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From Sketch to Dress: A Q&A with Master Bridal Designer Caroline Castigliano

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So you’re a newly engaged bride — yaaaaay! What’s the first thing on your mind (after sharing the big news with your family and friends, of course)?

If you’re like us, it just might be the dress. It may even have been on your mind way before you got engaged — how many of us can truly say we’re not guilty of sneaking the occasional peak at a favorite designer’s website, or in their shop window?

Your dress is such a huge component of your wedding style, and we know finding one that’s the right fit for you is of the utmost importance. So what could be better than having a bespoke gown made? And by master wedding dress designer Caroline Castigliano, no less?

One of our absolute favorite designers here at STG, Caroline Castigliano has been working at the forefront of British bridal design for 27 years. She’s known for her ultra-unique bespoke gowns, featuring all kinds of fantastic details from the finest fabrics to the signature hidden corset (designed to define and balance your figure to perfection).

Every Caroline Castigliano gown is a one-of-a-kind piece, and each is handcrafted in the UK, and the dreamy Knightsbridge store is one of the world’s ultimate bridal destinations.

That’s why we’re so thrilled to bring you a Q&A with the Caroline Castigliano team on what you can expect from Caroline Castigliano’s bespoke design process. Read on for some serious bridal fashion inspo.

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12 non-typical designer wedding dresses featuring Lanvin, Temperley, Herve Leger, Roland Mouret, Matthew Williamson & more

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Net A Porter Wedding
[image: Grazia Daily]

If you’re looking for an  “un-typical” wedding dress  and don’t want to  limit yourself to the dresses that designers designate as wedding apparel you’re going to love  Net A Porter’s Wedding Dress Gallery.

The clever peeps at NAP  have examined countless collections and selected super-cool white dresses that could work just as well for walking down the aisle as for glamming up for a Saturday night. So not only do you pull off an ‘un-typical’ look for your wedding day, you also get to wear your  dress again!

I also love the idea of trying on dresses in the  comfort of your own home and making a whole night of it with your mum / sister / girlfriends / champagne / dark chocolate / tea!  Order as much as your credit card will allow and try on all the dresses where you feel your most comfortable.

Below are my favourites but you can ogle the entire  collection here.

TEMPERLEY LONDON  Romily embellished silk-blend chiffon gown: £3200
Temperley London’s  silk-blend chiffon  gown is decorated with floral appliquà©s  and  crystal  and  bead  embellishments.
Temperley London Wedding Dress

MARCHESA  Chantilly lace and satin gown: £5660
Marchesa’s  ivory  gown echoes modern romance –  Chantilly lace  andtulle  are beautifully draped over a full  satin  skirt, trailing to an elegant train.
Marchesa Wedding Dress

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Karen & Jeremy | London Jewish Wedding at the Wallace Collection Art Gallery, London, UK

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Wallace Collection Wedding
As the founder of Smashing The Glass it’s only right that I share my own wedding day, and all the creative ideas that were behind it, with you.

I love so many of the centuries-old Jewish traditions such as the hora, the beautiful songs, the chuppah, the smashing of the glass etc. but what my now-husband and I very much didn’t want was a party that followed the typical London Jewish-wedding-by-numbers formula… ie. fancy hotel, too many guests, the same kosher caterer that everyone uses, the same band etc…..

Wallace Collection Wedding London Wallace Collection Wedding London
VENUE

I had always dreamt of an outdoor summer wedding and that’s one of the reasons why I love Israeli weddings – the chuppah under the stars, the all-night party vibe, the abundance of food and having the ceremony and party all in one venue. But when it came to organising our wedding it meant the world to us to have Jeremy’s 97 year old grandmother there and as she is unable to travel, a wedding abroad with guaranteed summer weather was out of the question.

London, our home city, was our next choice and the criteria for a venue was to have a feel of being in the outdoors without worrying about the unpredictable British weather spoiling the party, and a stylish, intimate venue, preferably with an arty slant to reflect our creative sides. Wallace Collection Wedding London
The Wallace Collection, once a family home, and now a stunning art collection, in the heart of the West End was our perfect choice. The stunning Courtyard flooded with natural light and dotted with trees and sculptures felt utterly al fresco, yet protected us from the elements with a phenomenal glass roof. Breathtaking and intimate at the same time, it ticked all the right boxes.

We wanted to have both the chuppah ceremony and the dinner dancing in the Courtyard to really feel as if the majority of the wedding was outdoors. We also loved the idea of the changing daylight from the hopefully sunny (and it was!) afternoon to the starry night sky. In between the ceremony and dinner our guests were able to look around all the artwork on the first floor of the house where all the galleries were open to our guests to meander round as they chatted, imbibed and grazed on Zafferano‘s (our chosen caterers) delicious canapà©s.

In terms of getting ready and spending our first night as a married couple, we stayed at the gorgeous Home House in Portman Square just a few minutes walk from the Wallace Collection.

Wallace_Collection_wedding1 Wallace Collection Wedding London Wallace Collection Wedding London 0188

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Net-A-Porter Launch an Exclusive Bridal Collection With Dresses From Issa and More

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A selection from Net-a-Porter's exclusive bridal collection

A selection from Net-a-Porter’s exclusive bridal collection [image: Grazia Daily]

Net-A-Porter has launched an exclusive capsule collection of bridalwear teaming up with eight of their favourite designers to create a wedding dress selection on the website starting at £1,295. The edit will feature designs from Antonio Berardi, Lover, Jay Ahr, Chalayan, Rochas, Issa, Nina Ricci and Jessica Biel’s wedding dress designer, Giambatista Valli. See the gallery below to see some of the dresses on offer and shop the full collection on Net-A-Porter.

Shop Net-A-Porter’s full bridal one-stop-shop

Rochas' taffeta-twill gown with skinny belt £5,517

Rochas’ taffeta-twill gown with skinny belt £5,517 [image: Grazia Daily]

Nina Ricci's lace trim crinkled silk-chiffon gown with floral lace appliquà©s £3372

Nina Ricci’s lace trim crinkled silk-chiffon gown with floral lace appliquà©s £3372 [image: Grazia Daily]

Giambattista Valli's tiered organze and macramà© v-neck dress £6,600

Giambattista Valli’s tiered organze and macramà© v-neck dress £6,600 [image: Grazia Daily]

Issa has created a flattering short-sleeve full length dress made with French lace, and sheer neckline and shoulders £2,700

Issa has created a flattering short-sleeve full length dress made with French lace, and sheer neckline and shoulders £2,700 [image: Grazia Daily]

Antonio Berardi's caped back silk crepe long-sleeve gown is £9,039

Antonio Berardi’s caped back silk crepe long-sleeve gown is £9,039 [image: Grazia Daily]

Chalayan's simple crepe column dress with silk crepe overlay £1295

Chalayan’s simple crepe column dress with silk crepe overlay £1295 [image: Grazia Daily]

Lover ivory lace dress with traditional covered buttons shows a little extra leg but the modest neckline and sleeves balance it out £2495

Lover ivory lace dress with traditional covered buttons shows a little extra leg but the modest neckline and sleeves balance it out £2495 [image: Grazia Daily]

A crystal embellished silk-chiffon gown by Jay Ahr £5000

A crystal embellished silk-chiffon gown by Jay Ahr £5000 [image: Grazia Daily]