Our Lumina collection is here..an exclusive surprise with just six styles. I’m so excited to share this new line with you, featuring styles, which evoke romance and the effortless spirit of boho. Easy-going brides opting for a relaxed, intimate wedding, with a finish that’s still chic, will be in love with these dresses.
This collection marks a break from D&L tradition; we’ve chosen to keep things fresh throughout the year, with a series of mini-collections instead of the annual large collection to which we’ve grown accustomed. This just feels right and authentic to whom we are as a brand.
On the subject of sizes, it can be so easy to fall into a groove, thinking, without realizing you’re doing it. In retrospect, I don’t understand why we listed our sizes as 0-14, when in reality we create size 16 and 18 on a regular basis for so many of our brides.
That’s why, the Lumina collection is our first collection where our samples will be offered in sizes 2-18. It feels so good to do the right thing and while I know that there are many sizes we aren’t covering, unfortunately change does take time, and this will be something I will be keeping in mind going forward.
The design for this collection was slightly different. Rather than create a storyline, and then design each dress to fit in to that story, we created each style individually. The only constant was the dresses each had to fit in the narrative of the easygoing bohemian bride. I took many of our best selling favorites, tweaked their silhouette, expressed them in different fabrics and most importantly worked on getting the best possible fit for each design.
A core focus during our creation of Lumina was achieving the most flattering fit for each style. I worked diligently with my team to perfect the fit of the foundation garment; while bride-to-be’s visiting our design studio/showroom, employees, and friends tried the garments in different sizes…we literally studied each fit. This is the part we can never get wrong that remained the same in this collection.
Designing this collection felt enlightening and liberating. I’m a self-taught designer, who went to school for Fashion Merchandising rather than design. Interestingly, my first ever collection, which I created some 5.5 years ago, was designed similarly to this one… and I loooooved it. No formal approach taken, just on a mission to create the best fitting, romantic and gorgeous silhouette I could dream up. I certainly hope that Lumina excites you as much as it does me.
The Styles of the Lumina Simple Wedding Dresses
Our new Anais is a spin-off of our best selling Azalea, with that same defined waist and that ephemeral and romantic lace that is now synonymous with the Dreamers & Lovers brand. Our Chloe and Audrey dresses are both a nod to our Catherine and Julia dresses, only, with the added long sleeves that so many brides have been requesting. I personally love the closed back but with the sheer lace…it really is magic in dress form.
The new Claire is an extension of our Clover and Arabelle dresses, some of the very first designs I ever created. The new Hazel is a dress that’s lived in my dreams forever and is finally getting her day, it has the same defined waist as Azalea, only, I added a ruched waistband, a split second decision made after seeing the first sample on our bust form.
The Grace dress is actually a dress I tried to introduce about three years ago, but it failed, the fabrics just didn’t synergize. Perhaps it was just not the right timing, but now I’m confident it is. Hazel, Claire and Audrey all combine lace bodices with silk skirts, an ensemble brides have expressed heightened interest in over the years.
At the dawn of our Dreamers & Lovers journey, I designed our dresses, photographed them, blogged about it and would rant about the how and the why. It has been a few years since I’ve done that and I wanted to return to that time. If you’ve made it this far through my ranting today; thank you!
Our Inspiration
My inspiration is always our bride…we see her as a fun-loving freethinker. She loves the outdoors, to dream and to love and, as it should be, her wedding is an extension of who she is and of her life. It was for this reason that I opted out of a non-model for this shoot. Instead I found the sweetest girl, who was like so many of the girls I meet in the studio everyday, so full of life, love and laughter. Someone who, like so many of my brides, celebrates what it means to embrace the bohemian way of life.
Amelia was just that and after working with her on the shoot, I fell in love with her even more, and saw our brides in her eyes. She is a fun-loving student at Pepperdine, who loves to travel, and loves taking on creative pursuits. Most of all she was laid-back and real, just like the brides I design for.
We hope you will love the Lumina collection. I chose the name Lumina on a tip from a friend, and fell in love with its meaning, simply light!!
Final Thoughts
Lumina’s laid-back wedding dresses are a symphony of laces and silks, rich and decadent yet ethereal in weight and wearability. These are bohemian wedding dresses through and through. We are sensory beings, inspired by what we see in the mirror, what we feel against our skin and how it makes us move; how our image becomes a conductor of sentiments to the people we interact with.
Lumina won’t let you forget for a minute that you’re doing all this for love, she will be soft, she will be gentle, she will enrich the soul of the world and those who cross our paths with love that feels its own timelessness. Illuminate your love with the spirit of boho, speak in poetry and never forget that real love rules the world.
Love and Light.
Yanique
PHOTOGRAPHER: Christine Ta – For Love and Light – @forloveandlight on Instagram
