Calgary Wedding Consignment Store Closed

The decision to shut down our wedding gown consignment shop, Wishahmon Glorious Gowns was a really tough one. Over the past three years, we helped a lot of brides find their wedding gowns at a fraction of retail price. (Last time I can use this "plug".)

We learned a lot about dress styles, body shapes, engagement stories, wedding plans, and in general about our brides. Some of our best memories include:

This One is a Keeper, I Think
One bride tried on a gown and stayed in it for three hours. She wasn't ready to make the decision that the gown was "the one" but also didn't want to take it off. Rather than selling it to her with high pressure sales tactics. I told her that she can keep it on and I will just go into the back room to do some paperwork. Just let me know when she has made a decision. No pressure. She ended up coming into the backroom and telling me she LOVES the gown.

Do You Cry Every Time?
One bride brought her huge entourage and tried on two gowns. When she put on the second one, everyone started to cry including me. The mother of the bride asked me if I cry every time I see a bride in a gown? I just said to her "Hey! No judgment. Please pass me a tissue."

FOCUS Mom
One bride had chosen the gown that she likes and wanted to come back to show her mom. The bride tried on the gown again and when she walked out the mom was suggesting other gowns she should try on. The bride was so disappointed. Not only did her mom not comment on her gown, her mom was now looking at other gowns. I said to the mother of the bride: "MOM, FOCUS, AND SIT DOWN."  The bride and her mother laughed and said I was so bossy, but in a good way.

Two Weeks Left
After a long day of appointments, I got a call and text from a bride wanting to come in to look at gowns because her wedding is in two weeks. I called her back and told her I just finished a full day of appointments and I am super tired. She can come to look at gowns but I will be pretty much useless. The bride said she will help herself and promise not to steal anything. She ended up coming and finding her gown that fit her perfectly. Thank goodness.

Can You Watch My Baby?
This bride found her gown but had to go to the bank to get money to pay for it. Because it is a hassle to bring her new born baby to the bank, she asked if I can watch her baby for her while she went to the bank. I said "uh, um, no?" The bride laughed at her request and asked me to come to the bank with her and to sit in the car with her baby. I said "uh, um, ok."

Thank you so much to all the brides that visited our little shop. It was an amazing experience and we will remember all the moments we had with you! Thank you for all the support! Cheers!

~Monica Hui

Owner, Lead Planner and Designer

If you like our weekly ramblings, LIKE us on our Wishahmon page too! More goes on there!

 

Red Dress Styled Photoshoot.

It is amazing how a vision comes to life when you work with a bunch of wonderful vendors!

I contacted Erin from Photographik because I had a stunning red wedding gown at our wedding consignment boutique. I thought this gown would be perfect for the non-traditional bride. Erin immediately jumped onboard to do the styled photoshoot because she envisioned a wedding with the colors of navy, red, gold, and white. The other vendors used the wedding colors and wedding gown as a jumping off point for their areas of expertise in relation to this photoshoot. Here are all the wonderful vendors that contributed to this photoshoot:

Coordination and Wedding Gown: Wishahmon
Photographer: Photographik
Paper Flower Backdrop: Prairie Love
Styling and Props: Orange Trunk
Linens: Chair Flair
Invitations: LoveSky Designs
Cake: Hand Made Cake Company
Florals: Occasional Blooms
Hair and Makeup Artist: Menaz Khan Makeup and Hair Inc. 
Jewelry: Mi2
Model: Marina Cosic

Check out the pictures from all of our hardwork!

Happy Client From Wishahmon

It always warms my heart to hear from past clients. At Wishahmon Glorious Gowns, I often only meet brides for a maximum of two hours. After that, I might see them again if they come back for a dress. If a bride purchases their gown the day of, that is the last I will see them. I always have a mix of feelings because I am happy they found their dream gown but sad I won't hear about their wedding.

When I met Jennifer, she came to our boutique wanting a simple, plain sheath wedding gown. She said she didn't want an elaborate wedding gown just because. Feeling she didn't mean what she was saying, I put her in a couple of sheath wedding gowns and then slowly put her into aline gowns and ball gowns. Her face lit up! The final gown I suggested was a gold wedding gown. Totally out of the ordinary but I knew she would rock it.

After her wedding, Jennifer contacted me and showed me pictures of how she rocked her dress! Here they are! Jennifer was absolutely stunning in her gold wedding gown!

~Monica Hui
Owner, Lead Planner and Designer
If you like our weekly ramblings, LIKE us on our Wishahmon page too! More goes on there!

Images: Orange Girl 

What's New at Wishahmon - June 2014

Originally, this post was going to be called Shameless Sharing but it really didn't sound very good. I don't often "advertise" or "sell" my services on this blog because I don't think it is interesting to read. Through my blog, you kinda know what I do and if you are interested in my services, there are always links on the side of the blog.

That said, things are happening constantly at Wishahmon and I want to share it with everyone because I am just so freakin' excited. I will try once a month to share what's new at Wishahmon. I will also try to keep it short and sweet too. If you are potential client reading this: Awesome, please continue to check us out. If you are an active reader of this blog and not interested in our services, no worries just skip a day and continue to support us. We will love you either way!

Mi2 has opened up shop in our shop!
Crystal bridal jewelry including necklaces, earrings, and hair accessories are now available to complete your wedding look! Prices range from $20-$200. If you already have a gown and would like to come by to check out the jewelry, contact us too! We would love to help out in any way.



We actually have veils but never told anyone.
Brand new to once loved, cathedral  to blusher veils, embellished or understated glamour, we actually have it all. Prices range from $30-$200.

Down the Aisle | Sibo Designs

We have a gown that was featured on Martha Stewart Weddings!
This is a one-of-a-kind satin dress was inspired by the world of ballet. It has an open back finished with delicate strings tied in a bow. Custom designed by the bride and made by a local theater wardrobe designer. 

It is ivory, size 4, altered hem for 5'4" bride, zipper back, no train. Price: $900. 

Photophilcro

Alright, that wasn't so bad right?! Do you share or sense our excitement? We are so excited! Stay tuned for what we have in store next month! 

~Monica Hui
Owner, Lead Planner and Designer
If you like our weekly ramblings, LIKE us on our Wishahmon page too! More goes on there!

Wishahmon at Wedding Fair 2014

This past Sunday the Wishahmon crew was at the Wedding Fair meeting and chatting with a ton of brides, grooms, and wedding party members. We look forward to meeting everyone and discussing their wedding further during our consultations. We also hope to help some brides find their dream wedding gown at a fraction of retail cost.

If you didn't make it out to the Wedding Fair, this is what our booth looked like! There were many last minute changes due to more booth space and general indecisiveness.

Huge thanks to Ken (my right hand man), Cikiena (my left hand gal), Carisa (my greatest supporter), Ivy (my rock), and Kevin (my sharpest tool in the shed). Feeling under the weather both days, I couldn't have pulled myself together and do the set up/take down of the booth without their help. I am truly blessed to have all of them in my life!

~Monica
If you like our weekly ramblings, LIKE us on our Wishahmon page too! More goes on there!

  

Wishahmon Year in Review - 2013

In keeping with a (short) tradition of recapping the highlights of our year, here are the things that are noteworthy / made us happy or proud / was an epic milestone!

1) I jumped on the bandwagon and started watching Mad Men this year. (Starting with season six!) In addition to trying to catch up and learn everyone's names/roles/background in the series, I started paying attention to what the guys were wearing. They were all so impeccably dressed all the time! (Yeah, I know it is a tv show and why would we want to watch a show with a bunch of slobs.) As a result, we started dedicating blog posts to grooms too!

2) We combined forces with Forbidden City Restaurant! As stated before I think they are one of the top resturants in Calgary in terms of creativity of new dishes. It was truly an honor to have been asked by them to create a custom wedding package offered only to the couples having their wedding reception there. Hoping for more collaborations in 2014!

3) Found a picture of myself in Avenue Magazine in the Party Crasher section! Can cross off "have my picture in magazine" off my bucket list.

4) In June, Alberta was hit with the worst flood it has seen in a long time. Although we don't have huge muscles or big trucks, we offered to help brides and grooms if the flood added to their wedding stress. In three weeks, we were able to help several couples relocate weddings from High River, golf courses, and the Calgary Zoo.



5) Unbeknownist to us, we decorated a wedding ceremony that reminded someone of Star Wars. We got skillz.

6) BF and I bought a trillium trailer, fixed him up, and called him Bruce. This was the first really non-related wedding post. It was a huge stretch to make it wedding related and we couldn't stretch that far. I was so excited with this project, I absolutely had to share! I also wrote this post to show my clients what I do/will be doing during non-wedding season. (Most of them don't think I do anything that is non-wedding related.)

7) After months of planning and blogging (18 blog posts!), Carisa and Richard tied the knot! After their wedding, we became great friends. Tomorrow they are going on their honeymoon! Have a great time guys!

8) We had our first booth at the Bridal Expo! The experience is quite different from attending the expo! We had a great time meeting tons of brides face to face. At the end of the day, we had 33 appointments set up with brides to look at gowns. Special thanks to Ken, Polly, Cikiena, and Ivy for all their help and support that day and beyond!



9) I met my first real friend through Twitter! We shared a mutual friend and had a brief conversation through twitter. I reached out to her and she agreed to be a guest blogger! Vincci Tsui shared her tips on how brides can lose weight for her wedding. Her three part series were some of our most read blog posts of the year!

10) We started our fundraiser to help rebuild habitats at the Calgary Zoo from the June flood. Old and new friends immediately jumped onboard to help me out with this project. As of date, we have raised $3400! We are going to keep at this until we have raised $10,000 for the zoo!!



11) Took several breaks from blogging this year. The most epic break resulted in seeing Justin Timberlake in concert. He was standing about 10 feet from me! I was screaming at the top of my lungs when I snapped this picture.

12) We added a couple of great people to our team! Ivy, Cikiena, and Ken came onboard to help with Wishahmon - Glorious Gowns and Wishahmon - Wedding Creations. They offer lots of creativity and energy. 2014 is going to be better than the years before! We are all looking forward to it with open minds and hearts. Huge thanks to our family, friends, clients, supporters, and readers. We will keep doing our very best because weddings is what we truly love to do!!

~Monica
If you like our weekly ramblings, LIKE us on our Wishahmon page too! More goes on there!

Kimono Wedding Gowns

I have always love anything that is "East meets West" or "Fusion." It might be due to growing up in Canada and knowing that you can be of a certain ethnicity and be Canadian. It is may also be due to speaking "Chinglish" (Chinese-English) all my life. It may also be substituting practically anything with soy sauce when cooking a Western dish. No salt? No problem, I will just add a couple of teaspoons of soy sauce. (According to the BF, uhhh...that doesn't work so well.)

Obviously I love looking at wedding gowns or else I wouldn't have started my wedding consignment boutique. The gowns below are a fusion of the Japanese kimono and traditional wedding gown. Absolutely the best of two worlds. A stunning gown shape and tons of color! I would love to get my hands on one of these. How about you? Would you consider wearing one of these fusion gowns? Which one is your favorite?

~Monica
If you like our weekly ramblings, LIKE us on our Wishahmon page too! More goes on there!

 

Nishitetsu Grand Hotel offers a variety of wedding plans, including rental kimono dresses by its dedicated wedding shop Yamadaya.

 

Alainsa

 

Angelicale

 

Takeda Bridal 

 

Aliansa

How To Find a Flattering Wedding Gown

Many different brides come by our wedding gown consignment boutique (and we love them all)! Some brides come in with a very clear idea of what gowns work for their bodies and what they are looking for; some have tried on an upwards of 40 gowns before coming to their appointment; some come to us with no idea what works and kinda-didn't-want-to-wear-a-wedding-gown-to-begin-with. (WHAT?!)

Here are some tips (steps?) on finding a flattering wedding gown:

1) Be open to trying all different types of silhouettes
Bridal gown silhouettes are not normal silhouettes you find in everyday clothing. Chances are you have never seen what a mermaid, trumpet, or ball gown looks like on you. When you see a dress in a picture it may not translate as to what looks good on your body shape. So be open to new silhouettes and be able to adapt and see what silhouette enhances your shape, then you will look and feel your best on your big day.

2) Understand your body's proportions
Finding the silhouette with the perfect proportion for your body will help emphasize areas you want to show off, and minimize others. If the proportion is not correct to your body it can be unflattering.
Look at the gown in relation to your whole body, from the top of your shoulders to your feet. By finding the correct proportion and silhouette it will make your figure appear balanced and enhance the best parts of your body, giving you confidence on your big day.

3) Make sure your dress fits
It is not often that you will be able to find a gown that fits you perfectly. Alterations are the last step to making sure your wedding gown is flattering and worry-free. Do not skimp on this step and do not attempt it on your own. Also, don't ask a family member to do this for you. Unless they are a professional seamstress, they should not have to carry this amount of stress on them.

Taking all the time to select your bridal gown and trying on different silhouettes and making sure the proportions are correct will all be lost if you do not get alterations done on your dress. You do not want to spend all night pulling up your dress because the bodice does not fit properly or risk falling down or tripping over your dress because the hem is too long. If you are getting a dress with straps or illusion sleeve detailing, you want to make sure they fit to your arms and are not falling off your shoulders. You want to enjoy your wedding day and look amazing in your pictures, so alterations are a must.

Below are some pictures of different styles of gowns, which one do you like? Which one do you think will look good on you? and which one do you think you will likely purchase as your wedding gown?

~Monica
If you like our weekly ramblings, LIKE us on our Wishahmon page too! More goes on there!















Photo Credit: JLM Couture

Losing Weight for Your Wedding

It wasn't until I started Wishahmon - Glorious Gowns that I heard (a lot) brides saying: I am going to lose 10 pounds before my wedding; I am just carrying my winter weight and I will lose it before my wedding; or I haven't had the time to work out but will diet before the wedding. I always tell them they are beautiful the way they are RIGHT NOW. With the stress of wedding planning, there is really no need to add more stress "tonnage."

As luck would have it, I was communicating with through "twitter" with @VincciT and learned she is a registered dietitian. I reached out to her and asked her to share her wisdom with brides wanting to get healthier (not to lose "x" number of pounds). Guess what?! She responded three hours later and agreed to a three part series for brides wanting to get healthy/lose weight/whatever you call it. Starting next week, Vincci will be our guest blogger three Wednesdays in a row. Below is a little bit about Vincci:

Vincci Tsui is a Calgary-based registered dietitian who loves delicious food that nourishes. She takes a compassionate approach to nutrition that focuses on cultivating a positive self-image and developing a healthy relationship with all foods. She loves helping people learn to nurture this relationship with themselves and with food while nourishing their bodies in ways that are healthy yet delicious.

Vincci is frequently called upon to provide expert advice on nutrition and food in print media and television. She also shares recipes and restaurant reviews on her blog Ceci n’est pas un food blog, and is the food editor of Calgary is Awesome.

Vincci doesn’t just talk the talk – she is an instructor for Start From Scratch, a non-profit cooking program for post-secondary students. She has also done numerous cooking demos and classes for various organizations.

Born in Hong Kong and raised in Calgary, Vincci received her Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences from McGill University in Montreal and completed the university’s Integrated Dietetic Internship. She is a proud member of the College of Dietitians of Alberta and Dietitians of Canada.

Small disclaimer about Vincci's posts on the Wishahmon blog: At the end of each of her posts, I attached a bridal bouquet made with some veggies or fruits. I thought they were so cute and fitting with her posts on nutrition. If you disagree, it is totally my bad and not hers.

~Monica
If you like our weekly ramblings, LIKE us on our Wishahmon page too! More goes on there!

Green Wedding Shoes

Wishahmon was at Bridal Expo 2013!

This past Sunday, we had our first ever booth at the Bridal Expo. The Wishahmon crew was there to promote our wedding consignment boutique, Wishahmon – Glorious Gowns (WGG) and our wedding planning and design division, Wishahmon – Wedding Creations (WWC). We were overwhelmed by the excitement of the brides that came to our booths and enjoyed every moment we had to chat to each and every one of them.

At the Expo, we offered two promotions! For WGG, brides that signed up for an appointment received a small gift and at their appointment, they will receive a necklace. For WWC, brides will receive a necklace at their consultation meeting and be entered for a draw for a wedding planning gift basket. The winner will be announced soon!

As a design and decor company, we wanted our booth to stand out so we decorated it with handmade and handcut (scalloped) pin wheels. The furniture was moved there from our showroom. Our small booth took a lot longer to decorate than we had anticipated and we didn't even go for coffee breaks! (Imagine that! Working without coffee....or breaks..) I think the majority of the time was spent pinning each of the pinwheels.

We feel our attendance at the Expo was a success! Our Wishahmon crew looks forward to meeting and assisting all the brides that come our way!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon

Special thanks to my crew: Ivy, Cikiena, Polly, and Ken. You guys were troopers and I couldn't have done any of this without you. Hugs!!

 

 

Pictured above: Ivy, Cikiena, and me!