Inspired by this post from It’s a Jaime Thing, I had to pull out the magazine where I first laid eyes on my wedding gown. It was the Feb/March 2008 issue of Brides magazine. I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on it. I KNEW it was the one. Well…that is after I found out there was going to be a trunk show at a local bridal shop and I could get the 10% trunk show discount AND I got to meet the designer, Mr. Edric Woo of Tara Keely!

Ahhhh, what a great memory!

And me in mine…

I moved the ribbon to an empire waist and added a broach to make it all my own!

As you may already know, I wore a Tara Keely gown on my wedding day. I fell in LOVE with my dress instantly. What made it even more special was that I got to meet the actual designer of my gown by purchasing it at a trunk show. I recently had the honor of interviewing Mr. Edric Woo, designer for Tara Keely which is a division of JLM Couture.

1. How did you end up designing for Tara Keely? I was scouted by Mr. Joe Murphy CEO of JLM Couture. It’s a new division and they wanted someone fresh and new with ideas for the new line. I guessed he must be impressed with my work and devotion. 

2. Did you always want to design wedding gowns? I have attached an article for you to see which really tell my history and my love for fashion. read article here

3. What is your all-time favorite gown that you designed? It’s hard to choose one particular one. I put the same effort and love in creating all the dresses. I do love working with laces and have a special attachment to dresses that have lace on it, just like your dress!

4. Who are your favorite designers? My favorite designer are Yves Saint Laurent {sadly he passed away last year} Karl Lagerfeld {love his energy and his creativity}.

5. What inspires your work? My inspiration comes from everywhere and everything I see. I am aroused by all external stimulation like art, cinema, design and music. My mind is always eager to explore every single event, ready to generate new ideas. So my collections are always an authentic exploration and continual rediscovery of my individual style.

6. What do you like/dislike about trunk shows? I love doing trunk shows because it is the time where I could see actual brides wearing my creation. It will only be a true satisfaction when you see a happy and glowing bride in your design. So I learn, improve and develop the next collection from seeing brides wearing the wedding dresses. It is an ultimate satisfaction to see the customer happy, looking amazing and beautiful for their wedding day.

7. Do you ever do custom gowns? I used to do custom made gowns when I was in Singapore {that’s where I was born} but not here in JLM Couture.

8. Tell the truth, do you remember meeting me? ha ha   I DO REMEMBER YOU. HAHA!

THANK YOU SO MUCH EDRIC for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with me! And ladies, now you too can meet Mr. Edric Woo at his next California trunk show at Mary Me Bridal in Orange, CA on March 6th-7th.

P.S. And no that is not me in the pic above, but here is a pic of me in my dress when I met Edric at a trunk show

I was lucky enough to find my dream dress, but I also got to meet the designer of my dress at a trunk show! Here is a picture of Edric Woo and me. He is the designer for Tara Keely which is a division of Jim Hjelm. I also got 10% off of my dress for buying it at a trunk show. You can find a Tara Keely dress for you by visiting www.tarakeely.com. Happy trunk show shopping!

I tried on only two gowns before deciding on my dress. The first was an Alfred Angelo dress. I saw this dress in a magazine and thought it was really flattering. My mother and I were going to see “Wicked” while I was living in LA so to kill some time before the play, we stopped by Alfred Angelo. I tried on the dress I had seen in the magazine and although I thought it was pretty, it was just too plain. I also didnt want to buy the first dress I tried on but quickly found out I did not have much time to decide. I never knew that wedding dresses were made to order and took approx 4-6 months to arrive!!! We had already chosen our wedding date which was only 4 1/2 months away! Just a few days later I was thumbing through one of my bride magazines and saw the dress of my dreams. I actually showed it to Chris because I thought there was no chance I could afford it. He tooked one look and said, “that’s hot”…so I knew it was the one. I never told Chris but I found out that Here Comes the Bride was actually having a Tara Keely trunk show the following weekend! Can you say….meant to be??? I called and found out that the dress was more than my mom wanted to pay for a dress, but I knew if I could just try it on, she would fall in love too! And so the dress was mine! We did have to pay for a rush cut and it came in only two weeks before the wedding, but with a few alterations…it was perfect. I LOVED my dress Here are the pics of my trips to Alfred Angelo and then to Here Comes the Bride… 

The first two are at Alfred Angelo and the next two are at Here Comes the Bride…

And the final dress after a few alterations. I also moved the ribbon to an empire waist and added a broach. I love my dress