Style intern Kristy Lui and Charleston Weddings Editorial Assistant Molly Hutter carry gowns and mannequins (on loan from LulaKate) into the house at Lowndes Grove Plantation
Kristy steams LulaKate’s “Novak” gown smooth. The cover of the 2008 Charleston Weddings was shot in this room
The “Versailles” corset and skirts from Carol Hannah Whitefield were flown in from Los Angeles just for the day, as they on loan from a trunk show there. After they debut on the runways, the gowns travel throughout the states at trunk shows and photo shoots; getting them in can be tricky business as their itineraries are as packed as any celeb’s.
The corseted bustier retails for $2,095.
Katherine McDonald of LulaKate suggested we add this handmade flower to the “Novak” gown for a little embellishment.
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The mannequin was a size 4 and “Versailles” fit it like a glove, but still, Kristy needed a little help from Charleston Weddings editor Melissa Bigner to zip it up.
Tada! Here “she” is, all pieced together.
Photographer Andrew Cebulka, of HeirloomCreative, captures details of the dress to show what inspired the corresponding cake.
Of course some options needed real champagne.
Hayden of Ashley Bakery left a repair kit for her cake, and in moving it, the icing got smudged, so Melissa tried to brush out the ripple. It may seems silly, but when you want a smoothly iced cake, sugar water and a paint brush and icing spatula are handy.
Yes, we ate it after shooting it. And yes, it was amazing.
We tried several scenarios with the cakes and dresses, and eventually we decided to pull back the pretty rugs as they competed too much with the cakes, gowns, and draperies.