By dot@mintsPublished: May 8th, 2009Posted in: Featured Vendors, Wedding Planning, dot's wedding journal In the past 2 weeks, I have received quite some emails and calls asking whether I have bought my dress yet. Thank you all for sending me links, images, tips and advices! And yes, I have finally picked my gown.
About 2 weeks ago, I was very tempted to visit Bridal Galleria one more time as it was offering 10% discount on all Vera Wang dresses, yet I decided I should hire a local designer, Jinza, to custom made my dress and I am so proud that I am doing so! Not only it is my strong belief that we should support local businesses and designers as much as possible, but it also means my dress will be one of a kind and perfectly fit!!
I knew I was at the right place once I walked into Jinza bridal boutique on Union Street. Her work is beautiful, feminine, flattering yet not too exaggerated. The details are intricate and I have to admit that I am soooooo fall in love with all the lace dresses (all laces are imported from France). hm…I can’t disclose my dress details here as I really want to keep it a surprise but well, I guess I may at least show you some of her work.
By the way, Jinza will name her dress after brides if you are the first to purchase the design. What a cute idea!



all images from yelp.com.
By dot@mintsPublished: May 1st, 2009Posted in: Wedding Planning, dot's wedding journal 
From brides.com (left to right): 1.) Kirstie Kelly for Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, 2, 4 & 5.) Vera Wang, 3. ) Amsale, 6.) Rivini
By dot@mintsPublished: April 22nd, 2009Posted in: Featured Vendors, Wedding Planning, dot's wedding journal For me, wedding planning is almost like going through my quarter life crisis again. Do I want a solitarie or three stones engagement ring? Do I want the diamond surrounded by bead-set diamonds or band with diamonds? Should I pick strap or strapless wedding gown? Mermaid or A line? sweetheart V-neck? how many bridesmaids? and gosh, the wedding color?! so many choices and it is incredibly hard for a person with Indecisive Syndrome.

Luckily I got Canna and Mei to help me out with my dress hunting! Our first hop was Glamour Closet in San Francisco. This place is highly recommended by a few of our clients. It carry designer gowns, such as Reem Acra, Monique Lhuillier or Vera Wang, and all these sample dresses are discounted 25-75%. It had the “March Madness” sales, where brides get an additional 25% off. No wonder one of my brides got her dress $7000 less than the retail price (huge markdowns!!). Too bad that I didn’t start my dress hunt earlier. =P

Since many brides mentioned this place is crowed on weekends and the wait can be extremely long, we visited the store on a weekday and I didn’t have to wait at all. I was surprised that this is not an “outlet” store. Instead, it is a charming boutique with good customer services. I tried on 5 dresses but didn’t find anything here as it specializes in selling samples “off the rack,” which means most of them are size 8 and up. It just wouldn’t make sense to alter a dress down to size 0 but overall it’s still a fun experience.
One thing I learned from this hop: Though I love lace but it doesn’t fit the venue’s style (yep, it is true that you need to find the venue before your dress hunt!!). I want something modern and dreamy/romantic at the same time. For my petite frame, no ball gown and I need something light and simple. hahaha…axing choices!!
By dot@mintsPublished: April 16th, 2009Posted in: Featured, News, Real Weddings 
Venue: Yoshi’s San Francisco
Vans: District
Photography: Joel Flory
Stationery: Passing Notes
Shoe Cake: Debbie Does Cakes
Hair and Makeup: Diana Wilcenski, Trenz Salon, Burlingame