The other day DeeDee Drayden, the owner of the Main
Street Bridal Shop, stopped by our offices for an interview with fashion editor
Tessa Lisbon, but Tessa being Tessa, she never showed up for work that day. Since
Cloris had some free time, she was pressed into service, even though she knows
next to nothing about fashion—bridal or otherwise.
DeeDee is the creation of E.
Ayers, an author who writes stories
about people who live in today’s world and find real love. Learn more about her
and her books at her website and blog.
Cloris:
Welcome, DeeDee. I’m Cloris McWerther. I’ll be filling in for Tessa today.
DeeDee: Hi, Cloris, it’s so nice to meet you.
Cloris: It’s wonderful to have you here. June must be a
hectic time of year for you.
DeeDee: It’s been more than a
little busy at Main Street Bridal Salon, especially with two books having been
released back-to-back. And as you know, June is considered the month for
brides, but weddings take place year round, and although we are still filling
orders for summer brides, I’ve already turned my attention to winter designs
and next year’s fashion show in New York. About a month before that show, it
gets so hectic that I’m a complete ball of frantic nerves.
Cloris: Oh, I can imagine! I don’t know how you do it. But,
please, tell me what’s hot in bridal gowns?
DeeDee: (giggle) Who says it has to be a gown? Pants are in
style, soft and flowing often with a jacketed top that gives the illusion of a
skirt. And color, lots of color! White is almost passé.
Cloris: Color?
DeeDee: Yes, from hints of color in the gown to colored
embroidery, the traditional white gown is getting a makeover. Besides, not
every woman looks good in pure white or even wants to wear it. And bridal gowns
can be in any color, including a very elegant black. Shoes and
accessories…anything goes! Today’s brides are looking for color.
Weddings are changing. Many
young people are turning away from the formal wedding in favor of something
more fun and upbeat. They want their bridal dress to reflect that. But we’re
also seeing many brides having the big wedding for their second marriage and
lots of anniversary brides.
Cloris: Do you mean those renewing their wedding vows?
DeeDee: (nodding) Many were originally wed at the
courthouse or it was merely a quiet affair. Twenty-five or even fifty years
later, they are having the wedding that they never had. I have to admit I get
dewy-eyed thinking about those renewals. I so hope Cody and I make it to the
big five-O.
Cloris: You’ll have me in tears. That has to be really
special. Speaking of Cody… I don’t want to give anything away, but I know you
two recently married. Can you tell me about your dress?
DeeDee: Actually, you can see part of my gown on the cover
of the book With This Ring (above). It was a
Renaissance design done in an antique white with tiny inset panels of mossy
blue-green. The beaded-brocade bodice fit like a glove. It was just low enough
to show a little cleavage without being revealing and it had long sleeves that
cascaded in two tiers. The bodice came to a point in the front and then went up
over my hips. My train attached at the back of my shoulders and I had a pearl
crown with a silk veil that draped over my face and down my back.
Cloris: It sounds beautiful.
DeeDee: It was. Every woman wants to look her very best for
her wedding. Style and fit are so important. Don’t make the mistake of figuring
you can lose weight and fit into a smaller dress. Err on the side of generous.
Dresses can be taken in, but letting them out is almost impossible.
Cloris: What are you working on for Christmas weddings?
DeeDee: Plum! It’s actually called Radiant Orchid and it
was selected as the color of the year. And it’s beautiful when mixed with
silver or gold. In fact, it can be mixed with so many different colors. It’s
one of those colors that tends to look good on most everyone. Expect to see it
show up everywhere this fall and paired with navy, gray, and creams.
Cloris: It sounds lovely. We actually had a blog about
Radiant Orchid a few months ago.
I know you have to get back
to your shop, so one last question. What made you decide to build your own
bridal business?
DeeDee: Several things. From the time I was a little girl,
I wanted to be a fashion designer. I used to take scraps of material and sew
them together for my dolls. I went to school for design, worked for several
well-known fashion designers, and then one day it hit me that I was in the
wrong place. I couldn’t wear what I was designing, and I didn’t want to wear
it! But I also knew I loved to design beautiful dresses. Bridal gowns are the
ultimate for most women. It’s like dressing for the Oscars on a personal level.
There was more than a year
of preplanning before I quit my job and even then I still panicked. I watched
real estate ads for ages until I could find something that I thought would work
and that I could afford. That turned out to be the old building on the corner,
400 Main Street. Even after I bought it, I still wasn’t prepared for
everything. At least now, I have Cody to worry about the money. That frees me
to design.
Cloris: Well, I think everyone loves weddings and so far
there are two wedding books, With This
Ring, a novel, and I Thee Wed, a
novella. Thank you so much for coming and bringing your covers with you.
DeeDee: Thank you for having me. I hope everyone grabs a
copy of my story, With This Ring,
and inside the boxed set Weddings onMain Street by the Authors of Main Street is I Thee Wed. It’s a super deal eleven new, complete books, no
teasers – plus it’s on sale for 99 cents. I know the authors, a super bunch of
women and really great writers. They are always in Elizabeth’s coffee shop on
Main Street. And I know that there will be more wedding books from E. Ayers.
(Covers her mouth and whispers) I think there’s a Christmas wedding book in the
works.
With this Ring
DeeDee Drayden doesn’t believe in a happily ever
after, even though her passion is designing wedding gowns. Cody Montgomery,
heir to a fortune, is hiding in a small town raising seven children after two
failed marriages. With his hands full, he’s sworn off women. But when Cody ends
up being a silent partner and CFO of DeeDee’s fledgling bridal business, his
eyes are on more than the bottom line. Do they dare mix business with pleasure
to find their own happily ever after?
I
Thee Wed (from the Weddings
on Main Street boxed set)
A product of broken marriages, Julia never sees
marriage for herself. She throws everything she's got into her career with Main
Street Bridal Salon, until a crazy redhead with freckles named Aaron sweeps her
off her feet. But a family secret is about to change everything.