Video coming soon!

Well, I got a Flip for Christmas so what that means for you...VIDEO! Keep an eye out over the next few days for a walk through of the building!!

Calling All Models!!

Do you or do you know someone that has some modeling experience???

XOXO Bridal will be hosting two big runway events that we are looking for models to participate in. One, our grand opening will be held on February 12, 2010. The second will take place at bella sala's very own bridal expo on April 11, 2010. If you are interested in more information, please email me at info@bellasalaevents.com!!

More Pics of bella sala!

We just keep truckin' along...painting is going to be finished soon and then we get to start seeing the trim go up, yay! We are so excited to finally see everything fall into place and become exactly what we envisioned. The only problem now is that both Mel and I are already married and this place is just too dang cool!

UPDATE ON BUILDING

Well, we've been making a lot of headway the past few weeks with the building. We finally have a parking lot!! The stone has been set behind the bar and the columns should be completed this week. Sheetrock will be finished in the main hall the end of the week and the building should be finished sometime next week. TONS of changes! We are so excited to be one step closer to leaving the trailer :)

Stay tuned for more pics as building progresses!!

Some Pictures from the Runway Show

Market

Well, our first Market where we could actually buy inventory....what a rush!

Chicago was amazing, absolutely a blast! When you're picking out fabulous wedding and evening gowns, attending runway shows and meeting tons of new people; how can you not have fun??

~We were so happy to meet the ladies at Bari Jay!! What a wonderful help you were, thanks Erica! Also, thank-you to Denny and George at Angelique :)

We will be posting pictures soon of the runways shows and more.

Here's what you've been waiting for!!!

Our lines at XOXO:

Bridal:
Angelique
Joli
Avant Mariee
Winnie Couture
Symphony
Rhapsody

Prom, Homecoming, Evening:
Bari Jay
Terani Couture

Bridesmaid:
Bari Jay

~We are holding off on carrying devoted lines to both Mother of the Bride (MOB) and flower girls to see what our clients are looking for, HOWEVER, we have some amazing dresses from all of our evening lines that cross over into the MOB demographic.

We will be receiving our dresses beginning this month! We will feature them at the bridal shows that we attend as well as have them at our temporary store location that is TBD.

Our first bridal show is in Tama at the Meskwaki Casino; October 25th...take a look at http://www.weddingsiniowa.com/ for more information on the show!

Engagement Giveaway

Thank-you all for submitting your stories, they have been so much fun to post and read!

We will let you know next week who our winner is!!!!!!

Sarah & Phil's Story

My name is Sarah Haman and I am so excited to be having my wedding reception at Bella Sala next June 19th. Melissa and Lyndsie have been amazing to work with.

My fiancee Phil Cooling and I have known each other since high school. We never dated then, but were friends. He was a senior when I was a freshman, so there are a few years between us. Actually there are three years exactly between our birthdays. We share October 10th for our birthdays. He was born in 1983 and myself in 1986. We never really kept in touch after he graduated since he was in college and I was still in high school. We always dated other people and never really thought about dating each other.

After my Sophomore year of college I was moving in with a friend and got a text message from a number I didn't recognize. It said something about going out boating that weekend with them. Well I just ignored it because I didn't know the number at the time. They then sent another message saying something about well if you don't want to just tell me. So I texted the number back saying that I didn't know who it was. Well he then told me that it was him (Phil). I couldn't go boating that weekend, but he said that he would be going next weekend and that I could go if I wanted it. Well the next weekend my friend and I went home that next weekend and went boating with Phil and some of our other friends. I guess at this point I could just say that the rest is history, but not quite yet.

January of 2008 brought a point in our relationship that caused us to split for a few months. I think we were both pretty heart broken about it, but with the situation we needed to know that we were suppose to be together. We still talked every now and then while we weren't together and as time went by we started talking more and more. We ended up going to a few wedding together in March and April together and just ended up back together.

We have been together ever since and we have now been engaged for four months. Back in May I graduated from UNI and for my graduation present we planned a weekend at the end of May to go to Chicago for two Chicago Cubs games. We went to May 29th and 30th games against the LA Dodgers.
We got up at 4:00 a.m. that Friday morning to leave for Chicago. Our tickets were in the stand behind the Cubs dugout (which were awesome). The Dodgers scored a run in the top of the 7th inning and then came the 7th inning stretch. We sang "Take me out to the ballgame" and then Phil asked a lady in the row in front of us to take our picture. She took the picture and then he asked her to take one more. I didn't think much about it, but then when I looked at him he was getting down on one knee. I was like "what are doing?" and then he asked me to marry him. I just stood there with my hand out and he was like "well..." and then I finally answered "YES!!!". Everyone around us that saw what was going on started cheering. I was so surprised!! The Cubs come up in the bottom of the 7th and the first batter up, Koyie Hill, hit a homerun to tie it up. The Cubs ended up winning on both Friday and Saturday!! The funny part was that the ring box was too big to fit in Phil pocket and he was!
!
carrying around an engagement ring loose in his pocket. He told me he was so nervous that we was going to throw into some bums cups with his loose change.

Since then we have been trying to get all the big items planned and booked for our big date June 19, 2010.

Thanks,
Sarah Haman & Phil Cooling

Rachel & Bryan's Engagement

We have a few more engagement stories to close out our competition!!!

Our engagement story:



Bryan and I are high school sweethearts. We started dating when I was a sophomore in high school and he was a senior. For the past 10 years, we have been with each other through everything. We’ve lived in Chicago together for the past three years, but are from Iowa City originally.



We had planned a trip to California during the last weekend in September to celebrate my 26th birthday. Bryan basically put a disclaimer on the trip and said that he knew I was probably expecting a proposal, but that he didn't want there to be pressure on the trip and he didn't want me to get my hopes up. He said he just wanted us to enjoy our trip and each other and not come home feeling disappointed. Of course, Bryan knows me too well, and knew I was hoping for him to pop the question, so I was happy he was "honest" with me about what to expect from our vacation. (Secretly, I was holding out hope that he was just trying to throw me off...I also know him too well!)

We met in San Francisco on Friday afternoon. Right away, he presented me with my birthday gift: A beautiful pair of diamond earrings! After receiving such a generous gift, all hopes of a proposal were pretty much gone, but I felt a little relieved that I wouldn't be waiting for him to "surprise me" with a proposal. We spent the day sightseeing in San Fran, and we went to the Cubs vs Giants game that night.

Saturday morning, we got up early to drive up the coast. We stopped at the Golden Gate bridge and continued North. Along the way, we hiked Mt.Tamalpais, visited the Muir Woods and made stops at Stinson Beach and Pt. Reyes. It was an amazing day. We stopped in Jenner, a small beach town, where Bryan had made reservations at a cute little inn right where the Russian River meets the Pacific ocean. It had amazing views and is known for it's sunset views and charms -- the URL is www.ilovesunsets.com for goodness sakes!

We had a dinner reservation at 7pm. After we got ready, Bryan set up the camera to take a couple of pictures of us during the sunset. We were sitting, talking, enjoying a glass of wine before dinner while the sun was setting. I asked Bryan if he could please take a picture of me and my new diamonds. He seemed confused and unnerved by my request...he went into the room and poked his head back out, asking me if I wanted to take a picture right now, or what. I didn't understand what was complicated about my request, so I believe my exact words were, "Just take an effing picture of me!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box, saying, "Well, I guess I should give you another diamond first."

It all gets a little blurry after that as I was totally shocked and couldn't believe what was happening! I remember him saying some very sweet things, getting one knee and asking me to marry him. I also remember staring at the hand he offered me, rather than taking it, and not saying anything but a string of swear words before I said yes (So he says!). When I finally found my words, it was nothing but smiles, tears and more swear words and startled phrases. We were both VERY happy!

We didn't have any cell phone service up there, so we spent the evening celebrating just us two, which was perfect. We had an amazing dinner, where I found out all of the fun details about Bryan's scheming and wondered how he possibly could have tricked me. We both decided the diamond earrings were a great decoy :) We had wine, champagne, a walk on the beach and lots of conversations about our future ahead. I can't remember a more romantic or perfect night!

The best part was that our celebration wasn't over, as we had a full day of wine tasting in Napa on Sunday! We spent the day drinking wine and champagne (again!) and had another great meal to end our trip.



Bryan told me that he had planned to propose that night after dinner while walking on the beach, but the minute I asked him to take a picture of me and my diamond, while the sun was setting, he knew the moment was perfect.


I hope you enjoyed our story

Construction Progress and Giveaway Final

Hello!

First, this is the last day to submit entries for our Engagement Story Giveaway!! Thank-you to those who have submitted their stories, we will be voting on them soon!!

Secondly, we have another trunk show tonight! Our shirts and jewelry have been a hit and we thank-you all for supporting our venture. We are so excited to be in our boutique to actually have a home for all of our inventory :)

I'm posting some updated pics of the building. HOWEVER, it already looks completely different so I will be posting some more soon! These pictures were graciously taken by Samantha Bender...if you haven't checked out her work, she's amazing http://www.samanthabender.com/ .

We are going to Market this weekend to puchase our dresses for the boutique...yay!! This has been a long time coming and we are so pumped to spend a fabulous weekend in Chicago! Check out the blog next week for some updates on lines and styles!!!!

Nathan & Elizabeth

Hi Everybody!!! We have another story for you all to read!

Since the beginning of the week, Nathan and I had planned to go over to Rick and Brittany's (my brother and sister-in-law) house to grill out. After a long day of work on Friday I got home about 6pm and we were to be at their house around 7pm. I was tired and did not feel the need to shower or even look nice at that, because we were just grilling out and sitting by a fire. I told Nathan I wanted to change in to sweatpants but he recommend I not because we might go to Blackstone Restaurant later to have a drink. Therefore I kept my jeans on at least but changed into a grungy sweatshirt so I was comfy. To kill some time we played Wii Bowling and around 6:55p left for Rick and Brittany's house. We walked in the front door and then I opened the door to the garage to get out back where Rick and Brittany were. As I opened the door I saw my entire family and some of Nathan's family members. The garage was decorated with rose petals on the floor and hanging from the ceiling and doorway were Hersey's Kisses (this was how he decorated my bedroom for our 1 month anniversary). I didn't know what was going on at this point but realized something really strang was going on so I slammed the door shut. My brother then kept trying to push the door open but I kept hiding behind it because I was so confused, but I did notice out of the corner of my eye Nathan on his knee and a ring in his hand, but I was still in such a state of shock. My brother dragged us in to the garage where again Nathan got on his knee and opened the ring box but he must have been kneeling there for a few minutes because it took me that long to just focus on him and focus on the moment that was just about to happen. I had tears in my eyes and then Nathan asked me to marry him. I said, "yes, of course I will!" I was speechless most of the night because I was still in shock. He definitely suprised me because I had no suspicions all week of this happening (when everyone else knew!)

Lindsay Varcoe & Ben Wagoner

Lindsay wanted to add a few more details...one of her bridesmaids nominated her SO she just wanted to make sure we had all of the story!!

How we met:
Friday, May 2, 2008. We both got to O'Hare early for our afternoon flight to Vegas. Ben was meeting his friends there for a friend's bachelor party. I was meeting some law school friends for the weekend. My flight was delayed and I tried unsuccessfully to fly stand by for an earlier flight. I went back to the original gate and waited to board. I started talking to some older couples about Vegas.
While talking, I saw a tall guy with a shaved head approach and stand
behind the couples with his arms crossed. When there was a break in
the conversation, this younger guy opened with the clutch line of, "So, you were in the stand by line right?" This led to a short conversation where Ben and I found out we would be on the same return flight as well. We briefly talked about Vegas, who we were going with and why, and then boarded the flight, never exchanging information.

I met my friends at the Venetian and told them all about this really nice guy I met at O'Hare. One friend even said, "I can't wait to read how you met on your wedding website!"

Sunday, May 4, 2008. After a very fun weekend, my flight home to Chicago was delayed again. I was really nervous about seeing Ben again, so I called my friend Emily and made her talk to me so I could avoid talking to this new guy. Ben found me once I was off the phone and this time we talked for a couple of hours until we were supposed to board. The gate agent announced boarding would begin shortly and Ben asked me where I was sitting and I answered, "35 C." Ben laughed, put his head down and said, "I'm 35 D." So, much to the annoyance of the other passengers on board, we spent the four hour flight getting to know each other, basically me laughing for four hours straight.
Ben asked me out while we flew over Nebraska and we had our first date on Thursday of that week. I knew this had to be something good after seeing Ben's perfect reaction to me spilling my entire dinner all over myself on that first date.

Proposal details:
Also, after he proposed along the lake, we walked back to my house making several giddy phone calls along the way. He surprised me again with flowers, reservations for my favorite restaurant in Chicago for lunch, tickets to the Cubs game that night and an amazing journal he kept for the past few months leading up to the big day. He had pictures of us, receipts from our first few dates, emails from my parents about how and when he would propose and finally, detailed versions of different ways he was going to propose. It was the perfect day and the book is such a fun way to relive those moments over and over again.

TRUNK SHOWS!!! Kicking off this football season with a new spin on spirit!!

Come Join us for the debut of our Hawkeye apparel and jewelry line next week!!

Cedar Rapids Show: Tuesday, September 1 5-7pm

Papa Juan's (located off of the Blairsferry Rd exit on I380 next to Hy-Vee)
5505 Center Point Rd
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

We will have margaritas and hors devours while supplies last!


Coralville Show: Friday, September 4 5-7pm

Muddy Creek Wine Company (located north of Brown Deer Golf Course off of 1st Ave)
100 East Oakdale Blvd Ste 300
Coralville, IA 52241

Enjoy a glass of wine at one of Coralville's hottest spots!

We would love to see you all there!! Check out Facebook for one of the invitations under "XOXO Trunk Shows" in the events application!

Lindsay Varcoe & Ben Wagoner

I asked Lindsay to marry me on May 28th, 2009. The proposal was but a brief moment in the 6 months or so of preparation leading up to finding myself down on one knee. That 6 month period began with fun little day dreams of what married life with her would be like. I talked with guy friends, both single and married, learned a lot and kept on day dreaming. Those day dreams eventually evolved into how I would actually propose and what Lindsay’s ring would look like. Reality soon set in and I realized that I had to begin saving for a ring and, more importantly, learning something about diamonds if I wanted to find a ring she would love. I also realized that I couldn't just day dream about proposing; I needed to make an actual plan of what I was going to do. And let’s not forget about asking Lindsay’s dad for his blessing! Some serious planning was needed for that little endeavor. Like many of my plans, my idea for how to propose changed drastically over the weeks and months. I actually changed the proposal location about 30 minutes before I got down on one knee! This just goes to show that things may not always go exactly according to plan, but in the end, on the shore of Lake Michigan, the love of my life proved that everything works out exactly like it should.

Hooray for our first story!!! Please remember to send your entries to info@bellasalaevents.com!! More information to come regarding XOXO's new hawkeye apparel and jewelry, stay tuned!

ATTENTION ALL ENGAGED COUPLES!!!

We will be reminding all of you over the course of the next month about our giveaway!! Pass on the info to any and all brides you know!!!!

Engaged??

Think your engagement story is the most romantic you’ve ever encountered?

Email into bella sala telling us how you were

proposed to and you could have the opportunity to win:

-free use of grounds for engagement pictures
-free rental of our lounge for rehearsal dinner
-Up to $100 off of bar tab at rehearsal
-$500 off of rental of facility of your choice
-Custom Bridal Earrings and Consultation
exclusively for you by link lust.
www.linklustjewelry.com

Entries must be submitted by September 30, 2009.
Applicant’s stories will be featured on our blog.
A winner will be chosen October 5, 2009.
Winner must choose a
Thursday-Friday combination for scheduled event
www.bellasalaevents.com * info@bellasalaevents.com

http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009908160313

Check out our newest article in the Press Citizen!! Thank-you to everyone who has helped spread the word about bella sala and XOXO!!

Hi Everybody!!

Do you know anyone who has recently been engaged or planning a wedding next year??? bella sala is hosting a sweepstakes for the most romantic engagement story! All you have to do is email us how you were proposed to at info@bellasalaevents.com. You can find a really easy link at our website to send this as well. Pass the word, the sweepstakes will end September 30, 2009!

You may see our flyer at local businesses!

We are happy to be giving away:

-free use of grounds for engagement pictures
-free rental of our lounge for rehearsal dinner
-Up to $100 off of bar tab at rehearsal
-$500 off of rental of facility of your choice
-Custom Bridal Earrings and Consultation
exclusively for you by link lust.
www.linklustjewelry.com

Details include:

Entries must be submitted by September 30, 2009.
Applicant’s stories will be featured on our blog.
A winner will be chosen October 5, 2009.
Winner must choose a
Thursday-Friday combination for scheduled event
www.bellasalaevents.com * info@bellasalaevents.com

Link Lust Trunk Show

Kelli Weber had her trunk show tonight which she graciously allowed me to attend to promote the new line of bridal jewelry she has created for XOXO. I know I've said it a million times to everyone I know, but she is amazingly talented! Check out our website for online ordering of these incredible pieces!

On another note, the building materials have been steadily coming in the past few days and we should be under way to putting up a structure out on the site here by the end of the week!!! Pray for no rain! I will get some pics up of construction as soon as they start!

I also wanted to post a huge shout out to Samantha Bender for all of her help through this journey, she is also one talented individual! www.samanthabender.com if you are in need of a photographer or are just interested in seeing some amazing pictures...check her out!! Not only is she a wonderful photographer, she is a real sweetheart as well :)

August 4, 2009

Hi Everybody!!! We finally have our blog established so keep yourself current with the progress of our building and the different lines we will be selling through the boutique online!

On that note, I am sooo excited to announce our exclusive line of bridal jewelry courtesy of link lust, www.linklustjewelry.com. It is absolutely stunning and not like anything in the area! Check out the designers web page AND if you happen to be in the Cedar Rapids area tomorrow, she has a trunk show going on at Java Creek Cafe off of Boyson Road from 5-9pm!! I will post more information and pictures soon!

Also, this blog will support both bella sala and XOXO Hugs and Kisses Bridal Boutique, so if you need updates on either, you've come to the right place!!!!