The Fashion Forward Bride

We worked some magic at a recent photo shoot at the Loft hotel.  Here's a sneak peek of the great work by Six Degrees, a photographer/videographer dynamic duo.  The Sylva K team rocked the hair and makeup oh so glamorously.   The wedding dresses are by yours truly and are part of my 2011 collection.

"Carrie" has a simple satin trumpet silhouette with slimming princess seams, a neckline of
handmade satin flowers and a one-shoulder detail.  Aisle style has never been so comfortable!
Price: $$$ (See legend on side bar.)

Stella is an ultra-glamourous "bohemian" wedding dress complete with form-fitting
mermaid silhouette, sweetheart topped pleated bodice and playful ribbon organza skirt.
Price: $$$$ (See legend on side bar.)
Headpiece: Kata Banko Couture   Jewelry: Roca Bijou

Stella is a dupioni silk satin pleated gown with a sweetheart neckline and 

removable organza skirt.  The belt is sold separately and is solid Swarovski crystals.  

Price: $$$$ (See legend on side bar.)

Headpiece: Kata Banko Couture   Jewelry: Georgianni/Giavan

This last pic is in fact our ad coming out in January's edition of Marions-Nous.  Get your copy at the show January 8-9th at Place Bonaventure, or come in for an appointment after that date.

Festival Mode and Design 2010 | "I Love Sensation"

It was a huge honour to be selected as the only bridal boutique to participate in this year's Festival Mode & Design.  Our dresses were featured in the largest event of the four-day festival: "I Love Sensation".  The closing ceremony of the Festival Mode & Design has been called the largest fashion event in North America with an estimated 30,000 spectators.  Dick Walsh was the Artistic Director of the outdoor fashion show, which marked the festivals 10-year anniversary.  Dick is well known in fashion and event planning circles: he has worked with first class international designers and planned Celine Dion's wedding!

I have posted our segment of the fashion show featuring my own gowns, and those of Lis Simon.  We carry Lis Simon gowns at our boutique and the feedback so far has been phonomenal.  Enjoy the show!

Elegant Wedding Photo Shoot

First I should mention that it is a honour to be amongst the exclusive group of wedding professionals to be featured in Elegant Wedding magazine. Theo Dermatis and her team are passionate about helping brides plan truly exquisite and unforgettable events by providing inspiration in their publications, blog and bridal showcase.

The shoot that we participated in had a "dream team" of providers.  Special thanks to Alain Doss from Six Degrees photography who captured the beautiful moments on film, Sofia Karambela who seemed to read my mind for hair inspiration, and to Eva from Mindy Shear for helping our model's beauty shine through.  Marco Paternostro, also from Six Degrees, captured the essence of the shoot in a fabulous video included below.

The dresses are gorgeous designs by Lis Simon.  Annette, has an A-line silhouette with an organza overlay and radiating lace.  This wedding dress is so flattering due to the radiating lines and pleated bodice.  A must-try for the sophisticated bride. Berlin is a modern take on the ballgown silhouette with a crisply pleated bodice and fabulous texture in the skirt with the use of pleated taffeta.

Be sure to see the whole editorial piece in Elegant Wedding coming out this month.  Here is the preview on the Elegant Wedding Blog.


Elegant Wedding Photoshoot 2010 from Marco Paternostro on Vimeo.

Photography by:  Six Degrees
Gowns by Lis Simon available at:  Christianne Brunelle Couture Nuptiale
Hair by:  Sofia Karambela / Modelo Hair Design
Make up by:  Eva / Mindy Shear Make Up
Earrings & Bracelet by:  Creations Georgianni Inc.
Linens & Chair-covers by:  Elegant Seatcovers
Floral Design by:  Alain Simon Fleurs
Location:  Sofitel Montréal Golden Mile

Our Montreal Bridal Store

You may have guessed by now that we are very different from most bridal stores in Montreal. I like to think that we've raised the bar quite a bit. (Let's face it: when you think of shop windows with dresses and mannequins straight out of the 80's it makes one cringe just a little.)

So, what makes us different?

1) Our central location yet private loft environment

Our twelve-foot ceilings and view of the mountain are truly inspiring. See the video for a "virtual" experience of our space!

2) All our wedding dress designs are customizable.

Are you a picky shopper? Of course you are! We're talking about your wedding dress here. There is no need to compromise. We can modify any of our designs to suit you that much better. I don't mean modify after the fact like everyone else. Your dress will be hand made for you specifically including any design changes requested. Almost anything is possible!

3) All our bridal gowns are made-to-measure

We realize that women come in all shapes and sizes. That's why all our dresses are custom-made to your 12 key measurements. This is a world apart from the usual process in almost all other stores: they take your three measurements and then order a dress in your "largest" measurement. When the gown comes in, they ask you to come in for a fitting to take in your dress and shorten it. Aside from being expensive, it is a hit and miss process that can actually compromise the design of your dress. That's why we believe in doing it right the first time: your dress pattern is adapted to your measurements first, then created specifically for your shape. When you try it on for the first time you won't believe how flattering it is on you. As the saying goes, there is no style without fit!

Lis Simon Wedding Dresses in Montreal

I'm proud to announce that we are the first retailer in Eastern Canada of the Lis Simon line of wedding dresses.  I met the team behind Lis Simon at the Chicago Bridal Market exhibition at the end of March.  I was immediately struck by the quality of the designs and fabric.  What really got me next were the inner construction details.  Let me just say Wow.  I am a real stickler for boning and an inner wide elastic strap to  give structure and support.  (Blame it on my background in Architecture.)  This is surprisingly hard to find! The Lis Simon line is the best in this department that I have ever seen.  The result of this is that her strapless dresses stay put 1000%.  No slipping down, period.  The effect of the boning is that it molds you subtly into more of an hourglass figure.  It's like the benefits of a whole slew of Pilates and Yoga classes.  Instantly! :)  You gotta love that!

By this point I wanted to carry the line, but can they be made-to-measure?  After all, that is the concept behind Christianne Brunelle Couture Nuptiale...!  The answer is yes.  Not only can they be made to measure, they can accommodate several customizations: custom train length, changing a zipper closure for a lace-up style or vice versa.

Lis Simon Annette

Finally, I have to mention the embellishments.  This is definitely one of the defining elements of the Lis Simon line.  The lace is very unique and light.  The beading is modern and innovative -  never overdone.  Some of the dresses even come with polished stone spherical buttons that can be done up to conceal the zipper.  This one detail alone gives the impression of a $5000 dress with a price tag of less than half that.

Lis Simon Aki

So yes, I'm definitely in love with these gowns.  We will have a trunk show of the entire line in the coming months.  An event not to miss!  As of today we have three styles in our showroom with three more coming in two weeks.  Many more are coming in two months.  Can't wait!

Montreal Bridal Show: Simple Wedding Dresses

Here are two of our wedding dresses featured in the fashion show of the "Let's Get Married" (Marions-Nous) bridal show in January 2010. My inspiration for this show was to feature simple wedding dresses. This is definitely the direction of the trend in Montreal right now. Brides are really searching for a simple dress but don't want to compromise on elegance. I hear it all the time: "Why is it so hard to find a nice, simple wedding dress in this city?"

(I don't think it's just here: it seems to be everywhere, judging from my recent trip to the Chicago Bridal Market. More on this in another post, but this is the largest bridal show exclusively for buyers in North America.)

Enjoy the video, and I'd love your comments!

The winner of our draw for a wedding dress is...

Congratulations to Stephanie Dotto, the winner of our draw for a wedding dress up to a $2,000 value. Entrants were collected at Marions Nous and Salon de la Mariée in January. Stephanie was surprised and thrilled to bits to hear the good news. After a short exchange I realized I remembered her and her mother stopping by the booth: she reminded me of our discussion about the inner structure of our gowns. She was concerned that if she opted for a strapless dress that she would be adjusting it all day. I explained that I had a background in Architecture and that our dresses are constructed accordingly! We all had a good chuckle. Congrats Stephanie! Looking forward to helping you. ... and yes, you'll see what I mean about that strapless dress not budging!

Montreal Historic Wedding Photos

I've been doing a genealogy project on and off for a few years, and was lucky enough to uncover some amazing photos in the process.  It's incredible how the more things change the more they stay the same.

My Grandmother in Montreal, 1941.  What a gorgeous slim A-line gown with almost no embellishment.  My "Nana" was always ahead of the fashion curve her whole life.  Her wedding dress was no exception!

My Great-Grandmother in Kennebunkport, 1916.  This was a particularly amazing find.  There is a similar photo that I have seen before (and turned into a painting) which was taken in the same session.  The difference is that in the other one she is holding her huge bouquet closer to her body so that almost the whole front of the dress is hidden.  My theory is that she found the dress a little revealing and circulated the more modest picture.  It was 1916 after all!

My Great-Great-Grandmother in Montreal, 1872.  Photo by William Notman courtesy of the McCord Museum.  Another amazing find.  I had the inspiration to check the McCord website and wow - I came across this incredibly well-preserved archive of William Notman's work.  He was a world-famous photographer when the art was in it's infancy.  The gown is a silk taffeta ballgown with an inner metal hoop crinoline.  Wow!  It looks so similar in many ways to a modern-day wedding dress, but to put this in perspective, this was a gown fit for a princess at the time.  Elaborate wedding dresses were just not within the reach of most people.  Although I am no expert on historical bridal fashion, it seems really interesting to me that the sleeves are not the huge "poofy" variety that were popular in the late 1800s.  Oh, then a century later in the early 1980s!

Our Montreal Bridal Store is Open!

I am proud to say that our bridal shopping environment is like no other in Montreal. We provide our brides with a spacious loft with high ceilings.  Why a loft?  I wanted private space with an airy feel and lots of light.  No St-Hubert Street store can really compare!


We have a view of Mount Royal with large windows that allow for plenty of natural light. The finishes are impeccable: oak hardwood, crystal chandeliers and vintage-inspired wallpaper.  Putting it all together was a lot of work, but so worth it.  After all, I'm benefiting from this gorgeous space more than anybody!


My bachelor degree was in Architecture at McGill.  I've since obviously moved on to other pursuits, but I must say this project was a throwback to my previous life!  I even built a 3D model of the space for my contractor to follow.  Compare the before and after! Pretty huge transformation.