a "v" neckline with scallop-edge trim and low back. The waistline features ruched silk satin and the gown flutes softly out below the knee. The Alencon lace detail is repeated as a beautiful underlay at the hemline.

Newest Couture Consignment Gown

Meet the newest addition to our Couture Consignment Gowns! It is a gorgeous Amsale Gown!

Silk Faced Duchess Satin/Tulle. Strapless ball gown and empire waist, very flattering, it makes anyone look thin. Satin bodice features a blush colored sache. The most beautiful/elegant dress!

The dress was worn on 11/26/05 and since has been cleaned and preserved. It will fit a size 12 but, can be altered smaller. This is a classic AMSALE gown and I don't expect it to last long. Please feeel free to call or email if you have any questions or would like to schedule a fitting.

More DRESSES!!!

We are currently receiving new dresses in every week so keep checking back to see what is new! Some of the new dresses we have came from Lila Couture and they are FANTASTIC! If you are looking for designer gowns that the other shops don't have. Enjoy a glass of champage and browse our amazing line of wedding gowns, bridesmaids dresses, tuxedos, jewelry and accessories.

Amazing Wedding Vendors

We are always on the lookout for cool new vendors in the Portland area as it seems that there are always new people with great ideas and information. I also feel that networking is a great way to expand business so I wanted to give out the information on these vendors...

Daniel Stark Photography - In one word AMAZING! Besides being the nicest guy ever he takes beautiful photos. He has a fantastic website and blog where you can view his work. If you are looking for a wedding photographer I would definitely check out his work!

Floral Sunshine - Annie Chen is the owner of Floral Sunshine and I got to meet her earlier this week. She is literally a burst of sunshine herself and also comes highly recommended from other vendors that I have worked with in the past. She too has a great website showing her fantastic floral designs.

Artistry by Austie - Austie Eckley literally burst into the boutique a couple of days ago and immediately I just loved her. She has a super outgoing personality and great attitude. She does fantastic makeup artistry and pictures from her website will blow you away, shes amazing. She also makes custom hair pieces that are perfect in every way. Many have a vintage flair and we hope to carry some of her items in the boutique soon.

All of the links to these vendors are here and if you are looking for fantastic wedding vendors these people come highly recommended by Magnifique Boutique.

http://www.danielstarkphotography.com

http://www.floralsunshine.com

http://www.artistrybyaustie.com

Sellwood Passport Event

Reminder that tomorrow is the Sellwood Passport Event. You can get your passport at any participating business. Just look for the lime green and orange balloons along the street in front of the business. Stop by and have some snack and refreshments and see what Magnifique Boutique has to offer in Sellwood!

Couture Consignment

Magnifique Boutique now offers

Couture Consignment!

If you have a Couture or Designer wedding gown that you would like to sell Magnifique Boutique can consign your gown for you. We will display your gown in our boutique up to 3 months. We are looking for couture and designer gowns only, some of the designers that we are looking for are...
Amsale
Birnbaum and Bullock
Kenneth Pool
Reem Acra
Carolina Herrera
Vera Wang
Priscilla of Boston
Monique Lhullier
and many more...

Or if you are looking for a Couture gown at a reduced price come check out Magnifique Boutique's selection of Couture Consignment gowns.

Magnifique is UNIQUE!

I have had many people ask how my bridal boutique is different than the others in the area......

We are different in so many ways. One of the big differences is that when you arrive at Magnifique Boutique you will not be in a busy strip mall you will be in a quaint neighborhood in the Sellwood area of Portland. The shop itself is in a 100 year old house!

Upon arrival you will be offered a beverage including beer, wine and champagne to sip while you peruse the gorgeous gowns that we offer. You will also notice that these are not the same gowns that you have seen in all of the other shops. We have many exclusive lines that can only be found at Magnifique.

When you are here trying on gowns you will be our only appointment. Brides need a lot of attention and gown shopping is supposed to be a fun and pampering experience. You don't feel pampered if the person helping you is also attending to other clients at the same time.

We work around your schedule, if you can't come in until after our regular hours that is fine we can schedule you in when you are available to come in. That is one reason why we are open on Sunday while many of the other shops are closed.

Another option is that we will close the shop after hours to only you and your bridal party so you can all try on as many gowns as you would like and the entire shop is exclusively yours!

We also feature local jewelry designers and tuxedo rentals for the guys. So come on over to Magnifique Boutique and we hope to see you soon!

Cheers,
Jennie Streitberger
Owner

New Boutique Photos

Lenny Gotter with Impression Arts took some fantastic pictures of the boutique! Check them out! Thank you Lenny for these pictures!

Scott also completed the sign for the boutique and it looks great he is such an artist!

Professionals Only PLEASE!

Recently with the economy the way it is many brides are trying to find any way to save a buck on their wedding. There is the correct way to save money and the incorrect way. A couple of places people seen to try and save money is with the cake. Everyone knows someone who likes to "bake" but, does that person have the right type of ovens to bake large cakes in and do they know that there needs to be support dowels inside the cake? Then can they put the cake together at the facility and do they have a refrigerated truck to transport the cake with? These would be some of concerns I would have with having a friend make the cake.

I personally have repaired many cakes and every time it has been a cake made by a friend or family member. I have seen cakes arrive melted because the people driving were getting cold in the car from the AC being on high. I have seen cakes fall because they don't have the dowels in them. I have also seen people eat these cakes and spit them out because the baker got the ingredients wrong.

You may spend more on having a professional bakery make your cake but, if something does go wring you can't take action against that person. So when someone offers to make your cake for you just make sure you know what you are getting into.

Another way people try to save money is by using an IPOD instead of a DJ. I am not a fan of this but, I have seen it be done well and not so well. A DJ is not just there to press buttons and take requests the DJ is your Master of Ceremonies and a very important element of any wedding. They are the ones who will announce you into your reception and make sure everyone is in attendance for all of the reception events such as cake cutting, first dance, garter toss etc. So if you must use an IPOD please make sure you have a microphone and someone who will make these annoucements.

TIP: Make sure that all of your music on the IPOD is at the same high volume level. This can become a problem if something is recorded at a low volme and then you can't hear it even if the speaker that it is playing through is turned up all the way. Imagine your ceremony music playing but, people can barely hear it.

Wedding Budget Tips

Many brides face the predicament of going to try on gowns and finding that "the one" is over their budget. So here are some money saving tips that you can use to ensure the wedding is what you dreamed of and the gown is "the one"

Typically when brides come into our boutique they have a budget from $1500 to $3000 for a gown. Sometimes they might find something that is a few hundred more than what they wanted to spend and need ideas of how they can save that money later in the planning process.

5 Cost Saving Ideas

1. Hire a wedding planner! This may seem like an added expense but, many planners can save you money with vendors that they know and get discounts from. Plus they review contracts and make sure that you are not being taken advantage of. They are also know about how much items really cost.
2. Another way to save is by cutting the guest list, does your second cousins neighbor really need to be invited to the wedding? Many people think they have a huge guest count but, if you really examine who truly will be invited and be able to come might be a number less than what you were expecting.
3. Have your wedding on a weekday! This seems crazy to some people but, many vendors and facilities offer huge discounts to weekday weddings. Some of my favorite weddings that I have planned have been on weekdays. They were also some of the biggest fun dance party raging weddings that I have done as well. If you send out save the date cards there is no reason why your guests would not be able to take a day off work. Many guests love that they have to take time off. If people are traveling the day of the wedding does not make a difference because they are taking time off anyway.
4. Fore go the favors! Many times brides spend way to much time and money on favors that people don't end up taking with them at the end of the night. Or it is something that goes in a drawer and eventually gets tossed. Unless it is something they can truly use or eat I would pass. A fantastic idea is to donate money or time to a charity you are interested in and then have not cards at each place setting that says in lieu of a favor you have donated to the charity.
5. Have just a beer and wine bar. Or if you really want to have cocktails, have those for just a set amount of time during the cocktail hour. Many couples are shocked when they get their bar bill for a full hosted bar. I have done events where for just 100 people the bar bill came to over $16,000! This couple was expecting this but, could you imagine if you had no idea the cocktails would cost that much. Or you can set a budget for the bar and ask to be notified when that number is reached. Many people will say that they don't have many drinkers (everyone says this) however, when the bar is free many people who typically don't drink much will enjoy the 25 year scotch that they have always wanted to try.

Pets at the Party

Many brides and grooms these days are choosing to have their pets in the wedding. This is definitely a good way to have your pet be part of your special day. However, there are tips to make sure the day goes the way you planned with your favorite pet being at your side.

1. Make sure the facility will allow the pet to be there and find out specifically what area the pet can or can't be in.


2. Make sure you have someone besides the wedding couple to care for the pet on the day of the wedding. This should be someone who knows the pet and is comfortable disciplining the pet if needed. This person should also have a supply of treats, and poop bags for any messes that will happen.


3. The pet should be leashed at all times, not everyone likes pets and also you don't want the pet to jump up on their wedding day outfit.


4. During the ceremony make sure there is someone there to escort the pet away if needed. If the pet is kennel trained bring the kennel and after the time that the pet is needed take the pet away from the area.


5. Do not leave the pet in a car especially on a hot day even if the windows are rolled down! A pet can overheat in a car even in the winter if the car is in the sun!!


6. Make sure if you are having the pet wear flowers that the type of flowers are not poisonous to the pet in case they eat them.


7. Make sure your photographer and videographer know that the pet is going to be there so they can be prepared and get those cute photos.

True Story: When my husband Scott and I got married we had our two dogs Jynx and Piper a Siberian Husky and a Beagle. They each had an attendant with them and we made sure the dogs were groomed that morning and somewhat worn out by the time they arrived at the ceremony location. Everything went great with having them there but, during the ceremony the beagle decided that she wanted to talk. It turned out she just wanted to be sitting next to the Husky but, we did have someone that escorted her away and it got a laugh from the guests. So even with being prepared you never know what can happen. Thankfully most of those events turn out funny and memorable.

Bridesmaids Dresses

Many brides have challenges when deciding which bridesmaid dress to choose for their wedding. It is a hard process because you typically have many opinions and styles that your attendants want to wear and they are usually the ones footing the bill on the dress. So how do you make everyone happy?

The new trend is to choose a color or fabric of dress and then let your attendants choose the style of dress. This way they can have a dress that flatters them and hopefully that they will wear again in the future. By going this route your attendants will be more comfortable spending more money on a dress that they truly like and will wear more than once.

At Magnifique Boutique we carry a fantastic line of Bridesmaid, Mother of the Bride and Flower Girl dresses that all coordinate in color and fabric and then your attendants can choose the style of the dress. http:/www.lynnlugo.com/

The White Wedding Goes Green

Magnifique Events has a new Eco wedding planning package that will make other brides green with envy. It's a socially conscious experience that balances bridal wishes with a positive impact on the environment. For example the program offers the use of a certified organic menu with locally grown produce. Organic wines and wedding cakes are other options as well. Hybrid vehicles are used to ferry the bridal party to the bride and groom. Unused food is donated to a local shelter and floral arrangements are recycled by giving them to the guests as gifts or area hospitals. In addition guests are given notes on recycled paper that explain the details of the wedding's carbon-neutral effect. For more information and pricing please schedule a complimentary consultation to go over all of your wedding planning details.

Along with having an Eco wedding and reception your gown can be equally Eco friendly. Many bridal gown fabrics are natural and it is possible to get an all natural or part natural fabric gown. We carry a wide array of natural fabric gowns and bridesmaids dresses.

Another option is to recycle your gown after the wedding by donating it to a charitable cause. Magnifique Boutique works with Making Memories - Brides Against Breast Cancer and can help you with information on how to donate your gown to their fantastic charity.