Alleanza Bridal has launched!

It's a launch! Alleanza Bridal is officially in business with the website up and running now - and we're off to Utah for the Bridal Show at the Expo Center in Sandy. We're excited - and are counting on all our friends to pass the news that we exist. Check out our website at: www.alleanzabridal.com
Our launch has been a long time in coming - but the recent weeks have been the busiest and the most fun. In mid August we went to Phoenix for our first Photo Shoot. I thought I'd give you all a behind the scenes look at how things went - We started out in the middle of the day getting our catalog type shots done . . .

I had Tiffany as my model, and Michelle there as my business partner and stylist and do everything girl. You would not believe how much there was to do and to haul from place to place.

The whole photo shoot thing was kind of surreal - it made our whole business project go from a sort of intangible state to "Wow, we're really doing this" stage. It was pretty exciting.

If you are looking closely - yes that is a helicopter to the right side of Tiffany and the nose of a small plane in the forefront. We shot all these in an aiport hanger in Phoenix in-between the planes. Our photographer Mark (who was absolutely wonderful to work with) could control the lighting that way. Unfortunately, he couldn't control the heat. It was 108 that day and we were all cooking - me in particular as I steamed and pressed all the bridal gowns. I can't remember the last time I was so hot!

After the shoot at the airport hanger we packed everything up and moved over to Stonebridge Manor Reception Center to prepare for the artsy/wedding style shots.

We recruited Randy to come be Tiffany's groom for the shoot. What a good sport to be out there in the heat in his dark suit.

We re-enacted a petal toss for the shoot. After a few go arounds Mark replaced me as a petal tosser - and his assistant stepped in. I never could throw a ball to save my life - now apparently I don't do any better with petals :)

I think it was at the beginning of the photo shoot at Stonebridge that I got that euphoric feeling that - "We did it!" The gowns were everything we had hoped they would be - and Tiffany was absolutely beautiful in them. Of course, I've been working with these gowns for months - but with everything all together - the finished gowns, Tiffany all decked out in her wedding day best - hair and makeup, and the beautiful background it was a big WOW! feeling of satisfaction that we accomplished what we set out to do - make beautiful, high-end gowns out of spectacular fabrics in styles that were designed to be modest from the beginning. A very happy moment.

I couldn't dwell on that too long - because there was so much to do - and we were all burning up!!! (I did mention that we did all this in the 108 degree Phoenix sun) Poor little Boston was a trooper all day long - but at the end of the day he was just plain hot and tired. His Mom let him have a little dip in the pool to try and cool off.

These are some of my favorite shots from the photo shoot -

Maybe the best moment of the day (besides my "We did it!" moment) was after the photo shoot was all over - and we packed up - were hot and tired - and we went out to grab a late dinner. Boston crashed in his carseat and Tiffany, Randy, Michelle and I all relaxed, visited, and enjoyed just being together as a family. So here's to hoping that our little business venture is sucessful enough to keep those moments happening - I'd love to have the excuse to have to do this all over again real soon.