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Bridal Season: So Much Fun!

For the past month or so I've been doing bridal fashion shows. I've been having so much fun wearing the most gorgeous wedding gowns and party dresses. The model coordinator for the shows uses the same team of models so I get to work with the same people.

Of course there are times when not everyone can make it to the shows so in those instances new models are recruited. It's a lot of fun once you get to know the other models and you eventually end up becoming a family unit of sorts.

Two months before the first show I had to go in to the designer's shop in order to pick my dresses and get fitted. I chose two very lovely wedding gowns with long trains, one party dress and two bridesmaid dresses (one is a really pretty dress that can also double as a dress you'd wear to a fancy dinner, while the other one is the stereotypical horrid bridesmaid dress lol).

Our call time is usually between 8:30am - 9:00am and although hair and makeup is taken care of when we get there, sometimes the ratio of makeup artists and hair stylists to models is not favorable so I've since learned to bring my own makeup bag--always come prepared! We do two shows, usually the first one is at 12:30pm and the second one is at 2:30pm so we get a nice lunch break in between.

Sometimes I think that Murphy's Law was created with the modeling industry in mind. In case you aren't familiar with this particular law, it goes as follows:

"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

We've had girls trip up the steps, straps break, zippers get stuck, dresses not fitting like they're supposed to, etc. If you want to learn how to think on your toes and improvise, participate in a fashion show! Case and point: at the last show I did I was jumping into my beautiful, emerald green bridesmaid dress, only to discover that the emerald gems on the front were missing and was hanging by a thread.

We had no time to cut it off so I put the dress on and got in line. We had to showcase that particular dress so I had to appear on stage. With about 15 seconds to think of a solution, I strategically placed my left hand in a way that held the broken part in place but I couldn't move my hand at all or else it would come off and dangle from the threads on the right side.

Sounds like a move that saved the day, right? Well, the unfortunate thing was that the emerald design was located right underneath my bustline so I ended up having to put both my hands underneath my bustline while walking instead of on my hips like you're supposed to. Even though it looked odd as heck, I worked it like that was how it was supposed to be! LOL. As soon as we walked off stage, all the models were like, "Why were you walking like that?!" Hey, better to look fierce with an odd pose instead of making the dress look bad, right?

Here are some pictures from the past shows (some were taken by pros and others were taken by people in the crowd):





The picture of the green dress is how it is supposed to look normally. See how low my hands are on my hips? Picture the same thing but with my hands up under my bustline. Yikes! Haha

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi.
i'm interested in being a fashion model. i wouldn't mind not walking runways, but i do want to travel the world (milan, paris, new york, etc.) to do shoots for top designers. i'm not sure if this part of fashion/runway model.
anyways i'm 18, i'm going to turn 19 in october. i realized i want to be model right when i turned 18 so i started on clearing my skin. my doctor gave retin-a and he said my face will have to get worse before it gets better:( so it's not april and my face is clear except from ACNE SCARS :( my doctor said with continous treatment they should be gone by july. however if i sign to a local agency to get some work so i can transfer to a big agency like Ford, will i be too old. i feel like i would be 20 by then after all the work. sry this is so long, i'm just wondering with all the baby steps i have to take, will 19-20 (i'm guessin) be too old for the kind of modeling i want to do in new york. i'm 5'8 by the way. again sry for the long post.
Dania Denise said…
Hey, and thanks for the question. You'll find your answer in its own post, titled "Answering a Reader Question #72." Thanks for reading!
Anonymous said…
I read your blog all the time! It's really great. You have definitely given me a good insight into the industry. My dream has always been VS, but at 5'6 1/2, I'm too short. I'd like to get into print/commercial though. Do you think that is possible with my height?

Also, how do you get into bridal modeling specifically? Like for wedding magazines and bridal runway shows? Are the requirements the same as fashion/runway? Do you have to be with an agency?
Dania Denise said…
Hello, and thanks for the question! You'll find your answer in its own post, titled "Answering a Reader Question #73."
Anonymous said…
Hi,the only part of being a model that i dont like is to expose my body in swimsuits and lingerie.But thats something that i would love to do, bridal.May you give me an advice how to find this specifically job in california?Thanks
Dania Denise said…
Hello, Anonymous! Thank you for your question. You'll find your answer in its own post, titled "Answering a Reader Question #97." Thanks for being a reader!
Unknown said…
Hello, I am interested in becoming a buyer for the bridal industry. Do you have any insight? I am currently a bridal stylist and a freelance writer for Houston Brides Magazine.
Dania Denise said…
Hi, Haut Styled Wint! You'll find the answer to your questions in its own post, titled "Answering a Reader Question #492," which can be found on my new blog: "Modeling 101 - Answering Readers Questions."

Please visit this link: http://amodelsdiary-readerquestions.blogspot.com/ and you can view your post there. Thanks for reading!
Anonymous said…
Hi, I love fashion and when I went to go try on wedding dresses they told me that I fit very one and that they all looked really good on me. She also told me that I should be a wedding dress model and I would like to volunteer at bridal gown shows and be a model but I don't know how to get into it. I am 18 years old and 5'2 and my family tells that girls would kill for my hair, I have red curly hair. If you can give me any tips or can help me that would be amazing. I know I am probably not typical model stature but I am still interested. Also I would like to stay in my home town.
Dania Denise said…
Hi, Anonymous! You'll find the answer to your questions in its own post, titled "Answering a Reader Question #670," which can be found on my other blog: "Modeling 101 - Answering Readers Questions."

Please visit this link: http://amodelsdiary-readerquestions.blogspot.com/ and you can view your post there. Thanks for reading!
Kindra said…
I LOVE your blog! I've done a bridal show with David's Bridal before when I was 15 among other other small photo shoots but now I am 18 and have always wanted to model! I'm 6'0 and have legs that are about 4ft long. Everyone has always told me to become a model but in a small town that's hard to do. I really would love to become a professional in any category. I was wondering if you had tips to help me start and get out there with me having already experienced some of it! Or if you could give me a chance to get an audition with either yours or a place you would recommend that would be amazing! Thank you and I hope you are having an amazing day!
Kindra
Dania Denise said…
Hi, Kindra! You'll find the answer to your questions in its own post, titled "Answering a Reader Question #864," which can be found on my other blog: "Modeling 101 - Answering Readers Questions."

Please visit this link: http://amodelsdiary-readerquestions.blogspot.com/ and you can view your post there. Thanks for reading!
Unknown said…
Hi,
My name is Emily Day and I am interested in becoming a Bridal Model. What are the steps that I need to take in order to achieve that goal? Thank you!
Dania Denise said…
Hi, Emily Antoinette Day! You'll find the answer to your questions in its own post, titled "Answering a Reader Question #884," which can be found on my other blog: "Modeling 101 - Answering Readers Questions."

Please visit this link: http://amodelsdiary-readerquestions.blogspot.com/ and you can view your post there. Thanks for reading!

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