January 13, 2017 Retailer Feature - Bride Boutique LA
Meet Maria Diaz, owner of Los Angelas' Bride Boutique :
About your boutique:
I really never planned to go into bridal. I had worked a little in costuming and fashion right out of college, and eventually was asked to make a custom wedding gown for a friend who couldn't find anything she liked in mainstream stores. That led to another custom job, then another, and another… it slowly evolved in a bespoke studio where I made custom wedding gowns and re-worked vintage dresses brides couldn't find anywhere else. Eventually we added a small collection of vintage and made to order gowns by various independent designers, at the time only available on Etsy. In the beginning I was just going by my name Maria Luciana Designs, but as we became more of a store than studio, I decided to move to a large space and focus on made to order exclusively. When the time came to pick a name, we decided on BRIDE. Most of our early clients and all of my custom clients were very non-traditional ladies who didn’t want to, or were in denial of considering themselves a “bride.” I had to tell them “it’s ok to be a bride, it doesn’t mean you have to adhere to conventional wedding traditions.” So naming it “Bride” was kinda a joke; while you may not want to be a bride, having a party to celebrate your marriage and wanting to wear something special for it (regardless if it’s white) means you are a BRIDE! We basically wanted to be a store for the anti-bride, but being named bride hopefully would help them coop a little.
Best part of your LA location?
Los Angeles is such a large city with so many different areas and neighborhoods. My husband and I have both lived in Echo Park for a while now and it has really become our home. I always knew that this is where we had to open BRIDE. It’s such a hip diverse neighborhood with a strong sense of community that is continually growing and changing. I love being part of that.
How did you discover Truvelle?
I came across Truvelle in 2014 on Instagram while looking for new designers for our newly expanded storefront. It seemed like a perfect match for our shop.
Favourite Truvelle gown?
I think my favorite Truvelle gown is the Alexandria. I am a sucker for color and I think the beading is the perfect amount of sparkle without being overbearing.
How would you style it?
Soft natural makeup, white floral bouquet, minimal jewelry, maybe just studs, and a gold wire floral headband, or soft tulle veil.
Dress: Alexandra, Florals: tumblr, Headpeice: Valette, Olivia the Wolf x Truvelle, Earrings: Foe & Dear.
Your wedding?
I got married this last February in Downtown LA. We chose one of the oldest cathedrals in Los Angeles. Our priest was a million years old and pretty much fell asleep during our ceremony and skipped half of the mass. We are still wondering if we are actually married in the eyes of god. I was pretty sad about it initially, but now it’s just a funny story. We celebrated afterwards at a warehouse space nearby. We like to describe the reception as “80s/90s high school valentines/new years eve dance party chic” — with a disco ball installation, vintage valentines, hot pink, metallics and an In-n-Out Burger truck. My husband wanted to force everyone to dance all night, so we took away the option to sit, we mostly had cocktail tables and lounge seating. My favorite thing about the entire wedding, besides my husband, was my wedding dress. I made it myself. I waited until the very last minute to start working on it because I couldn’t decide what direction I wanted to go, in the end it came together organically. It was inspired by vintage 50s Dior but with gold polka dot beading for a modern/punk rock edge. They were suppose to be actual studs, but the spikes pulled the satin, so we hand beaded it with gold pearls instead. Days before the wedding I had all my friends and our shop manager, Bridget, beading to finish in time. Heart of Gold Designs made me a custom crown, and I whipped together a veil the night before. I didn’t actually try the whole look together until my wedding day, but luckily I was in love.
