Fourteenth: The Best of 2019
I wanted to end the year by sharing some of my best work at Headpiece.com. The year 2019 unleashed something new inside of me. One may think that when you get to this level of design and have done it for over 20 years, designing for brides becomes routine, but that is not so!
I like to think that every design concept I come up with is the best. Actually, it is! I pour my heart and soul into each new bride. My creations are a part of me. I never fret when I need to work until midnight in my home design studio. I am in love with what I do, and that drives my passion. Everything that touches my hands is my absolute best! So how could I choose the best in 2019? There is something extra that stands out in each bridal design story.
best headpiece of 2019
Kristen White came to us with only a little over two months to go before her September 9th wedding. She struggled to find the best headpiece and veil to go with her couture Martina Liana wedding gown and overskirt. Her busy schedule as a New York City Attorney had her worried that she wouldn’t be able to find the right accessories to highlight her statement gown.
This post on our @headpiececom Instagram filled her with a renewed hope and inspiration that she would find something unique and stunning for her wedding day. Coincidentally, she was drawn to this design made specifically for my daughter, and it will forever be my favorite bridal accessory design.
Brielle Hunt and Alex Maffett on their wedding day. Photo by Allison Kuhn Creative
Nothing matched up in our schedules, so I agreed to meet Kristen outside of our regular business hours. As an attorney, she uses her time wisely. Kristen didn’t have time to mess around when deciding on her accessories. She fell in love with Brielle’s piece, and that was that! We decided to customize her stones to give her an opalescent glow to work with the fabrics and embellishments of her gown.
Wedding Photography by Tom Wall Photography
Kristen’s wedding venue was the beautiful Sagamore Resort in Lake George, NY. Martina Liana’s ball gown overskirt from The Wedding Atelier on Madison Ave in NYC was love at first sight!
When deciding on the best designs of the year, I consider every aspect of the final design. While this headpiece look is among my favorite works, the hairstyle created by Gwen, owner of Blush 518 in Saratoga Springs, brought this accessory style to the top of the list for 2019.
“From the moment I walked into Headpiece.com, I knew that Marie and her salon were different. Most important to me was that Marie was not afraid to give me an honest opinion. I fell in love with a gorgeous headpiece Marie custom-designed for her own daughter’s wedding. It had so much detail and style. My hair and makeup stylist said it was her favorite headpiece of any bride—-ever!”
When it came to her veil, Kristen felt she needed a short veil. I often ask my brides to consider different options while choosing their veil. Kristen didn’t want a cathedral veil, so I suggested one of our newest cuts; the Bregine veil. With her ball gown skirt for her ceremony, she needed something with a bit more length.
“Marie’s pieces are so unique and look so couture, unlike pieces you get off the rack. Marie handmakes everything adding such detail, quality, and depth. Every pearl, every crystal, and every part is there for a reason and makes the headpiece come to life. Everyone thought my hair jewelry was the most glamorous and unique they had seen on a bride. Some of my friends even requested to borrow my headpiece and hair jewelry when they get married.”
“The best part of my wedding day was seeing my vision come to life and walking down the aisle to my best friend and love of my life.”
best vintage headpiece
This vintage design project is The Best of 2019 and quite possibly the best of my career. Why does this rank so high? It was the most challenging request I have encountered in all my 20 years at Headpiece.com. In the end, I wanted to create a happy ending, and to show that old fashioned couture millinery skill is still alive in this world.
“My grandmother passed away in 2014. On my last visit to see her, she left me the beautiful wedding dress that had been handmade for her by her mother in the 1940s. There was also a handmade beaded crown and veil. When it came time for me to think about my wedding, I realized that even though it fit perfectly, there were stains, and the dress was too stiff to move around in. I had the items professionally cleaned, and unfortunately, the crown and veil were lost during the cleaning process.”
The manager of the well respected and renowned cleaners contacted me to see if I could help to recreate this vintage crown. I told her if anyone could tackle this design, it is me. We have received inquiries from all over the world for projects such as these.
“When I spoke with Marie to recreate the headpiece, I was not sure what to expect. I only had a few old photos of the crown and veil from my grandmother’s wedding day. The photos were black and white and somewhat unclear.”
“There were so many aspects of this design project that made it the highest level of difficulty. The family members had no idea what the original headpiece was made of. The only reference I had was small vintage quality wedding photos in an album. I took pics of the photos with my IPhone and blew them up. The resolution was poor. So I had to guess where and how to begin.”
My guess was that the beading on this beautiful vintage frame was seed pearl and rhinestone.
I used the size of the iris in her grandmother’s eye to determine the size and scale of the headpiece frame and begin pattern design.
Bead size was also a part of the equation. The first step was to draw the frame shape and build it from there.
The final paper pattern draft was complete and ready to be cut to create the frame.
The beading on this couture vintage replication was a tedious process. The headpiece took 20 hours to complete.
“The construction of this headpiece was incredibly satisfying. I helped solve a problem and create a new avenue of family history. I also knew with full confidence that Dominique came to the right person and possibly the only person who could accomplish such a feat.”
“I saw the final design just about a week before my wedding. It exceeded my expectations. My husband and I decided to have a very small, non-traditional ceremony in an art gallery in Boston. I chose to wear the veil for a vintage look during a post-ceremony photo shoot in the city.”
Dominique plans to keep the headpiece stored with her grandmother’s wedding dress so that her sister, cousin, and perhaps daughter, may have the opportunity to wear it on their wedding day in the future. As for me, this design will always be among the best!
Best Bridal Veil
There were a few firsts this year. My first FaceTime Bride proved that we could design for any bride—-anywhere! Rachael’s mother found Headpiece.com through an extensive internet search to design a new headpiece using the crystals in her Grandmother’s headpiece. The headpiece we created for Rachael will be featured on an upcoming blog. Rachael’s veil, however, made the Best of 2019!
“At first, I was apprehensive about being a virtual bride, but communicating via FaceTime truly put me at ease. Getting to know Marie through video chat was fun, and made me feel like I was at her shop even though I was never able to ever visit in person. After viewing her work over video chat, I knew we had made a good choice in working together.”
While my initial contact with Rachael was for a vintage headpiece re-design, our relationship grew, and she took the next step to see if I could help her with a veil choice via FaceTime. Rachael bought two dresses and was undecided on which one she would wear down the aisle. After video chatting, texts, emails, and phone calls, she made her decision. We both loved the same gown. Once she committed to the dress, we did another FaceTime consultation for bridal veils.
Dress option A: by Romona Keveža New York
Dress option B: by Truvelle
“Rachael decided on the wedding gown design by Truvelle. I loved the textured leaf pattern of the fabric and suggested our Anna veil with hand-stamped leaves made from different silk types. I would assemble leaf clusters and hand-bead them with pearl and Swarovski crystal still made in the same cut as her grandmother’s headpiece. ”
Silk leaves topped with a cluster of luxurious pearls, and Swarovski AB crystal scattered along the bottom hem of Rachael’s veil.
Rachael’s veil arrived in time for her final fitting. It was perfect, soft, and sheer!
Wedding Photography by Grapefruit Photo
“What I love most about our veil designs is how natural they are. We design them specifically to the shape of the body and silhouette of the gown. They are light, sheer, and airy and always make ta distinct appearance aside from that of the bride. They are rarely posed and live a life of their own on the wedding day!”
The best is yet to be
In 2020, we will collaborate with top talented hairstylists, makeup artists, and photographers as we launch our newest brand. Keep your eye out for “Headpiece After Dark”…@headpieceafterdark on Instagram. Until then, we will let you leave the rest to your imagination. I wish you all the best of holidays and a bright, colorful, and creative New Year!
<3 —-Marie
Next month on the Fourteenth:
The Hijab Bride