Meet Our 2017 Wedding Show Vendor: Samila Boutique

On January 29, 2017 Samila Boutique will join us during our 2nd annual cultural wedding show to grace us with their stunning evening wear and bridal dresses on our runway as well as exhibit their services as a boutique vendor! Bonus: after learning about these ladies and their gowns, you will definitely want to come prepared to SHOP their dresses and buy them straight off the rack! Yes, try them on and take them home with you right at the show!

We can't wait for you to meet the ladies behind this boutique; but for now here's a fun behind the scenes look at who they are and what they have to offer women in the PNW!

Her Big Day: Who is behind Samila Boutique?

Yasmin Shirdel: Samila Boutique team is composed of women of all ages, experiences and backgrounds. The owners consist of mother-daughter team Samila herself and myself, Yasmin.


HBD: How long has Samila Boutique been around and how did you get started in the bridal industry?


YS: My mother opened Samila Boutique in 1995 as a womens apparel store. One day, she added a rack of evening wear to her boutique and quickly noticed customers lining up for them. She showed up one day with a U-Haul truck and took out all the existing inventory and replaced the entire boutique with evening wear! Over time, customers came to her wanting to be styled for their weddings. Unfortunately, the store was never big enough, so in 2013 she expanded and moved into a 3,000 sq. foot showroom. Finally, we had the capacity to bring our customer's wishes come true! I procured the dresses and designed the space. And in 2015, we expanded our evening gown division to add bridal.


HBD: Wow, that's incredible! You mentioned to us that you are of Persian background. How has your background influenced your choice of designers or style of dresses, if any at all?

YS: Very much so. Our culture is rich in decadence, luxe and details. Our culture prides itself in having rich history and attention to detail. With this embedded in our roots, we procure dresses that no one in our area has. We choose to bring in unique wedding gowns with more beading, detail and design. Because of our experience and partnerships with designers for 20+ years, we have been able to curate a collection that is unique and timeless.

HBD: Upon visiting your boutique, we’ve noticed a stunning array of bridal designs. Who are some of the designers you carry?

YS: We carry Casablanca Bridal, Morilee, Eddy K, Lilian West, Calla Blanche. We also work with a team of designers from Turkey and India to create a private label with authentic middle eastern design and flavor.

HBD: Who selects the gowns and/or designers who become a part of your boutique's selection and what inspires your process?

YS: I select everything and consult with Samila from time to time. The first inspiration comes from brides; listening to what they want and what they wish was different and unique. Secondly, watching the trends on the runway and on social media.

HBD: What's your biggest seller?

YS: Lace is really in high fashion now, particularly with unique illusion detail on the neckline.

HBD: Where do you see Samila Boutique in the next 5 years?

YS: Continue to be a place where women come to find evening gowns and wedding gowns that help celebrate and define who they are.

HBD: And last, for the bride-to-be who is looking to come in and check out your collections, do you take walk-ins or should they call to schedule an appointment first?

YS: Appointments are required. Walk-ins are welcome, subject to a wait list.

We can be contacted via Email: info@samilasboutique.com or phone: 425-558-5714 
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for live updates on our upcoming trunk shows, events and new arrivals!

Also, check out what our previous clients have to say about their experience at Samila Boutique Here. Hope to see you all soon!

Get your tickets today and come say hello to Samila Boutique: bit.ly/herbigday2017 !!! See you soon, Bellas, xx.

La Belle Elaine's Bridal Boutique

On November 15th, Her Big Day held a model casting call at La Belle Elaine's Bridal Boutique located in the Eastlake neighborhood of Seattle. Thanks to the owners of the boutique, along with our Sales and Marketing Director, Kayla Reynolds, we had an incredible night of auditioning against a backdrop of lovely lace, sequin and tulle wedding gowns!

Recently, Kayla sat down with manager Stacey Gimmestad to bring  you a fun, getting to know you post about the boutique and the owners behind it!

Kayla Reynolds: How did La Belle Elaine's get started?

Stacey Gimmestad: The owners originally took over Elaine’s of Edmonds in the early 90s, which was started by Elaine in 1979. After a few years of success, we opened a second boutique in Kirkland known as La Belle Mariee. The two stores were then merged to create a larger boutique in downtown Seattle in 2004. And now, we are in a more intimate setting in Eastlake.

KR: You recently moved to the Eastlake neighborhood, how it that going?

SG: We love our new Eastlake location; the lighting is beautiful. It creates an incredible experience for each bride. And the brides love our runway! Our new location allows us to cater to brides in the Seattle area. 

KR: Our models loved the runway during the casting call as well! And of course, they were all mesmerized by the gorgeous collection of gowns carried in the boutique. Who are some of the designers carried in the boutique?

SG: A few of  the designers in our collection include: Kenneth Winston, Allure, WTOO, Eddy K, Rosa Clara and Nicole Spose.

KR: Who selects the gowns and/or designers to become a part of the boutique's selection and what inspires that process?

SG: The owners as well as the manager of 13 years, myself, do all the buying. Their selections are inspired by what they see on the red carpet during award season. They also try to keep up and pay attention to what’s new and fresh in bridal every season.

KR: What's your biggest seller?

SG: The great thing with having such a unique variety of gowns is that every bride's choice is different. Which means the popularity of dresses are always changing. We have noticed that no matter what is trending, a simple, elegant gown is always a timeless wedding look. 

KR: Bridal accessories such as belts, headpieces and earrings are also available in the boutique. Is it true that some of these pieces are custom made and exclusive to La Belle Elaine's boutique? Tell us more about that:

SG: Sally Crew lives here locally in Seattle and exclusively makes everything you see in the store and will customize any jewelry a bride desires. Her experience of jewelry ranges from working on necklaces, headbands, bracelets, earrings, head pieces, garters, etc. It's easy to call and schedule an appointment with her to help you create the accessory look for your big day! 

KR: Where do you see La Belle Elaine's in the next 5 years?

SG: What we feel our customers enjoy about La Belle Elaine's is that we focus on one-on-one personal service. In the following years we don't plan to expand locations or grow in size. We love our space on Eastlake and want to stay here. Our brides love it and we plan to continue that satisfaction of our store and service by staying intimate and always working toward helping the bride. 

KR: What would you say to the bride-to-be who is interested in coming in to check out your collections?

SG: It's best for a bride to set up an appointment with us because it ensures that they get all the time and attention they need. The appointment reserves a dressing room and a bridal consultant to assist a bride through the process. Bridal consultants will then be able to answer any question a bride has along with giving them their undivided attention.

KR: Yes, give La Belle Elaine's a call at  (206) 432-9383 for an appointment! Also, to take a peek at what's offered in the boutique, visit us on the Website or say hello on Facebook or Instagram. 

Happy Dress Shopping, Bellas! xo

Blue Touch Bridal Boutique & Decor - 2016 Her Big Day Wedding Show Vendor

We welcome Blue Touch Bridal Boutique & Decor as our Traditional Dresses wedding show vendor at Her Big Day: A Cultural Wedding Affair! The fashion you show off on your wedding day(s) is so special and makes all the difference when you look back and reminisce on your big day.

Get to know Owner, Tsigereda Tekle below and get excited to mingle with her and see her beautiful dresses and accessories at the wedding show AND on the runway during our fashion show segment in January {buy your tickets here}!

Her Big Day (HBD): Tell us about your business! What do you specialize in and what makes you unique?

Tsigereda: Blue Touch Bridal Boutique & Decor makes the wedding shopping experience easy and fun for the bride and her family. We offer a unique and entirely different shopping experience. Here we provide beautiful, quality bridal gowns, bridal accessories, custom made Habesha dresses for brides and bridesmaids and much more. It is a one-stop-shop where you will find the things you need for your big day.

HBD: We love how your business is a one-stop shop! Why are you participating in Her Big Day: A Cultural Wedding Affair? 

Tsigereda: We are excited about the show and want to advertise our business to the vast community of cultural brides in the area.

HBD: What do you find clients always say they love about working with you?

Tsigereda: Our customers pride us on our great customer service, quality products, and affordable prices. 

HBD: Quality is definitely what makes businesses stand out from the rest. Any thing else you would like to share?

Tsigereda: Our mission and belief at Blue Touch Bridal Boutique & Decor is to build a trusting relationship with our clients. We are committed to providing quality service that meets the needs of our customers. Our mission is trust, honesty and a lasting relationship with clients and the community.We believe our clients deserve only the best quality products and services.

Get social with Blue Touch Bridal Boutique & Decor!

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Farida Designs - 2016 Her Big Day Wedding Show Vendor

Nothing makes us happier than seeing a business remain rich in its culture, especially through fashion which is why we are thrilled to have Farida Designs as one of our Bridal Wear vendors at Her Big Day: A Cultural Wedding Affair. 

Get to know Owners, Easter & Farida below and get excited to mingle with them and see their gorgeous East African traditional dresses at the wedding show in January {buy your tickets here}!

Her Big Day (HBD): Tell us about your business! What do you specialize in and what makes you unique?

Easter & Farida: We aim to use traditional handmade fabric (from the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia or Eritrea) or use traditional design as inspiration. Our culture is so rich and visually interesting that we feel that it can be applied to all manners of clothing. We are trying to change the mindset of our own people and introduce our handmade fabric to the wider fashion world. Our bridal collection attempts to encourage brides to wear solely traditional design or fabric. Our evening wear and developing suit range means clients can wear traditional fabric/design to all formal and informal occasions. We also hope to develop our organic cotton range for daily wear.

HBD: We love how you want your clients to preserve their culture through your clothing in all parts of their wedding! Why are you participating in Her Big Day: A Cultural Wedding Affair? 

Easter & Farida: We are thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce our concept of using traditional fabric and design at Her Big Day: A Cultural Wedding Affair. This is an idea we have experimented with however, we are now developing a line of bridal wear dedicated to our culture. For the first day there is usually a western style of dress, then for the second day there is the 'Melsi' (the cultural day). However, since more couples are opting to have one wedding day and since we believe our fabric is worthy of religious ceremonies and the grandeur of the 'Veilo' (church wedding dress or western style dress) we began to work with couture wedding dressmakers to develop a line of dresses that may persuade Eritrean and Ethiopian brides to show case their culture throughout their wedding celebrations.

HBD: What do you find clients always say they love about working with you?

Easter & Farida: Our clients tend to love the color combination we experiment with, as our fabric is so vibrant in color this is a real pleasure on our part. We also believe that our clients enjoy our mixing of Arabian, African and Western styles of fashion.

HBD: We love your fabric too! We can't wait for our brides to see it too!

Get social with Farida Designs!

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Le Salon Bridal Couture - 2016 Her Big Day Wedding Show Vendor

Slip into your dream dress for your western cultured wedding day with our exclusive runway boutique vendor at Her Big Day: A Cultural Wedding Affair, Le Salon Bridal Couture. You may recognize this amazing bridal boutique as we used a couple of their fabulous designer wedding dresses during our segment on KING5's New Day Northwest with Margaret Larsen {click here to see the video clip}. Le Salon Bridal Couture specializes in not only wedding dresses, but flower girl dresses, bridesmaids' dresses, and bridal accessories.

Get to know Original Creative Director, Alexis Williamson, below and get excited to mingle with her and view her beautiful bridal gown and wedding dress selections both in her booth and on the runway. Le Salon Bridal Couture will be one of the exclusive runway boutiques for western cultured bridal gowns and dresses at the wedding show in January {buy your tickets here}!

Her Big Day (HBD): Tell us about your business! What do you specialize in and what makes you unique?

Alexis:  What makes us unique is that we were awarded the Best New Bridal Boutique in Seattle 2015!!! Now, we are open in lower Queen Anne, hosting private bridal appointments with the most unique dress selections in Seattle and your very own personal bridal stylist for the hour. Collections rotate for our brides to have the best selection and hottest styles you are searching for including Julie Vino from Israel, Pronovias Atelier from Barcelona, Paradiso Couture exclusive collection of Le Salon Bridal Couture, Theia Couture White Collection, and more...
Schedule your private appt. to try our exclusive dress styles and get styled head to toe for your big day . Call 217-215-2158 or Text "Seattle Bride" 847-920-4870 to request an appt.

Get Styled by Le Salon Bridal Couture- Seattle
The "Stress-Free" Way to find the one. With your very own personal stylist and the boutique all to yourself. Call us and have the experience every bride deserves:-) Our stylist are excited to meet you!
Posted by Le Salon Bridal Boutique on Saturday, October 31, 2015

HBD: That is fantastic that Le Salon Bridal Couture was awarded "Best New Bridal Boutique"! Congratulations as it is well deserved. Why are you participating in Her Big Day: A Cultural Wedding Affair? 

Alexis: Le Salon Bridal Couture understands the multi-cultural needs of our international and mixed cultural weddings and we always love interweaving the rich history of the bride and her love story into her bridal fashions. It’s not “just a dress” at Le Salon Bridal Couture it’s part of your rich family history and most importantly the representations of you, the very best of you on your wedding day. Le Salon Bridal Couture Seattle is by appointment only, a one-on-one shopping experience with your own personal stylist and beautiful boutique located in lower Queen Anne. Le Salon Bridal also features fashion forward and popular Pinterest styles by Julie Vino of Israel, Pronovias Atelier of Barceleona, Spain, Theia White Collection, Ireland & Le Salon’s Bridal Couture’s very own exclusive line Paradiso Couture offers many styles in many colors like red for Chinese Tea Ceremonies. Bring your cultures, traditions and we'll help you design this into your wedding gown so it's something you'll cherish every time you look back on your wedding photos for years to come.

HBD: What do you find clients always say they love about working with you?

Alexis: We are the "hidden gem" of bridal salons. Le Salon bride's say we have the most unique dresses on the bridal circuit as well as the best service from start to finish. The private boutique is so welcoming and comfortable from the decor, to bridal qoutes on the wall, and the sparkling chandelier, it's an impeccable showroom to find "the one"! We welcome you to experience the Le Salon difference as you shop for your wedding dress this season.

HBD: Yes, you definitely are a hidden gem! We look forward to seeing many looks from your boutique on the runway in January.

Get social with Le Salon Bridal Couture!

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