2011 Wedding Influence- A Royal Affair

On April 29, 2011, Prince William will wed Kate Middleton. While the wedding will take place thousands of miles from here, it will have a lot of influence on weddings here in the states. Right now, it is one of the best kept secrets. What will Kate wear? While many of you may have no interest in this, it will directly influence wedding fashions here in the states. This will probably be the single most influential element to bridal fashions in the next year.



When Princess Dianna was wed in 1981, she selected little known designers David &Elizabeth Emanuel to design the dress of the 20th century.

While production of the gown was underway, secrecy was of the utmost importance. No details were to be leaked. There was to be no inkling of what the gown was even made from. Because of this, the Emanuels' even resorted to discarding scraps of other fabrics to throw royal watchers off. From the first glimpse of the bride, designers began copying the gown. This gown was the inspiration for wedding gowns all over the world in the 1980's.

Details of Kate's wedding are emerging slowly. So far, Kate has selected a hat designer. People are speculating whether Kate will wear a hat or a veil. There is also speculation of what tiara Kate will wear. Will the Queen give her a special tiara? Will she be able to select her own from the vault?
The biggest question is what designer will Kate choose for the gown and what will it look like? No one will know until Kate emerges from the car. Within minutes knock-offs will begin being produced all over the world. Currently, rumor has it that Bruce Oldfield will be the designer. He was a favorite designer of Princess Diana's. No one will know for sure until April 29th. See our April newsletter to find out what we have planned for this grand royal affair.

Internet Do's & Don'ts for Planning Your Wedding

The internet can be an invaluable tool in planning your wedding. There are many websites out there that allow you to search for all of your wedding needs from the comfort of home. Websites such as www.theknot.com and www.weddingwire.com allow you to search for vendors and review what they have to offer. You can also see what other customer's have to say. This can be good and bad. Overall, it is an excellent source of information. As a word of caution, don't always believe everything you read. Sometimes reviews are placed on the wrong vendor by mistake, or the circumstances are not completely accurate. Use online reviews as an overall feel for the vendor. Make sure you understand what the star ratings are based on. For example, www.yelp.com suppresses reviews and they are not calculated into the star rating.

Websites such as The Knot and Wedding Wire are also an excellent source of planning information. They offer etiquette information, budgeting tools and much more. If you have questions, answers can be found. You may want to consider using multiple sources, if it is something really important. For example, when it comes to budget information, each site will give various recommended percentages each category should be of your overall budget. Each bride and groom will have their own priorities and may want to modify the percentages spent in each area. The budget will also vary drastically based on location and size of the wedding.

DO NOT use the internet to shop for your dress. While you may think you are getting the same gown for less, reality will prove differently. Designers only sell through authorized dealers only. They also set MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) pricing that must be abided by. Some stores may choose to sell the item for more to cover shipping, etc, but an authorized dealer can not sell below the MSRP. If you are seeing an item for significantly less, do your homework and make sure you understand what you are buying. Watters & Watters offers an excellent explanation of "Buyer Beware". http://www.watters.com/Content/BuyerBeware/.

Green Weddings and our New Years Resolution

Sustaining our environment is always an important issue. Some brides and grooms are wanting to host a "Green Wedding". We have had some requests for "Green" gowns, and we don't mean the color green. At first, we weren't sure what we could do to provide green products. After doing a little bit of research, we discovered that we all ready provide many "Green" products. All silk gowns are made from 100% natural materials. Most of our designers provide many silk gowns. These gowns may cost a little more, but brides will discover many benefits to owning a silk wedding gown. Silk is a very light, breathable fabric, which is a huge benefit after a long day. Not only will the bride's body feel better, so will her conscience, knowing she is helping to protect the environment.

Another way brides can go green in their attire, is to wear a gown that was all ready worn once. Bella has hundreds of sample gowns for sale each year. We sell what ever we can throughout the year. Usually twice a year, we host special sample sales, although we will always sell almost any gown "off the rack". The proceeds from our discontinued samples go to The Susan G. Komen breast cancer 3 - day walk. Last year we donated more than $2,000 to the cause. We will be taking our gowns on the road this year and will be selling them at some of the bridal shows we will be attending. There are many benefits to buying one of these gowns.

Our New Years resolution this year will be to seek out more green products. We are going to look for designers who focus on "going green". We will also continue to do our part on recycling and trying to reduce the amount of paper used at Bella. We will continue to try to do our part in protecting the environment. Feel free to give us a call or email us with any of your "Green" suggestions.

Enzoani Runway Show!

 Enzoani & Blue by Enzoani 2011 Trunk Show December 22nd-January 2nd

Runway Show! December 22nd at 7:00pm

Bella will be premiering the trunk show with a Runway Party! Come one, come all! Bring family and friends to sit back and enjoy the show! Snack on hors d'oeuvres while sipping on our signature "Bellatinis". Reservations are required and are limited, so call now to reserve your space. Space will be filled on a first come first served basis. Bella is very excited to be the very first store to feature the  Enzoani & Blue by Enzoani's 2011 Trunk Shows!  This years much anticipated collection brings style into bridal gowns like never before.  Bella Bridal will have most of the 2011 Enzoani and Blue by Enzoani to see in store, in addition to our collection from past seasons.

Bella wishes you and your family Happy Holidays

Bella Bridal & Formal Wear raises money for Breast Cancer

On Sunday, June 27th we will host our largest sample sale of the year.  First Come, First Served Basis from 10 am to 3 pm.  See our story and details below.

This Sample sale will benefit the TAG Team (Tracey Anne Geils) for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk.

Our owner, Sandy Ryan, has lost two dear friends to this horrible disease.  A very dear friend and co-worker, (Tracey Anne Geils) died at the Very Young age of 33.  She left behind a daughter the same age as Sandy's youngest daughter.  In honor of her daughter, Sandy began walking in the 3-day walk in 2005.  This August Sandy will participate in her 4th walk.  This means that she has all ready raised over $7,000 for the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk. 

In April of 2009, Sandy lost another friend to breast Cancer.  Jodi Rees was also a local business owner.  Their friendship developed over the years as they worked together on many events.  Jodi battled breast cancer for more than 10 years and passed away at 48.  In honor of both Tracey and Jodi, Sandy will continue to raise as much money and walk as many miles as possible until there is a cure.

Each year vendors discontinue styles.  There is nothing wrong with the styles, it is just a way for the vendors to sell more dresses to their suppliers.  As a result, Bella Bridal is left with hundreds of dresses we can not resell.  Due to Sandy's connection with Breast Cancer, she is donating 100% of the proceeds from our Sample Sale to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk. 

We will feature bridal gowns starting at $100.  We also have hundreds of special occasion dresses for $25 a piece or 3 for $60 (60 miles in 3 days).  This is our largest sample sale ever and we want to make a difference to finding a cure.  Please pass the word onto everyone you know. 

If you are unable to attend, but would like to help with a donation, please visit Sandy's link at http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2010/ChicagoEvent2010?px=1158437&pg=personal&fr_id=1463
If enough funds are raised, she will walk 60 more in San Diego in November.  Help us make a difference.
Call for information 630-443-9226

Make the most of bridal shows.

Over the past few months, Bella has participated in several bridal shows. We began with a big show at NIU in January. We participated in shows at Cantigny, the Holiday Inn in Naperville, Bartlett Hills, and then the Stateline Splendor show in Rockford in March.


After attending all of these shows, Bella wants to give you some tips for attending a Bridal Show:

Prepare labels with your name, address, phone number and email address. Many vendors will offer raffles at their booths and this will save you time. These raffles give you an opportunity to win valuable savings for your wedding.

Prepare a list of questions ahead of time. Make a list of vendors that you are still in need of and have a list of questions prepared. This will allow you to visit multiple vendors that provide the same services and make it easier for you to compare and decide the best vendor to meet your needs.

Come hungry. Most bridal shows provide plenty of food to be sampled. Make sure you are hungry enough to make the rounds and sample it all.

Bring your calendar with you. Many vendors will offer you a discount if you schedule an appointment with them at the show.

Bring the decision makers with you. It helps if everyone involved in paying for a service are there to hear all of the options. However, remember that it is your wedding and your decision in the end.

Find out ahead of time if vendors will be selling products at the show and come prepared to make a purchase. If products are for sale at the show, it is a terrific opportunity for a bargain.

Prepare to be tired at the end of the day. While it is a fun, exciting time for you it is exhausting to be overwhelmed with so much information all at once.

Unless you want to spend the entire time at a show, don't plan on coming as soon as the show starts. Most shows, save the fashion show for the end. Additionally, most shows save the best raffle prizes for the end, and you must be present to win.

Overall, relax and enjoy the day. It is just another step in the entire process of planning your wedding. You may be surprised what you find at the show.
Visit our website for more details on events happening at Bella Bridal & Formal Wear and see for yourself "The Difference....Is the Experience"

What is Market?

Twice a year, manufacturers host what is called "Market". There are markets in Las Vegas, Atlanta, New York & Chicago. The Spring Market is hosted in Chicago in the fall, usually October. The Fall Market is hosted in Chicago in the Spring, usually March. Sound confusing? It is. It takes us as long to get our samples as it does for us to special order our merchandise for our customers. That is why the markets are held 6 months ahead of the season. (More on Seasons will follow below.)


The Chicago Market is hosted at the Merchandise Mart. It is 3 or 4 days of fun, stress and sore feet. Hundreds of manufacturers showcase their latest styles in booths, that take up an entire floor of the Merchandise Mart. We spend 3 1/2 days combing the floor for the best suppliers, that offer the best quality product at the most affordable price. From 9-5 we visit our vendors booths and sit through fashion shows. Each manufacturer produces about 20-40 new bridal gowns for each season. We select a minimum number of gowns from each of our suppliers, because we actually purchase all of our samples for full price.

The management of Bella Bridal carefully hand selects each gown we carry. We evaluate each gown for price, fabric, silhouette, and most importantly style. Sometimes, we choose one gown over another, because we may find a better one from another supplier that is very similar. We spend the first couple of days evaluating every line we carry and taking notes on what our initial thoughts are. We then go back on the last day and make final decisions, based on everything we have seen.

This same process is bridesmaid dresses, special occasion gowns, headpieces, veils and jewelry. There are usually fewer suppliers to choose from, so the process isn't quite as complicated.

Once we purchase the minimums from a supplier, we are an authorized dealer of that line. That allows us to order any of the gowns or products from that manufacturer, even if we do not carry a sample of that item in the store.

Additionally, each manufacturer discontinues styles periodically. It varies by manufacturer, how often and when this happens. Once a gown is discontinued, we can no longer order it. This is why we sell samples. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the samples we are selling. It is just time for the manufacturer to change styles again. This is why we have semi-annual sample sales. Not all of the samples being sold are discontinued. Actually, most of them are not. It just allows us to make room for more of the new styles coming in.

We are looking forward to selecting more fabulous styles for our Fall customers.