Top 5 dress shots with Andre LaCour...

Andre LaCour, one of Chicago's premier photographers partnered up with me this past Fall to snap a stellar styled shoot in my boutique.  When I saw that our work was published in Strictly Weddings, we were beyond thrilled with the news!  These five fabulous photos show brides-to-be a fun, yet chic way to dress for their Wedding Day. Special thanks to Lati from The Bridal Beauty Salon for the beautiful hair style!  Also extremely grateful to Elise for the marvelous makeup at leesi b.  Complete Styling & Designs from the Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection.  Floral design by Oliver Dogwood Floral Co.

The perfect gift for the groom...

So brides-to-be, I have a little secret to share with you on the perfect gift for the groom.  Luckily one of my brides introduced me to Peter & Field, located in Chicago.   This fab little shop custom makes ties & so much more for the groom.  I was so impressed with the whole concept of customizing your groom, that I needed to give these trendsetters  a call after I saw the amazing tie they made for my brides fiancé.  Included in my blog is a beautiful picture  with one of my blush bridal gowns along with the coordinating tie.  What a unique way to bring together a complete custom look for the bride & groom.  Some other great ideas that they shared with me is customizing the lining in the tie, and custom handkerchiefs & bow ties.  I just love this!!!  And one of my all time favorite things about Peter & Field is that they have all their products made in Chicago, just like my bridal collection.  

Pretty Petals!!!

When preparing for your Wedding Day, every detail matters including the bouquet. Today I'm  sharing some beautiful examples of how the perfect bouquet enhances your overall dream bridal look.  

Look #1 is pretty pink petals from Debi Lilly The complete look is perfect for the bride searching for a couture princess feel.  Debi's beautiful bouquet is full of texture, romance & girlie fun!  Featured gown, veil & jewelry are complete from the Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection.  Hair & makeup provided by Beauty On Call located in Chicago. Photo Shoot venue at City View Loft in the West Loop.

Look #2 comes from Tiffany at OliverDogwood  Tiffany's bouquet has a vintage vibe & goes perfectly with this alencon lace gown.  Complete look from the Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection. Hair from Lati at The Bridal Beauty Salon located in Wicker Park. Makeup from Elise at Leesi B Cosmetics located in Chicago.

Look #3 comes from Debi at www.debililly.com  This angelic look is complete with the ivory bouquet Debi created. Bridal gown, veil & jewelry complete from Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection. Hair & Makeup provided by Beauty On Call.

Look #4 is for the sassy bride!!  These gorgeous tulips are from Debi Lilly.  My theme for this shoot was pinup style & this bouquet couldn't be more perfect!  Since I make custom wedding gowns, I always have a unique client base.  Lately, I've been inspired by pinup models & creating this red wedding gown was the best way for me to express what I have been dreaming about.  The complete look, gown & jewelry are from the Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection. Hair & Makeup provided by Beauty On Call.

xo,

V

Top 9 VSC brides photographed in Black & White

1. Blake featured in the Christine A-line gown, custom black sash & cathedral veil from the Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection.  Wedding took place in Texas.. Love it!!! 

Photography: http://perezweddings.com

2. Ashley is wearing the Krisa trumpet cut gown, custom swarovski crystal sash & cathedral veil from the Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection.  Wedding held at  the Waldorf Astoria Chicago.  She was Glamorous and oh so chic!!!

Photography: http://www.colinlyonsphotography.com/

3.  Yay!!  Time to celebrate with Leslie's amazing champagne photo!!  Love this, I might just have to do this one day myself...  Leslie is wearing the Dionna trumpet cut gown & custom jewelry from the VSC Collection.  This photo is gorgeous & I love how it highlights the beautiful bustle & Swarovski crystal buttons.  Reception held at  the Millennium Knickerbocker in Chicago.

Photography: http://www.thinkleigh.com

4. My bride Theresa looks like she's staring in a movie in this beautiful photo...  Theresa is wearing a custom tea-length gown that we created together, so naturally it was named after her.  This vintage look was made with double faced duchess silk satin & accented with alencon lace on the bodice & hem.  Theresa is a true classic beauty!

Photography: http://collections.kimthielphotography.com/

5. Love, love, love...  My Hollywood Star bride looks gorgeous getting ready on her Wedding Day!  Reminds me of those behind the scene photos of the stars getting ready.  Erin is wearing the Agape gown made with alencon lace & custom sash from the VSC Collection.

6. I know the gown isn't being featured, but Emily's shoe photo still made the cut in my book.  The gown is still captured in a fun way highlighting the hem, great shot from a shoe & hem perspective.  Just a little reminder to brides, that every moment of your Wedding Day is beautiful.  

Photography:  www.stepintothelimelight.com

7. Kelly is a Classic Hollywood Star!!  She is wearing the Marilyn gown & my signature Victoria Glam Lariat accented with Swarovski rhinestones & crystals. The complete look is from the Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection.  Her photo couldn't be more beautiful, she's a romantic & glamorous bride!

photography: http://www.pamcooleyphotos.com

8.  Maggie is stunning in her head to toe look from the VSC collection!  She is wearing the trumpet cut Despina gown made in double faced duchess silk satin, along with it's delicate chiffon flowers that were hand stitched to the hem with accents of Swarovski rhinestones to create the perfect shimmer.  Maggie is also wearing the signature Victoria Glam Lariat (shown in stacked version) matching earrings, bracelet & cathedral veil.  She was very Chic in Chicago!!!

Photography: http://trevarscott.com

9. Saved this one for last bc it's the most unexpected!  So my beautiful bride not only had me create her perfect dress, but she wanted me to be there the day of.  Such a unique way to celebrate your Wedding Day! I spend so much time helping my brides find the perfect look, sew it together, that naturally having me dress you the day of is the icing on the cake!  I love this photo, way to go Cara & Scott!!  They posed me for this one :)  Noelle's dress is featured in ivory hand stitched alencon lace & one of my favorite glam sashes from the VSC collection.

Photography: http://www.carascophoto.com

Hope you enjoyed my top 9 Black & White Bridal photos.. <3 Victoria

Top 7 Bridal Looks from the Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection..

1. Chic: This is my beautiful bride Maggie wearing the Despina from the VSC Collection.  Her gown is a trumpet cut style & is made with double faced duchess silk satin.  Along with her  look, I handmade  the jewelry using Swarovski Elements, her beautiful silk bolero & veil.  Perfect look for the City Chic Bride!

2. Timeless: Here we have Kelly wearing the Samantha wedding gown from the VSC collection.  Her gown is a trumpet cut style, accented with Alencon lace bodice & beautiful vintage brooch on her sash.  Her look is timeless & will be adorned for many years to come..

3. Classic: Say hello to Maggie our Classic Beauty!!!  She is wearing the Christine gown from the VSC collection.  What I love about her look is the simplicity that allows us to really see her true beauty.  She is wearing a white double faced duchess silk satin A-line gown with a ivory ribbon, to add just a slight contrast to her Wedding Day look.

4. Romantic: Here we have Erin with her romantic wedding gown from the VSC collection.  She is wearing the Agape gown, which means LOVE.. Can't be more romantic then that :)  The gown is made from our beautiful imported alecon lace, which only comes from one place in the world... France!  I just love the floral pattern on this lace, it's gorgeous & a  must for the Romantic Bride.

5. Traditional: Nieve is my featured bride for this traditional bridal look.  Together with Nieve I created this one of a kind look for her.  She had a December wedding & was dreaming about a gown with lace sleeves.  She is wearing a A-line skirt wedding gown made with double faced duchess silk satin & her bodice is hand stitched alencon lace.  

6.  Beach:  My favorite place to be :)  What I love about beach brides are the amazing photos  they have walking along the beach in a couture wedding gown.  Kristina is wearing the Dionna one shoulder wedding gown, accented with handmade silk flowers.  This look is perfect for her dream wedding in Hawaii!

Unique:  Being a designer is all about being unique!  Emily chose the Viki gown from my collection which is handmade in 3 colors to complete the look.  Her bodice is light ivory, the sash is taupe & her skirt is dark ivory.  When you combine these colors together you get a beautiful rustic color pallet, which I think is unique for a bridal gown.  

Bridal Sashes...

Bridal sashes have been on high demand these past couple of years, but finding that perfect sash can sometimes be a challenge.  Not to worry Chicago brides bc you can have your very own custom made sash from the Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection.  Many brides love our sashes bc of the quality & allowing the bride to add their very own personal touches to their Wedding Day look.  The steps on ordering a custom sash are easy..  1st starting with the color, which we offer over 50 beautiful shades, 2nd the details...  Do you want silk flowers, Swarovski Rhinestones, Pearls, Lace or a little bit of everything?  Let us know & we can create your dream sash!  Many times brides will tell me they love lace & glamour.  One way to have both looks is simply changing your sash.  So in the morning,  you can wear an ivory or white sash with delicate lace details & then at night,  a glamorous one full of Swarovski rhinestone bling!   Sometimes brides will have the 2nd sash in a black, eggplant, navy, charcoal, red or even blush to make a statement.  So whatever your dream sash may be, let us know & we will create your vision.  Most custom sashes begin at $350 & usually 2 months to complete order.

Loving Lace...

Lace has been very popular for the past couple of years & many of us can see why...  There is nothing more romantic then wearing a Lace Wedding Gown on your Big Day!  In this post I have one of my beautiful Chicago Brides wearing her custom made wedding gown from the Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection..  This particular gown is the Angelina Gown & is featured in white Alencon lace.  One of my favorite elements on this gown are the hand stitched silk flowers that I added to the bottom of the gown & sash, which are highlighted with my favorite... Swarovski Rhinestones!!!  What makes this trumpet cut lace gown so special, is the unique combination of romance, glamour & classic all wrapped up in one!

Hollywood Glam!

Congratulations to my Hollywood Glam Bride Leslie!!!  She tied the knot this January in Chicago  with her amazing reception held at the Knickerbocker Hotel, might I add one of my favorite places.  I adore her city skyline photo, it captures the mood of what it means to be a Chicago Bride & of course I had to add the cake cutting photo bc it's one of my favorite Wedding Day moments..  Leslie wore a custom made gown from the Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection  & added her own personal touches in the sash color, jewelry & layout of her Swarovski rhinestone studded flower on her shoulder.  The cut of the gown is a one shoulder trumpet cut, also referred to as fit to flare.  It's featured in ivory double faced duchess silk satin & is highlighted with a glamorous floral shoulder.  The shoulder has hand cut silk flowers, that are layered with two textures of silk chiffon & double faced duchess silk satin.  Leslie added her unique touches to the gown with the color tones that she picked out to highlight her look.  I loved her idea of mixing gold & silver tones together, as she loves those two metals just like me.  Her shoulder detail has beautiful muted gold & silver Swarovski rhinestones mixed in the flowers which makes the shoulder very interesting to look at & is like a piece of art.  I also cannot forget to mention the back of the gown, it has about 100 muted gold Swarovski rhinestone buttons along the back which is outstanding!!!  One of my favorite add ons to Leslie's gown, was a personal hand stitched heart made from a  piece of fabric from her Fathers clothing, as a memory of him.  It was so beautiful & seeing Leslie's reaction to the added piece in her gown was very touching, it made me so happy :)  More pictures of Leslie's Glamorous Wedding Day are available on my FB page!  Once again congratulations Leslie, you were so wonderful to work with & you looked like a Doll :)

Latest Feature in Debi Lilly's Magazine..

So excited to be featured in Debi Lilly's latest magazine...  As I work on gowns in my Chicago Boutique, I always snap pics of the work in progress as a fun way to showcase the dress/jewelry making process.  I had no idea that Debi Lilly had pulled a couple of them to create this beautiful spread.  I was so excited when I saw this bc it really showcases who I am as a designer.  I love creating bridal gowns, veils and jewelry but the fun part is the process of creating these pieces.  So while I'm working away, I'm snapping away...  Hope you enjoy these fun behind the seams bridal inspirations!

Simply Stunning!!!

Congratulations to my beautiful Chicago bride Jenny!!!  She is wearing a custom made gown from the Victoria Sdoukos Couture Collection & is simply stunning...  I really love simple & clean lines when it comes to design.  Having a clean look allows you to have your true beauty highlighted.  Jenny is wearing a ivory double faced duchess silk satin trumpet cut wedding gown.  The sweetheart neckline completes this classic Hollywood glam look which suits Jenny perfectly! This is just another example, how less is more & being a Classic is always Glamorous!!