The Lovestruck Event is less than one week away. Have you bought your tickets yet?

We asked our group of vendors working on the fashion show to put together a lookbook, so all of our Lovestruck Event attendees can review the amazing gowns, hair, and makeup they see during the runway show after the event. Day Grows Fonder put together a couple teaser videos, so you can get an idea of what to expect on Sunday. This first video includes work from the following vendors:

Wardrobe Styling: Sequined Silver Lining / Photography: The Mullers / Hair: Kontempo / Make up: Lashes and Love / Attire: Rhylan Lang

A special thank you to Molly for helping put all of this together, and stay tuned for another teaser video later this week!

Nebraska Wedding Day is a quarterly statewide print magazine, website, and blog providing brides the ultimate in wedding resources. The mission of NWD is to offer more of what brides want – the very best in timely and relevant content for planning one of the most memorable days of their lives. Through our distinctive magazine, website, twice-daily blog, and unique events, Nebraska WeddingDay brings forward the latest in wedding fashions, décor ideas, reception venues, culinary options, and so much more – all in an effort to be a key supporting partner in making the wedding planning process as seamless and stress-free as possible. Our primary goal is to make planning a wedding a joyous process and to encourage brides to make choices that are a true reflection of the singular couple – all the while embracing family and friends who will share in this momentous occasion. Nebraska WeddingDay showcases local features, real wedding stories, and extraordinary ideas from area wedding professionals.

What inspired you to work in the wedding industry?

The NWD team is inspired by the energy, enthusiasm, and talent of area brides to bring their own special touches to their wedding day. We strive to support brides in the planning process so that at the end of the day, the bridal party, family, and honored guests walk away brimming with happiness and hope for things to come.

What are your favorite and least favorite wedding trends?

Our favorite wedding trends at NWD are handcrafted details and casual, thoughtful design. We are loving the use of muslin bags that serve as both escort cards and favors, stamped with a custom logo and stuffed with assorted candies. Another favorite trend is custom menus and signs. We love using white chalk pens to decorate old windows or framed chalk boards with drink menus or a seating chart. We are also loving long reception tables perfect for family-style seating. With candles and lush, garden-like floral designs, this creates a welcoming and warm environment for your friends and family.

What makes your business unique?

We have the unique opportunity to bring all the elements of the wedding planning process together in one easy-to-use comprehensive resource. We research, review, and consider a vast array of inspiration and ideas from all across the country and then transform it into a practical how-to guide for area brides.

What inspires you?

We are inspired by fashion, interior design, recreating the classics and most importantly, our Nebraska brides. We are blown away by their style, DIY skills and thoughtfulness behind every wedding we see!

What is your favorite love story?

As cheesy as it may sound, one of our favorite love stories is Sleeping Beauty. Every girl’s dream is to meet her true love—her soul mate—her Prince Charming! And then to translate the love they share for one another into a wedding celebration that is a true reflection of their tremendous joy. It doesn’t get much better than boy meets girl > girl finds the perfect dress/shoes > boy and girl pledge their love to one another in the presence of family and friends > boy and girl live happily ever after!  

What is your best advice for a newly engaged couple?

Take an evening to really celebrate your engagement! The time will fly by between your engagement and wedding day so it’s important to stop and celebrate this beautiful time in your life with friends and family. Before you start making phone calls and set a date, talk with your soon-to-be husband about what he envisions on his wedding day. There is no better start to a marriage than listening and planning this amazing day together.

What are you looking forward to most about The Lovestruck Event?

We are thrilled that Nebraska brides will have the opportunity to spend the day tasting delicious food, sipping drinks and be inspired by the immense talent in this great state! This event will be full of great ideas and vendors who truly care about your wedding day and planning experience.

photos: Megan Pomeroy, Melen Backer Photography, Sarah Pfeiffer Photography

Lashes & Love Makeup Artistry is an expression of all things beautiful on the inside, brought to you on location (wherever that may be), to make you feel alluring on the outside. From how to’s to what not to do’s, Kaitlyn helps you discover your individuality with makeup for significant events such as weddings, formals, or photo shoots. She invites you to enjoy a Pampering Party or ask those questions you’ve always been too afraid to ask in a personalized lesson, seasonal workshop, or a girls’ night in party!  “If the occasion is special, your look should be to!”  

What inspired you to work in the wedding industry?

Love! I love love and I am inspired each and everyday by all of the beautiful people and love stories that make up such a part of who we are! I was especially inspired to be a part of the wedding industry because similar to the uniqueness of every love story, there is something so rare and indescribable about being a part of such a life changing event. From meeting the bride for the first time, hearing her engagement story, or seeing the look in her father’s eyes the first time he sees his daughter on her magical day, my heart is touched each and every time! I have the best job in the world!  

What are your favorite and least favorite wedding trends?

There are so many to chose from I don’t even know where to begin! I would have to say the beauty of the individualism and creativity behind weddings today is probably one of my favorite trends- and a great bird cage veil! My least favorite would have to be anything not in the bride or groom’s style. I’m so bothered to see couples feeling overwhelmed and obligated to do things a certain way in fear of letting someone else down. A wedding is an expression of the couple getting married! It should be exclusive to what they love and makes them feel beautiful and authentic on their special day!  

What makes your business unique?

Individualized style unique to each bride and her vision. The amount of pride I feel doing my job and making my clients feel like they are the first and only bride in the world! Pampering on site takes all the hustle and stress out of what should be one of the most relaxing parts of your day. The brides moment to take soak it all in.  

What inspires you?

I am inspired by love. New and Old. The beauty of people. Creativity and the industry I am so lucky to be a part of. “Most of the time I have all these thoughts bouncin’ around in my head…but with a brush in my hand, the world just gets kinda quiet.” - Allie (The Notebook)  

What is your favorite love story (from literature, film, etc…)?

The Notebook! “So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna be really hard. We’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, for ever, you and me, every day. Just picture your life for me.. 30…40 years from now. What’s it look like? Don’t you take the easy way out!”

What is your best advice for a newly engaged couple?

My advice is to enjoy every moment! It’s such a joyous time in your life that goes by way too quickly! Cherish the moments and memories you are creating together along the way. Remember that life is about the journey, not the destination. The same goes for your wedding!  

What are you looking forward to most about The Lovestruck Event?

I am so excited to meet and be inspired by new people. Brides and Grooms. Vendors. I am anxious to feel the creative energy flowing through the venue and to know that in many ways I will be a better person, artist, and business owner by the time I go home from The Lovestruck Even. Omaha is very lucky to be a part of something so raw and unique to the wedding industry!

BUNGALOW/8 Hairdressing is Omaha’s premier location for boutique-inspired event styling, haircutting, coloring, and brow shaping. Focusing on being Omaha’s Beauty Authority, we fully commit to continually evolving through world-class education, developing deep relationships with our guests and peers, offering the best beauty experience in the Midwest, and loving what we do; otherwise, why bother? Additionally, BUNGALOW/8 exclusively offers the world’s most premier haircare and styling lines including Kerastase, Bumble and Bumble, and Damone Robert’s brow products.

 

What inspired you to work in the wedding industry?

BUNGALOW/8 and our team of amazing hairdressers are continually awe-struck by the beauty found in each individual.  Our guests are our wedding inspiration; their lives, their accomplishments, their stories.  

What are your favorite and least favorite wedding trends?

We attempt to stay away from the word “TREND” and focus on enhancing the beauty of each guest through a true collaboration between stylist and guest. Hairdressing and fashion are ever-evolving industries driven by creativity, inspiration, and innovation. BUNGALOW/8 fuses these three qualities to find the perfect look to compliment our brides (and her guests) for a very special and unique expression of her own individual style.  

What makes your business unique?

BUNGALOW/8 Hairdressing is unique in the way that we approach the guest experience. Our culture is built on world-class education and continual technical progression, building deep relationships with our guests and peers, honoring creativity in all forms, offering the best guest EXPERIENCE in the Midwest, providing the best haircare, styling, and brow products in the world, and loving what we do. Our guests are always the focus of our business- whether it is offering a precision haircut, an amazing color service, or creating the perfect look for a bride’s wedding day- our team promises to deliver the best hairdressing services in Omaha’s only boutique salon.  

What inspires you?

We are inspired by creativity, innovation, and intrinsic style.  

What are you looking forward to most about The Lovestruck Event?

BUNGALOW/8 is excited to meet with the men and women of Omaha and the surrounding area and to hear their stories… how they met, how the BIG question was “popped”, how they found inspiration for their wedding day arrangements.  These are the stories that truly matter; the stories that last.

 

Pretty Good Things has been helping ladies of the world highlight their awesomeness via hats, fascinators and other rad accouterments since 2008 and currently operates from a cozy studio in Lincoln, Nebraska. Self-taught in the art of millinery, with an academic background in painting and apparel design, Mary Pattavina (owner/designer of PGT) specializes in concocting bold, vintage inspired and playfully charming accessories. Each item is handmade with love and, of course, magic.

What inspired you to work in the wedding industry?

I wanted to start making wedding hair pieces, garters and boutonnieres that would speak to brides who love the idea of splashing a little more color and maybe a bit of sass into their wedding day. I love working with women who want to highlight that bold, playful facet of their personality.  

What are your favorite and least favorite wedding trends?

Least favorite: matching bridesmaid dresses…?  Well…seriously? I wholeheartedly believe your wedding should represent the two of you–trends begone! And if a white dress, fancy cake, or shoot–even if a large wedding party isn’t your style–then go all out and wear that aqua dress, have fried ice cream at the party and elope!  It’s your day–celebrate how you want. But the one suggestion I throw in there is you ought to consider wearing my hands-down favorite: Hair pieces! (the more colorful the better!)  

What makes your business unique?

One of the reasons Pretty Good Things is unique is I make and design every piece that leaves the PGT studio. I stay in close email contact with clients when working on custom pieces to make sure they receive exactly what they envision and ensure they are part of the process the entire time. I often use upcycled materials alongside new, will dye fabrics to meet your exact shade, and if bird feathers are incorporated in designs I only source cruelty free feathers. Additionally, my design work is versatile ranging from lux rhinestone encrusted wedding fascinataors, bright mint green veils, romantic feminine floral pieces, bold boutonnieres, dinosaur adorned garters, to even a crazy-awesome green zombie hand wedding veil!  

What inspires you?

personally: funny, sassy, genuine, confident women. designing: bold colors and patterns, nature, mermaids, thinking back on how life felt at 8.

What is your favorite love story?

everlasting: Adama and Roslin sweet: Amelie and Nino sexy: Sookie and Bill platonic: Romy and Michelle

What is your best advice for a newly engaged couple?

I’m going to Frankenstein the lyrics of En Vogue here and suggest: ‘This is your wedding, you’ve got to live it your own way.’  

What are you looking forward to most about The Lovestruck Event?

The Lovestruck event has this really great vibe…Like it’s something Nebraska ladies have been waiting for – something one of a kind and forward thinking kind-of-a-thing. So, with that will come radical ladies with fun ideas about how they want their wedding to go down…and working with those types of folks is what I’m excited about.

Meet Courtney Zurcher, the lead designer and founder of InezGill. We know you’ll be swooning over her amazing line of bridal accessories.

InezGill is an accessories company based out of Omaha, Nebraska. Each collection is full of personality! All of our pieces are made with the highest quality materials and assembled by hand with age-old millinery techniques. In August of 2012 InezGill will introduce its first couture bridal accessories collection.  

What inspired you to work in the wedding industry?

I wanted to be a part of the wedding industry because people really appreciate creativity. My work has a lot of personality and within the wedding industry people are looking for pieces they are going to pass on to their children. They take time to choose their accessories and look for quality/uniqueness over trends/brands.  

What makes your business unique?

I think the fact that a lot of my work is so very diverse. I make anything from knitted scarves to intricate bridal headpieces. I am always reinventing the InezGill look with innovative accessories and marketing plans.  

What inspires you?

That is a tough question because anything from a good movie to a pretty flower inspires me. Taking vacations is a part of my business plan because when I am relaxed and traveling and experiencing new things I am open to new ideas and taking risks.  

What is your favorite love story?

Forrest Gump. I think the acceptance and unconditional love that is shown by each character through out the movie is beautiful. I am in to the more realistic approach to love, the messy side.  

What is your best advice for a newly engaged couple?

Just enjoy each other and have fun!  

What are you looking forward to most about The Lovestruck Event?

The décor and meeting others in the wedding industry. This event is not like your average trade show each booth is designed to be esthetically pleasing. I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with and to meet others who do what I do.

 

Meet Christine Danderand, the talent behind Blush Makeup Artistry.

I have been the owner of Blush Makeup Artistry for just over 3 years and absolutely love working with all the amazing brides here in Nebraska and surrounding states. I do on location airbrush makeup for the brides and their bridal party. All makeup services include a trial run for the bride, false lashes for everyone getting makeup and the bride walks away with a beautiful lipgloss for touchups on the big day. I provide an unforgettable makeup experience that will leave everyone looking stunning and flawless!

What inspired you to work in the wedding industry?

I was inspired to work in the wedding industry through my passion for makeup. If there is ever a day that a woman wants to look her best it’s her wedding day! I make brides look stunning for their once in a lifetime day, and who doesn’t love to be involved in a wedding!!

What are your favorite and least favorite wedding trends?

I have so many favorite wedding trends right now. One of them has to do with beauty. I am loving the classic/vintage look many brides are doing now. This includes a bold red lip and bird cage veil-gorgeous!! I am also loving that when brides are choosing a color scheme for their weddings there really aren’t any rules anymore…anything goes and the bolder the better. The one trend that I am not loving with weddings is the tendency for others to take over the brides day…remember it’s all about her and nobody else!

What makes your business unique?

My business is unique in that I travel to the bride on location. No more having to run all over town trying to get ready. The bridal party just sits back and relaxes while being pampered.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by so many things. Most of all I am inspired by inner beauty. It really does come from within and makeup just enhances the outer surface of a beautiful person.

What is your favorite love story?

My favorite love story would have to be Cinderella! What girl doesn’t dream of finding her prince and of course a great pair of shoes.

What is your best advice for a newly engaged couple?

My best advice for newly engaged couples is to schedule date nights during all the wedding planning. It is so easy to get wrapped up in booking vendors and venues that you can forget about why you are doing all that work in the first place. Never put your fiancé on the “backburner”.

What are you looking forward to most about The Lovestruck Event?

I am most looking forward to meeting all the excited brides and grooms at the Lovestruck event. Getting engaged and planning a wedding is one of the greatest experiences we get to go through and to feel the excitement–it’s contagious…

We’ve added more specially curated vendors to our line-up! Meet Samantha McCulloch of Porridge Papers, and be sure to check back for more vendors soon!

At Porridge Papers we’re known for our ability to make seemingly impossible things look stunning on paper. Most of our processes are done by hand the old fashioned way, from making the paper to printing each invitation one at a time. We have the skills and resources to customize every aspect of your bridal stationery.  

What inspired you to work in the wedding industry?

While we do a lot of work that isn’t wedding related, our work in the bridal industry is where we often get to play with new elements, ideas and designs. The wedding industry is a great place to experiment with new trends and collaborate with unique couples. So I guess the simple answer would be, we work in the wedding industry to stay inspired.  

What are your favorite and least favorite wedding trends?

We subscribe to the school of thought that each wedding should be as unique as the two people getting married. Our favorite brides to work with are the ones that are excited and inspired by their ideas no matter what trends might be in style.  It’s really great that personalized weddings seem to be the standard right now.  

What makes your business unique?

The most obvious thing that makes Porridge Papers unique is our ability to customize every aspect of a project.  Not only do we offer letterpress printing and design services, but we can even make papers to specifically coordinate to your color palette.  Our small crew works closely with each client through every step of the process to be sure that their ideas are portrayed accurately and professionally. Whether we’re helping you find papers for your DIY save the dates or hand-gluing rhinestones to your thank you cards, we’ll help you make sure that your stationery is top notch!  

What inspires you?

Inspired brides inspire us! We also draw a lot of ideas from fashion, home décor, and charming everyday details. And of course, we’ve got Pinterest, which is where our ideas snowball and spiral out of control.  

What is your favorite love story?

Umm is there anything better than the Princess Bride? Didn’t think so.  

What is your best advice for a newly engaged couple?

Take the time to enjoy each other for as long as you can and try not to let life distract you from the reasons you chose each other. As far as planning your wedding, don’t sweat the small stuff. Planning your wedding should be a great experience. Try not to get caught up on small details (that’s what you hire the professionals to do for you).  

What are you looking forward to most about The Lovestruck Event?

We’re really looking forward to meeting so many other like-minded vendors and couples! The Lovestruck event promises to be a handpicked collection of industry innovations.

Natural elements, like flowers, are an incredible way to incorporate color and detail into your wedding. Check out this wonderful florist, Flor Couture, and find out how they can bring your ideas to life.

We provide fresh floral designs that will enhance your special life events through color, fragrance and touch with the help of nature’s beauty.  We specialize in the use of color and have experience designing with plant materials of all kinds.  It’s such an honor and a cool thing to create living art that will be a part of someone’s lifelong memory.  

What inspired you to work in the wedding industry?

We love a good party…who doesn’t!  We have an appreciation for beauty and that extra little detail that makes an individual’s experience special.  

What makes your business unique?

Our horticultural and design background provides us with an understanding of plant material and the best way it can be used in design through proper application of form, color and texture.  

What inspires you?

People and their individuality.  Everyone has ideas that are new to us and it is so fun to add to their vision and literally bring it to life for them.  

What is your favorite love story?

Gone With the Wind  

What is your best advice for a newly engaged couple?

Have fun and try not to stress the details–that’s what your vendors are here for.  

What are you looking forward to most about The Lovestruck Event?

It’s going to be a fabulous party with people we look forward to meeting, hanging out with and partying with!

Sequined Silver Lining is the name of Natalie Navis’ wardrobe styling business, specializing in personal styling and wedding styling, and is also the name of her personal style blog, where she shares her personal style, her work, and her endless sources of style inspiration. Natalie has styled her bride-to-be clients (and their fiances) for engagement photos, wedding-related events, and the big day itself (as well as styling entire wedding parties). She loves helping her brides translate their unique sense of personal style into their wedding day look, so that they can be confident that they look like their best-dressed selves on their wedding day. More information on wedding styling is available here.  

What inspired you to work in the wedding industry?

I was inspired to work in the wedding industry by my love for fashion and the cultivation of a unique sense of personal style. I quickly realized that establishing a sense of personal style is essential to choosing a wedding look that is a reflection of who you are as a bride. As a stylist, I have received many requests from clients to style them for their engagement photos. Part of the process involves me finding out what the client’s sense of style is and what inspires them, style-wise. This often instigates the discovery of a personal style voice (and a desire to get into a bit of “wardrobe reconstruction”). I’ve found that a wedding is an ideal time to express your style in a once-in-a-lifetime way because all eyes are on you, and your wedding look speaks volumes without saying a word. The greatest feeling is helping a bride discover her sense of style and assisting her to translate that style identity into a wedding look that she feels completely confident and like her most beautiful self in.  

What are your favorite and least favorite wedding trends?

Favorite wedding trends: personalized touches and moments of uniqueness; whimsical elements; creating a wedding day that is a representation of who the couple is, individually and, more importantly, together; demonstrations of the couple’s love story; incorporation of family and friends, so everyone feels like a special part of the day; capturing memories on video, film, and other creative ways. Least favorite wedding trends: following tradition for the sake of formality; trying to force vintage when that is not the couple’s style; DIY elements that look tacky as opposed to heartfelt; and above all, dancing to songs like “the chicken dance” at the reception.  

What makes your business unique?

My business is unique because it I am one of the only two wedding wardrobe stylists (that I am aware of) in the area. But more importantly, my business is unique because I incorporate my personal styling knowledge (including trends, fit, design, construction, etc.) into the process of wedding styling. In one sense, styling a wedding party is no different than styling a group for a very special, red carpet sort of event–there is no reason to limit a bridal client from experiencing all options, including both traditional and non-traditional wedding wardrobe designers, lines, and stores.  Because of my background in personal styling, I cannot help but ask my bridal clients to consider their own sense of style when selecting her wedding dress and accessories–I want all my clients to feel like their best-dressed self on their wedding day, so that they can feel completely comfortable and beautiful and enjoy every moment, both on that day and when they look back on photos, videos, etc.  

What inspires you?

Oh my goodness, I am inspired by so many things, both big and small perspective-wise. In terms of my personal sense of style, I am definitely a “girly girl” and find inspiration in all things utterly feminine–from tulle to the color of barely-there-pink. I love whimsical, dream-like, romantic elements in all aspects of a wedding. But at the same time, I am always drawn to modern, edgy elements and love including these as juxtapositions to my otherwise all-girl ensembles. I am inspired by everything bold, unique, and tough–whether it’s architecture, jewelry, or material like leather and the grounding-nature of the color black. I find inspiration in everything from dance (I’ve been a dancer my entire life), to music, to literature. I am especially inspired by the people I come in contact with, whether personally or from afar. My family immigrated to the U.S. from Poland, so I have always been inspired by what other cultures find beautiful. And lastly, I don’t know where I’d be today were it not for the other creatives in my industry–I read all the blogs on my blogroll religiously, including those written by bloggers I’ve never met to other vendors participating in the Lovestruck Event–these women and men inspire me daily.  

What is your favorite love story?

Definitely Breakfast at Tiffany’s–it’s all about finding that special person who you can trust to be completely yourself with, no matter how hard it is to be vulnerable with the rest of the world.  

What is your best advice for a newly engaged couple?

I’m not really qualified to give advice, since I’m not engaged (nor have I been), but I would say that the advice I would want to hear most and therefore I’m going to give is to take this time to discover who you are as a couple (because hopefully you already know exactly who you are as individuals). What is it that you stand for, that you love, and that you value? Now, how are your going to show your guests who you are on your wedding day?  

What are you looking forward to most about The Lovestruck Event?

Everything! But if I could choose just one thing, it would be meeting the guests who attend the event and watching them be completely inspired by what they see. I already know that the Lovestruck founders and vendors are some of the most creative and talented people I can imagine, so I can’t wait to meet the amazing couples who are seeking out such creativity and inspiration. It’s going to be a match made in wedding-planning heaven.