With This Bling: Melissa Sweet

"I like being a woman, even in a man's world. After all, men can't wear dresses, and we can wear the pants." - Whitney Houston

Hayley Paige, a former designer for Melissa Sweet and Blush, launched her namesake line under JLM Couture. Her new line was first showcased at NYC’s Market with her Spring 2012 collection and it has been getting a lot of young girls’ attention. Hayley Paige has just released her Fall 2012 designs and the romantic and charming dresses are stunning and flawless, not to mention their price point is very reasonable.

Here are some of my favourites from her Spring and Fall 2012 collections:

This ombre petal skirt with chapel train is beyond words! - Babs

The perfect reception dress with the ombre pleated peplum - Kiki

the Hattie - a romantic gown with beautiful crystal detail on the bodice and straps

Tuula - for the boho chic bride with the crystal embellished dropped-waist skirt

A dreamy Grecian style gown with crisscross tulle detailing on the back - Nina

To view the entire collection click here.

Yours truly,

“A man has his clothes made to fit him; a woman makes herself fit her clothes.” Edgar Watson Howe

It would come as no major shock to anyone who knows me that my wedding gown was purchased long before even choosing a venue. The process of deciding which dress to say yes to can be a fun filled one, but it can also be lengthy, frustrating, and in all honesty, a little ridiculous.

For instance, and please try not to be offended if this is you, but I cannot understand why a girl would bring an entourage of 8 people to an appointment in a bridal salon. Who wants that many opinions? Not to mention it must drive the bridal consultants completely insane (if you watch Say Yes to the Dress, you get what I mean). If you’re smart, bring your mom (and dad if he’s into that sort of thing), sisters, and MOH – but cap it there.

Luckily for me, the journey of finding the “one” in this case was fairly seamless.

In the end, I visited four bridal stores, three in Ottawa and one in Montreal. Each establishment featured collections from different designers, so while styles did not become repetitive, the act of getting naked in a tiny enclosed space where a total stranger is on the floor, staring straight at your thong while helping you into an often puffy, white monstrosity weighing more than an Olsen twin, can be a little tiresome. But a bride’s gotta do what a bride’s gotta do.

I ended up falling in love with a gorgeous Vera Wang number back in November, merely one month after becoming engaged. I customized the design and made several tweaks to the original to really make it my own. I had my first fitting in August, the second in early September and the third, and final I might add, is on Friday! I can’t wait to see the finished product! I must admit, I suffer from a severe case of buyer’s remorse, and have found numerous dresses that have since begged the question “did I make the right choice?” In the end, there are so many stunners out there that you just have to be comfortable with your decision and know that it will look beautiful (at least that’s what they tell me).

Though I don’t plan on sharing my choice with you until after the main event, check out these beauties that have entertained my wandering eye: