Welcome to El Morro in Old San Juan, where this gorgeous couple below became Emily and Kyle Weatherman in late June of this year. Their wedding pictures are beautiful and we couldn't be more excited to celebrate their marriage and highlight bride Emily. 

El Morro is a National Monument that protects over 2,000 inscriptions and petroglyphs, as well as Ancestral Puebloan ruins. They chose this spot because of its beauty and since it is a national monument, with a fort and tons of eucalyptus, there was no need for decor or a theme. The place spoke for itself. 

"We got married at 8:30 AM- the fort is now a government park which opens to the public at 9Am so we got married before hours for more privacy. I was told by the park ranger we were the first and only couple he knew of to get married before hours, which I thought was pretty neat. Most people get married after hours but I wanted us all to beat the heat and humidity and also for our guests to have the rest of the day to enjoy their time in PR. We had a small brunch reception to follow back at the Caribe Hilton (where we were all staying) and when we finished with our reception we all met at the pool and spent the rest of the afternoon celebrating."
Brides-to-be: take note! If you don't want a fully traditional wedding where the day or evening is dominating by a schedule, this is the way to go!

These two met in the 7th grade and shared mutual friends and moved through high school together. After graduation, Kyle joined the navy and was stationed in Jacksonville FL. while Emily attended college. An out of the blue FB message reunited them in 2013 and they turned a few messages into an ongoing conversation. In December of that same year, Kyle returned home and asked Emily to be his girl friend. 3 weeks later he was deployed for 7 months but they have been together since.

Many happy returns you guys and much love from the gang at BT!

and anyone who says otherwise, beloved reader, is trying to sell you a lie. Math doesn't lie. Nor should a dress size mess with your head.
Consider this a Bridal Traditions pep talk disguised as a blog.

Have you ever felt amazing wearing something "ready to wear" or off the rack only to find out that the size was not your usual size? You look fab. You feel beautiful. So here's the big question: what do you care about the label? Seriously. Sit with that for a second. ​Is it your personality? Is that number you sense of style, your ability to show empathy, your love of family, your intelligence, your loyalty to friends? Nope. Ladies: it's just a number.

See this lady above? In Europe, her size is in the 40s. No kidding.
At BT, we hope you'll find a gown that you look beautiful in, that makes you feel like your best self and then buy it. Forget the tag. Forget what society says sizing means. It's meaningless. Size is irrelevant, my dears, and YOU are not.

Like lots of brides, Cassie had a sense of what she wanted and had seen several options on Pinterest, but she also wanted to try on some dresses just to get a better idea about what she truly liked and might look good in. She know she liked the fit and flare style and after trying on a couple of gowns in that style, her desire to wear that type of gown down the aisle was confirmed. What surprised her was that she chose a v-neck and rarely wears that style in anything else. You never know, ladies! 
Lace sleeves looked lovely on her, but due to the location and season, she stuck with the vision.  

"I loved the lace detailing on my dress, especially around the bottom and on the train. It was beautiful and I couldn’t have been happier with it!  Bridal Traditions was amazing in helping me find my dress. Kelly went through the dresses and pulled out exactly what I was looking for. I made a few changes to my dress and everything was very stress free and she was so helpful to making my dress exactly the way I wanted it. She picked out the perfect veil to go with my dress and helped me complete my bridal look. I had the best experience there and couldn’t be more thankful for all of the help I received."
Cassie and crew also rented all the men's tuxes from BT. 

We too are thrilled with how lovely a bride she made, how gloriously their day turned out, and we wish Cassie and Wesley nothing but years of happiness, fun and complete sunshine. 

At BT, we joked that this could be the shortest blog ever in the history of blogs about weddings, about fashion or about men wearing formal wear. We want to be clear. We want to show respect. We want to be careful and supportive and loving, but we also want to be honest.
So here goes, as succinctly as possible: 
Pull your pants up.
Gentlemen, we are all for you wearing what you want for your wedding day as much as we advocate for the brides to wear what they want, but if you are indeed going to wear a suit or tux please wear it the way it's intended to fit because it's formal wear. You can start by pulling your pants up. Seriously. 
It's your wedding day.

It's important - to us at least - to say that this is not about which generation you belong to, your race or ethnicity, which trends you embrace in your day-to-day life, your socioeconomic status, what is currently in style or even the theme of your wedding. It's about the day.
On your wedding day "the sag" has no place when you're standing next to a woman in a gown in front of the pastor or justice of the peace. It's a sacred moment and a sagging suit will not speak well of you in photos one week after the wedding or 20 years later. We promise. You'll regret not looking sharp because you thought you can sling your formal pants on your hips like you do your jeans.

It's all about the rise. Jeans have a shorter rise so they can be worn lower, but if you try to wear a higher rise pant in the same place, it just ends up looking super slouchy. 

Quick example: right now, jeans with shredded knees are back and we're seeing them on both girls and guys on weekends, at restaurants for dinner, on date nights and when running errands. They are edgy and fun and in this summer heat, maybe even a little cooler. But no one is getting married in shredded denim. You with us?

At BT, we stock styles of tuxes and suits and take you guys through an entire process to make sure that what you're wearing actually fits and makes you look your best when you say "I Do." We dedicated a blog in March of this year to what happens when you come to us for a tux or suit. Check it out. 

Bottom line: look your best. On your wedding day, you're going to shower, shave or if you're sporting a beard - give it a comb, put on clean socks, tie your shoes or polish your boots, get the knot tied perfectly and wear your suit or tux like a man. Stand up straight, and pull your pants up. ;)

is coming, ladies - so mark your calendars.
From Saturday to Saturday, July 20 - 27 Bridal Traditions hosts an annual sale that is targeted and big: the National Bridal Sale Event is our biggest sale of the year. 

Hours
Saturday, July 20 / 10a-4p
Reservations are Required for Brides on 7/20 , with a 1 Hour Time Limit
Go here to reserve your fitting room!

Buy More Save More
On Saturday, July 20th, purchase a dress, veil and one other accessory item of your choice and receive an additional $50 discount!
(Excludes Closeout Purchases)

Tuesday, July 23 - Friday, July 26 / 10a - 6p
by walk-in or reservation

Saturday, July 27
10a - 2p by walk-in or reservation
2p - 4p by reservation only

Does this pontoon boat go with my lace?

This blog is about encouraging brides to buy a wedding gown with their hearts and not their heads and believe it or not, this is becoming an epidemic in our industry: the immediate second guessing of your choice of gown. 

So, picture this: 
The bride-to-be is in a wedding gown she loves. She has stars in her eyes. She's gazing at herself in the mirror. She looks flushed, happy, gorgeous and ready to say yes. 
Then, like a needle on a vinyl record, her brain - with all of the details and facts she's gathered on her hunt for the right gown - begins to elbow in to disrupt all of the joy and excitement of that moment. 
And she processes.
​And she considers place, season and people.
And she weighs the expectations of others.
And she asks her team for their input.
And then she deflates. 

When asked to participate in styled photo shoots, like the one we contributed to recently at Emerald Hill, we are happy to say to "yes to the dresses" - and suits - needed for whatever theme or goal. For this latest photo shoot at Chapman Farmstead, we provided the bride's dress and groom's attire, in appreciation of the vision. Where the Emerald Hill shoot was boho chic and youthful, the Chapman Farmstead shoot evokes memories and images of weddings with an anachronistic feel, sort of out of another time, ... but with modern elements like a photo booth bus!

The antique look and feel of this shoot is both elegant and familiar and the designer did a great job setting the stage and tone for the day. The signs were made by Blossom Barn Event Decor, the overall decor is from Country Sheek Wedding Rentals and the party favors of candles are by Emily's Creations. It's all cohesive and each item compliments the others. 

Bridal Traditions provided the bride and groom's clothing and choosing more traditional, classic and formal items was a natural for a theme that included antique dishes, a farm sink for well-wishes, and plenty of lace touches. Our model bride's gown also had long lace sleeves, an open, but not revealing neckline, and plenty of fabric in the skirt. When she walked, there was a trail of satin and chiffon following her. A simple hair piece that resembles a natural garland finished the look.  

Because this shoot had a wistful, bygone era feel, a tux for the groom was out of the question. His navy 3 piece suit, taupe tie and crisp white shirt were perfect. 

If you're interested in looking into the vendors who participated in this styled photo shoot, here's the list.

Attire: Bridal Traditions Wedding & Prom Attire
Venue: Chapman Farmstead
Photography: Little Wagon Photography
Videography: Our Story Video Creations, LLC
Flowers: Brookside Flowers
Decor: Country Sheek Wedding Rentals
Cake: Audrianna Alexandria
Signs: Blossom Barn Event Decor
Photo Booth: The Little Blue Photo Bus
Favors: Emilyʼs Creations
Makeup: Morgan Cockerham
Hair: Hannah Chapman

Taylor Gentry and Johnathon Bumgarner were married at The Barn at Blueberry Hill in Elkin, NC on April 6 of this year. Theirs is a sweet story, that was born in middle school when they met and became best friends. By the time they were in high school, they realized they were probably more than best friends. They started dating and when Taylor left to attend college at Western Carolina University, they took the plunge and became a "long-distance relationship." Anyone can tell you (and will if you ask, we've found) that these types of relationships are not only not easy, they test your faith and trust. But these two learned to be great communicators and when Johnathon surprised Taylor 6 years after they started dating with a marriage proposal, she said absolutely.

The bridesmaids wore mulberry wine colored dresses that they chose themselves and the fellas wore matching ties and grey 3-piece suits on that spring day in a barn decorated with baby's breath, burgundy carnations and tons of twinkly white lights. The day, the crew and the place were bright and fresh and exactly what you'd expect of a spring wedding.

These two are both in medical professions. Taylor is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and works at Wilkes Medical Center and Johnathon is a Radiologic Technologist and is also certified in Computed Tomography. He works for Alleghany Memorial Hospital. As serious and important as those jobs are, the couple knows how to tease. On their wedding day, Taylor and Johnathon exchanged letters and after sending her long and heart-felt letter to him, Taylor opened the one from Johnathon. It contained a single sentence about how he hoped they would have a nice wedding day. Only later did he send her the actual letter he'd written her. Pranked on her big day! She said she went from disappointment to tears in a matter of minutes.

Taylor knew that she wanted an A-line dress with some bling and some lace, and that she wanted to stay within her budget of around $1,000. She found a gown she loved at BT and we helped her remove some of the "poofiness" and layers, transforming it from more of a ball gown to an A-line dress. The lace and beading at the straps and hemline give it an extra bit of style and sparkle. We also added a belt. 

"Kelly was absolutely wonderful and knew to console me and give me advice when I became overwhelmed with choices and opinions. She asked what was holding me back from saying yes to the dress that I was wearing - and that I wanted - and I told her it was way too “puffy” for me. She immediately called the factory to see if they could take out some of the layers, and they did! She then added a sparkly belt to give it right amount of bling that it was missing and topped it with a beautiful veil that perfectly matched my gown. I had the bride moment I had been waiting for and said ‘yes.’ There is no other store that would have taken the time to be that personal with me and ensure what I was picking was exactly what I wanted."

Comments like these are music to our ears!

Congratulations Taylor and Johnathon! Cheers to you and here's to many years of laughter, pranking and love.

This spring, Bridal Traditions took part in a coordinated wedding photo shoot with creatives and other wedding vendors. Some of the goals were to showcase the venue, but also to collaborate, create and capture images promoting some new trends for summer weddings with Bohemian vibes. BT loved contributing to this shoot by providing dresses and suits from our boutique.

​Let's start with location where all of these shot were taken by Beasley's Rustic Photography. The Emerald Hill is a lovely wedding venue in Hiddenite, North Carolina where multiple scenic outdoor spots make weddings and receptions even more special. 

The floral arrangements were provided by Edenhouse and all the props and catering were coordinated by Embellished Events for You. We love how the setups came together and matched perfectly with the style chosen for this shoot. It had elements of earthy and boho, while retaining classic elegance.

Finally, our contribution - the bride's gown and accessories and the groom's attire. For model Bailey Goforth, this spring/summer shoot required something slightly bohemian, slightly frothy and extremely youthful. The layers in the gown's skirt are airy and angelic and allow for other details to shine as well - like her head piece and wreath/bouquet.

For the groom, a navy 3-piece worked for the outdoor wedding scheme and model Matthew Williams looks dapper, crisp and comfortable as well. Comfort is key for the guys, and this was the perfect solution. 

If you're interested in learning more about all of the collaborators, they are listed below. And if you are scheduling a photo shoot and would like to include our expertise and input and/or the attire we sell, please contact us.

Attire - Bridal Traditions Wedding & Prom Attire
Florals - Edenhouse
Photography - Beasley's Rustic Photography
Coordinating - Embellished Events for You
Beauty - Beauty by Andrea Mesimer
Models - Matthew Williams + Bailey Goforth
Venue - The Emerald Hill

Amber and Brandon were married in November of 2018 in front of nearly 200 of their nearest and dearest. It was a celebration, for sure.​ Theirs was a traditional wedding at the Deep Creek Friends Meeting, where bride Amber has been an going since childhood and where her parents were also married. The only thing that wasn't traditional about the ceremony was that they had "a first look", and spent time before the ceremony with friends and family who'd come a long way for the big day. 

Note to brides-to-be: This decision to see people before the ceremony was, for them, a perfect choice. It relaxed everyone; no one felt rushed, and Amber shared that once she and Brandon saw each other, they were certain that it was going to be a great day. 

"I think the most memorable part of the day was our "first look." It was such an incredible moment that just the two of use shared. At the end of the day, we were really glad we decided to do our day this way, because we were able to enjoy time with our guests and they didn’t have to wait forever on us to do our pictures."

These two met at a fundraiser where they flirted with each other when they got bored. That sort of silly fun appears to have followed them into their marriage. During the exchanging of rings, Brandon kept curling his finger so that Amber couldn't get it completely on, cracking her and everyone else up for a full minute.

"Brandon and I decided to do the pouring of the sand instead of the unity candle. So when it came time to pour the sand, we walked over to the vase and started pouring. However, the vase we used had a TINY opening, so I poured more sand out of the vase than inside it. It was the funniest thing, neither of us could stop laughing, and the preacher was laughing right along with us."

"When I found out that Bridal Traditions had dresses that were around $1000 - more or less - I just knew I had to go there and look, and I am SO glad I did. My parents knew that I wasn't going to want an outrageously expensive dress. When looking for my dress I wasn’t sure what I wanted exactly, I just thought I wanted something with lace and sleeves. At the end of that first
day, though, I realized that I hated the way sleeves looked on me and I hated how they felt. I just wanted to try on different styles to see what I liked." 

As many brides will tell you, finding the right gown is usually not a one shopping trip situation. This was certainly true for Amber. Once she realized that what she thought she wanted was in fact NOT what she wanted, she got a little discouraged. 

"Kelly suggested to call it a day and come back. A few days later Kelly sent me a picture of a dress she thought I might like. I thought, 'Man oh man it's beautiful,' and I couldn’t wait for it to arrive at Bridal Traditions so that I could try it on. When I finally did try it on, it was beyond perfect. It honestly looked like it was made for me. Once I stepped into that dress and it was zipped up, I looked at my mom and she was already crying. We then opened the curtain
and I saw myself in the mirror, and I knew right then I had found the one. I finally
had the bridal moment. Everyone in the store was in tears."

"Bridal Traditions was beyond amazing. From the moment I walked in, Kelly treated me like family, and that’s something I’ll never forget. Kelly made me feel beautiful and confident and she was so reassuring when I was doubtful about something. Kelly went above and beyond to help me find my gown. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without her. I’m telling y’all, she was a Godsend. She was so kind and beyond helpful, she bent over backwards helping me find my perfect dress. There really aren’t enough “thank yous” and words to describe how phenomenal Kelly and Bridal Traditions are."

Photo Cred: Kathy Casstevens, Terry Vestal, and Hunter Welborn