What a fun little write up on Brides.com!

Photographer: Brea Photography | Gown: Larissa (Continuing Collection) | Originally featured on WeddingChicks

A whole day featuring moi?! Uh…ok! How flattered and thrilled I am with this amazing feature on The Wedding Chicks super fabulous blog! This interview was intimate and fun, and here’s a picture of my sweet little family at our daughter’s 4^th birthday last year…having her has brought a whole new meaning to life, and aren’t I lucky to have a girl?!

January 16, 2012

Meet The Real Claire Pettibone

Hope you are all ready to meet the real Claire Pettibone. We got up close and personal with bridal fashion guru Claire Pettibone and are so excited to share. Well known for her vintage inspired and bohemian style wedding gowns oozing with romance and femininity, Claire gets candid with us from personal style to her favorite music to the people she loves.

We are long time fans and admirers and are so humbled that Claire would get a little personal and fun with us. Thank you Claire.

WC: Is there something about you that may surprise our readers?
CP: I met my husband at a nightclub in Hollywood! 19 years later, shows you never know where love is going to grab you.

WC: How you would describe your personal style?
CP: Casual romantic

WC: If we were to meet for coffee, what would you wear?
CP: Jeans, lacey camisole, ruffled sweater-jacket

WC: Your favorite song at the moment is …
CP: anything by Florence + the Machine

WC: What inspires you to create?
CP: My lovely brides, vintage laces, wall paper, cake, rambling gardens, peonies, the sky, Gustav Klimt, Alma Tadema, John Singer Sargent, Paris, paint swatches, antique jewelry, Big Sur, my grandmother’s photo album, music, my beautiful daughter Lorelei, and my dream of a husband. That peaceful sense of spirit that radiates within all the beauty on this planet that is the mental state I tap into when I create a collection.

WC: When you have an idea or vision (as we refer to it) what do you do? ex: write it on paper, email yourself, text yourself?
CP: Combination of old-school pencil and paper, and then to clarify my thoughts, sometimes it’s a Word doc.

WC: How would you describe the bride who wears your gown?
CP: Intelligent, independent, feminine. All ages, all body types, but the common thread is wanting a gown that touches her soul and is utterly romantic.

WC: We feel that your works embodies the epitome of femininity, romance and softness … do you surround yourself with these elements in your studio?
CP: It’s a big ole mix of gorgeous swatches and pretty tidbits mixed with books, papers, and clutter!

WC: What advice would you give a bride who is searching for her gown?
CP: Bring no more than two friends/family members shopping with you at least until you’ve narrowed it down. If you are ready to choose your life partner, you should be able to choose a dress without a committee! Oh, and wear flesh colored underwear!

WC: Do you work alone or do you have a so-to-speak right hand man who knows you as well as you do?
CP: My husband Guy Toley is my partner in business as well as life. We started the business together 17 years ago, and he (thank goodness) handles all of the numbers and management sides to running a company.

WC: Coffee or tea?
CP: tea

WC: Chocolate or Vanilla?
CP: chocolate

WC: Salad or burger?
CP: Both! I’m leaning towards salads lately, but you gotta love a good burger every now and then!

WC: Flats or heels?
CP: It used to be heels, but I’m momma to a 4 year old, so she keeps me on my toes in flats!

Claire’s family photo by Elizabeth Messina.

Gown Collection: Claire Pettibone
Photographer: Elizabeth Messina
Hair & Makeup Stephanie Lawerence
Venue: Sunstone Winery
Featured in: Reverie Mag
Featured in: Wedding Nouveau

Photographer: Bliss Wedding Studio // Gown: Lucien (discontinued) // Salon: Claire Pettibone Flagship

John and I met at Berkeley during our freshman year and became best friends instantly. We began dating during our second year in school and had a very special connection that just could not be explained, especially at such a young age. After dating for two years, under circumstances beyond our control…we had to part ways and move on to finish school in different states. Our hearts were broken. It wasn’t until eight years later that we were able to reconnect… we were just in the right place and it was the right time…we decided to give ‘us’ a try again—and this time it would be forever!

I knew I wanted to have an outdoor wedding. When we started searching for a venue, we came across the Temecula Creek Inn. Temecula is about an hour and a half southeast of Los Angeles. It wouldn’t be a true destination wedding, but just a bit of a drive. It was so worth it though! Temecula is truly a beautiful place. The Temecula Creek Inn had a beautiful open area on its property with a historic ‘Stonehouse’ that used to be a sleeping quarters for miners in the 1800’s. The building had been restored for events such as weddings. It was going to be the perfect backdrop–rustic and beautiful.

Like many brides-to-be, I began searching for a wedding dress by looking in magazines. My mom and I flipped through dozens of them together. On one of the days we were perusing magazines, she called me over to look at a dress. It was just amazing—I had never seen anything like it. The dress was the Lucien gown by Claire Pettibone. It had the perfect amount of vintage, romantic, and lace. I called the salon in Beverly Hills to inquire about the dress. They unfortunately informed me that they were not making that particular dress anymore. The dress in the magazine was made for an editorial photo shoot. There was only one sample dress and it was in a size 2 or 4 for a runway model that was 5 foot 10 inches. Well, I definitely could not wear that dress; I’m 5 foot 3 inches!

I pleaded with Cynthia at the boutique about possibly having one made for me. She said that she would ask Claire and get back to me! I was on pins and needles waiting to hear back from her for a little over two weeks. I continued searching for other dress options online and in magazines. I never went to a bridal salon or any other boutique to try on any dresses. I finally heard back from Cynthia and she said that there was just enough fabric and lace to make one more dress! Oh, joy—I couldn’t believe it—one more just for me. As long as it was a size 8 or less, it could be done! I was a size 6! It was definitely meant to be.

I went into the Claire Pettibone salon to be measured and then paid for my beautiful dress that I had never seen in person. I was a little nervous that I was never able to try on a sample of my dress or any other dress for that matter. I just knew there was only the one gown for me. Ten months after placing my order, I finally picked it up. It really was everything I hoped for. Everyone said that my dress was absolutely beautiful and that they had never seen a wedding dress like it. Thank you for making the dress of my dreams Claire Pettibone!

Thank you Betty for sharing your dreamy and whimsical wedding with us! We are so happy that the Lucien gown worked out perfectly for you – it truly was meant to be! Congratulations again and all the best to you and John!

We are really excited to share these photos of our beautiful bride, Elizabeth in her Trash the Dress photo session that had us in awe the moment we saw it.  Not only was this a gorgeous destination wedding in Fiji, the couple looked wonderful, happy and in love.

Photographer: Jenny Grise of Grise Photography // Dress: Fontenelle (discontinued) // Salon: Kleinfeld

It is often said that many brides know exactly what they want for their wedding day, but I honestly didn’t.  All I hoped for was the opportunity to wear one of your gowns on a private island in a tropical paradise.  As luck would have it, that came true:  I was married on Castaway Island, Fiji in the ‘ever so lovely’ Fontenelle gown on May 15, 2010.

After I got engaged, I was certain: if I could afford it, I would be wearing Juliet on my wedding day.  As I walked into Kleinfeld Bridal in NYC and told them to bring me every gown possible by Claire Pettibone, I wasn’t disappointed when my sister and girlfriends told me that Juliet wasn’t the one.  The tears in their eyes, as I tried on the Fontenelle gown convinced me that there was no other dress for me.  I have never felt more beautiful in my life.  I have received so many emails stating: in all their lives, they’ve never seen such a beautiful gown.

In adding something new to my wedding attire: I found a vintage ribbon from Italy that complimented the fabrics so perfectly, it was almost as if the ribbon was from your own collection.  I wanted the pictures to show the gown swaying in the wind by the beach, but didn’t want to have a train or veil.  I got the idea to hang the ribbon from the flower on the back of gown from your Larissa gown.  It worked beautifully!

The wedding just fell into place after picking our location and finding the perfect gown.  We wanted paradise all around us and we wanted our guests to take an adventure that they would remember forever.  A 13 hour plane ride from LAX and a 2 hour boat ride later, we had a total of 28 people (including my two photographers and my 82 year old grandmother).  At one moment on the night of the rehearsal dinner, my fiance and I looked down the long black table-clothed table, filled with sparkling candles, and then we looked back at each other in amazement, as we simply couldn’t believe all these people had traveled this far to share our special day with us.  It was surreal.

On the day of our wedding, everything happened so fast.  I had meticulously planned every single event, detail, decoration, flower, color (green, pink, whites), etc. over the past year; I even shipped glass vases to the island.  I centered everything around the dress, as I’d hoped for the dress to be the absolute center of attention.  I didn’t want any of the colors to overpower the dress.  It was very difficult planning a wedding without seeing anything. Although my ideas seemed great, I had no idea if they would look great, altogether.  I wish there was a picture of my face, as I walked into our cocktail event and reception area.  It was a complete fairy tale.  Our guests were so amazed and impressed with the final presentation.  The staff at Castaway Island said that the only thing missing were the magical fairies themselves.

Elizabeth mentioned that it was a difficult decision to do the shoot, but felt rewarded after seeing the photos. She gladly assured us after taking the dress to a cleaner it is still in great shape!

Thank you Elizabeth for sharing your gorgeous Trash the Dress photos, and congrats to you & and your hubby!