Bethany Joy Bridal Collection Exclusively for Be Enchanted Brides

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RHkIdNg4cU (Watch the bridal shoot doco here)

Be Enchanted Brides welcomes Bethany Joy as our exclusive designer of unique vintage-inspired bridal gowns.  In collaboration with Bethany Joy, Rhonda Martin and Reneé Amato present a new vision for the Bridal Industry.  “Our dream was to create Australian made gowns with a delicately devine vintage appeal!  Very romantic,” said Rhonda.   

Bethany was our perfect match designer, sharing the same dream and vision inspired by a sense of a new beginning for fashion. Producing light-weight gowns from  the highest quality fabrics including 100% Silk Satin, Shantung Silk, Organza, Georgette and fine Laces and Crystals with all gowns being lined in Silk.  Say yes to a whisper-light dress. 

"Collaborating with Be Enchanted Brides for my bridalwear collection has been a dream come true. It has been wonderful designing these gowns which will be worn by women on one of the most important days of their lives. Each design was conceptualised to appeal to a different type of bride, ranging in age, personality and body type, however all the gowns are very sophisticated and true to the Bethany Joy design aesthetic," Bethany said.

We really listened to the market. Brides-to-be were asking for longer and cap sleeves and lace, so we incorporated this into several of the dresses. All the gowns are off-the-rack. That means no waiting. The dresses can be purchased at the last minute if need be, which is rare in the local bridal industry.

We are excited to present our Australian Made and Designed gowns and proud to support the Australian industry. It has been an honour and privilege creating these gowns alongside our up and coming star in the fashion world Bethany Joy; ‘WOW’ gowns treasured by brides.  Thankyou Bethany Joy for sharing our dream with us.

Be spellbound by our Bethany Joy Kolinka Kollection 
– Born for Be Enchanted Brides.

Discover your perfect match in one of our gowns.

Kind Regards,

Rhonda Martin

Proprietor

Be Enchanted Brides

PH: 02 9476 4200

FAX: 02 9476 4299

EMAIL: beenchantedbrides@ihug.com.au

WEB: www.beenchantedbrides.com

LOCATION: Avanti Building Shop 506 / 90 George Street, Hornsby, Sydney 

Shoot Credits

Still Photography - Abe Bastoli of Pennant Hills Studio

Film - Lachlan Monsted Pictures

Modelled - Laura Steele, Sarina Del Fuego & Louise Runyard

Jewellery - Italina

Hair Stylist - Debbie Betts

Makeup Artist - Cidney Vine

Renee, Bethany & Rhonda

Melbourne Cup Design Award Finals '09

Hi hi hi hi!


Yes yes I know... It's been a long time since my last post... I am terribly sorry darlings, but life has been hectic to say the very least!


First off - photos!

So, what do you think?

I was pleased with how the design turned out... it was a real labour of love, getting it all completed in time for the day, but we did it!

That's me by the way, in the Bethany Joy "Angel" dress! 

My wonderful friend and model Laura Steele did an amazing job representing my label... as usual, she looked like a million dollars, and really stood out in the crowd with her beauty and poise. 

We ended up on the news on several channels, which was unexpected and very cool. Laura was well photographed by the media on the day too. What really made my day though was the public's reaction to my design... sooo many people came over and spontaneously told Laura how much they loved her outfit, it was just wonderful to connect with some many people through my work... It was lovely.

So, the details!

Design by Bethany Joy 

Modelled by Laura Steele 

Millinery by Philadelphia Philpot of Sydney 

Jewellery by Italina of Hong Kong 

BIG thanks to everyone who made this day happen, the organisers, MYER, my creative team and my nearest and dearest for all the well wishes which made my day XX

Round Round Baby Round Round

It's been a madly hectic time at the Bethany Joy office of late... hence the lack of posts! I thought this blog would fill out some of my sporadic free time, however, it seems the moment I started it I've never been busier!!!


(Well, maybe not never... but it's been busy non the less!)


So, what the 411 I hear you ask?


Well, lots of things...


Starting with I have been working on a collaborative project for a while which is heading to a happy completion very soon... I can't say tooooo much, but it's an area of fashion which I've always been interested in, but never had the chance till now to explore... I know, I know... I'm tempting you with my teaser words... but I promise to let you know all about it really soon!


Now, something I can tell you about is that I was recently invited to enter the Melbourne Cup Design Award!!! This is a big honour, as it's by invitation only, and some wonderful designers have won it in past years. The lovely invite came unexpectedly to me in the post, and when I opened up the envelope I could not have been happier! Thanks again to the organisers for inviting me!!!


So at the mo I am currently working on a ultra special design for the event... something really, really lovely! I can't show you yet till the comp is done and dusted, but rest assured I certainly will : ) 


I've been madly sketching, colouring and generally turning my office into an art studio over the past 2 weeks finalising my design : ) It's been a blast, and I can't wait to show you and the judges what I've come up with!!!


Otherwise, I was chuffed at getting a Bethany Joy blouse into GRAZIA Magazine last week... Really, it was amazing! I'm always so thankful when I see my designs in print, but to get into the pages of such a cool mag was just awesome!! Kind of like, I don't know, you feel like it's sort of a dream, except it's real... Very cool.


OK, so that's why I've been distracted from my new blog... hope all is forgiven??




XX 
P.S. The pic is from the MYER Golden Slipper Designer Awards Finals 2009... Millinery for my model Laura was created by the wonderfully talented Wendi Nutt (check out her website here - http://www.philadelphiaphilpot.com/) 

We followed the yellow brick road!

On Saturday night I finally saw the musical WICKED... I say finally because due to bad timing I only just missed out on seeing it in Melbourne a year ago when I was there for a little break. ANYWAY it finally came to Sydney, so I finally booked my ticket, and then I finally saw it... Finally!


So after all that what did I think? 


Well, first off, let me say this. As a kid I adored the "Wizard Of Oz"! I pretty much know that film word for word. Secondly, I have read the novel "Wicked" and the following "Son Of A Witch" and "A Lion Among Men". I really enjoyed these books, which are quite twisted and dark. OK, they kind of made me re-think the whole childhood-sweetness I felt connected to the film, but I found them a thought-provoking, imaginative read. Not for kids though!! 


So how did the musical compare? Well, I liked it. It was MUCH more innocent than book, but I mean given the platform the story was being told on, that made sense to me. It had a nice balance of humour thrown into the mix and the costumes and sets were really expressive! I especially enjoyed the set design, which was simple, yet quite graphic stylistically. My overwhelming feeling? I wanted to wear emerald green afterwards! And red lipstick! I thought the actor who played Glinda was especially good in her role, and really committed herself to her scenes - she was FUNNY.  Plus, it was a real treat to see Bert Newton onstage as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz! I know, I know... but it made me smile! 


There were some obvious plot "alterations" which took place between the novel and the stage production. I expected this to some extent, but I fear I did find this a little jarring. However, I'd have to say overall, the production stayed pretty true to the overall point of the novel.  


So, all in all, it was an enjoyable performance. Would I recommend it? Yes, go see it Sydneysiders! Is the book better? Yes, but isn't that always the case?

Fun & Games in Newtown

I guess it's because of the vibe on the street, but I always enjoy an outing to Newtown. Especially on a bright sunny day. If you live in Sydney, you'll know what I mean. It's kind of a creative hub full of crazy characters, all happily co-existing, enjoying the diversity of life... Well, that's how it always seems to me, anyway! I don't live round the area, so I suppose my opinion is a little bit "tourist-esque" but hear me out.

What I love most is the variety of styles which are celebrated in the boutiques. One second you'll be peeking at some vintage 70's gear, the next you'll be trying on a hot little something from a brand new label no one has heard of yet, then you'll be poking about at some make-shift market full of handmade jewellery. It's great fun. I'm a big fan of vintage, so it's refreshing to escape the general shopping-mall-chain-store fair which has invaded most of the shopping districts in Sydney. 

Then, of course, there is the the Thai. I can't quote any statistics here, but Newtown MUST have the most Thai restaurants per square metre than anywhere else in our fair city. So you wander and explore, you try on some fabulous clothes (some purely for the fun and hilarity of seeing what you look like in a 50's dress, some to take home with you) and then you eat Thai. That's the way it works in Newtown... Well, at least for us out-of-suburbers!

XX

P.S. Like my drawing? It was a present for a friend a while back. It's bright colours remind me my day yesterday.

Wonderful Weekend

There really is something to be said for a full-on, jam-packed, deliciously busy weekend, don't you think?

This past one I barely had time to come up for air, and I loved it. I guess I'm kind of like that, I love being busy. I guess that's why I started my fashion label Bethany Joy, if I really think about it.

ANYWAY, back to the weekend that was. First stop on Friday night was at Paddington to see the FABULOUS "The September Issue"... and, my goodness, if you are interested in fashion at all, go see this film! It was just so much fun, and handled really nicely. I mean, it's a doco, but it actually has a lot of humour to it. Plus the fashion shoots where O.M.G. beautiful... especially the one in Paris with the couture... whoa is all I can say. I also loved watching the interactions between the decisive Anna Wintour and the romanic Grace Coddington. They seemed like flip sides of the same coin. The flame haired Grace (Creative Director of Vogue US) is actually really witty and oh boy creative (her shoots are amazing!). You can tell by watching both women are extremely intelligent, and at the top of their game. It was great to see. 

Apart from some other catch up with friends, eating out and such I also enjoyed a high tea experience at the Sheraton on the Park for a good friend of mine's birthday. It was just lovely! I've been to many high tea venues before, but this was really nice. The food (see photo) was pretty as a picture, and although untraditional we all enjoyed a mug of Max Brenner hot chocolate as our accompaniment (don't hate me tea traditionalists! It's Max - I couldn't refuse!!) I went for dark hot chocolate, because for me when it comes to chocolate, dark rules.

So all together, it was a great weekend. Good friends, good entertainment, good food... what more could a girl want?

XX 

The Beginning!

Hello hello hello!

This is my first ever blog, so I am a little nervous, but I hope this will be an interesting experience... but first I should introduce myself.

My name is Bethany, and I'm head over heels in love with fashion! It started young, and my passion for design has grown over the years. I'm a fashion designer by trade and I also work in the graphic design field part time, with dabblings in illustration and photography. 

I decided to start this blog because I always get asked at dinner parties what it's like to be a designer, and I wanted to shed some light on my experiences, and also to share some of my work and ideas with the big wide world out there (that means YOU!). 

So here goes kittens!

P.S. The above illustration was a drawing I made for a dear friend of mine. It was a present for her birthday a little while ago.