Joanna & Johnny

My bride Joanna and I go way, way back...we were actually childhood friends! I hadn't spoken to her in such a long, long time, as I was living in New York and travelling, when one day out of the blue, Joanna contacted me via email to congratulate me on the opening of my new Salon here in Pasadena. Little did I know, that she would soon ask me to design her wedding gown only a few months later. It was such a pleasure seeing her after so many years and, being asked to take part in her very special occasion was very touching and special for me! When she finally came in for her first consultation, Joanna found two gowns from my past Collections that launched the process to create her own gown. She was open to so many possibilites and completely trusted in what I would design for her.

The final gown that I created was a wondefully fitted side gather gazaar trumpet halter gown with a metallic twill underlay. The side drape carried up into the neckline creating a beautiful floral detail.
She looked amazing! Not only was I honored to design Joanna's gown, but I was also fortunate enough to work with her mother, MaryAnne, on her dress as well.

The beautiful setting and wonderful details were captured by photographer Michelle Johnson.
Congratulations Joanna & Johnny!

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The Process of Design: Final

It's been a while since Part 3 of the Design Process, but here is my Bride Tina, whose gown I have featured in documenting for my Design Process, in her final gorgeous gown. As you can see, the amount of fabric and detail that was put into the gown was worn beautifully and fit her like a glove.
In the final gown, all of the foundation, structure and support that I showed in the last blog, is completely hidden beneath the soft, silk pleated and ruffled overlay. The train was especially long as Tina requested a cathedral length which also included her veil. Many, many yards of fabric went into this creation, and each bit was methodically sewn and stitched to achieve the wonderful flow and feel of airiness that Tina had wanted.
Congratulations Tina & Nate!

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Raya & Bear

My bride Raya was referred to me by my dear friend Farrah. When Raya shared the news that she was getting married she immediately asked Farrah to design her dress. Farrah suggested that she work with me in achieving her vision. Upon my first meeting with Raya, we zeroed in on what her dream gown was going to be. With her mother Pam by her side at every fitting, it was truly such a treat. Her gown was a nude beaded and embroidered silk mesh, with a plunging halter neckline and back, very sexy, but still fully functional. Being a professional singer, we had to take into account that Raya was to perform at her own wedding and needed to make sure the fit of the dress did not interfere with her being able to hit those incredible notes.

With my own invite in hand, and the picturesque setting of the Malibu Canyon as a back drop, my husband and I were able to see her wonderful performance and beautiful wedding and reception up close and personal, it was truly spectacular. Her husband Bear, along with a long list of music professionals, provided the sounds of rhythm and love for a great evening. Photographers Andrew Craig, Dennis Tannen, and Larry Reeves captured the wedding, performances, and spectacular views perfectly.

Congratulations Raya & Bear!

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Trunk Show

Calling all Brides...come meet Alina Pizzano as we hold our intimate Trunk Show at the Salon. Come enjoy sparkling lemonade as you try on your perfect gown! All gowns from the Collection will be 25% this day only!

@ Alina Pizzano couture bridal
235 east colorado blvd.
pasadena, ca 91101

Saturday March 19th - 10-4pm

more info - 626.584.0076 or design@alinapizzano.com

We look forward to seeing you there...

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Tamiyah & An

Tamiyah was referred to me by our mutual friend Orion. He was also a Designer at BCBG when I was designing there. He knew that by working together, we could execute the pefect vision of Tamiyah‘s dress.
The first day Tamiyah and I met, we reviewed her inspiration along with sketch ideas Orion provided. We came to find out that we actually worked at BCBG around that same time and didn't even know it! The world truly is such a small place!
As we progressed on her gown, Tamiyah was always such a pleasure to fit and work with. Her amazing smile was so contagious and she always lit up the salon.




We made her gown from silk hammered satin and silk Georgette, with a delicately enhanced beaded neckline. We incorporated a low back to accentuate her beautiful curvy figure, which, from my understanding, An loved.
Tamiyah and An had their wedding outdoors in Utah in such an amazing setting. The weather Gods were definitely smiling upon them that day! The picturesque mountains and river with all of their incredible colors and majestic beauty were almost overwhelming.
Photographer Jason Liu captured the wedding, the locale, and all of the natural beauty just wonderfully!





Congratulations Tamiyah and An!

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Megan & Yaojen

I met Megan back in October of 2009, she came to the Salon with her cousin, who was also her Maid-of-Honor. She was looking for a gown that would highlight the features that her fiance, Yaojen, loved. She also wanted to surprise him with a traditional Hawaiian wedding dance, as they were to be married on the island of Maui. On a side note, Megan is an actual professional hula dancer!






So, as this was a destination wedding, I had to take into account that the gown was going to travel and that part of the gown needed to be detachable to accommodate the wedding dance. So, with the challenges and requirements needed for Megan's gown, I designed a dress along with Megan that was very sexy and elegant. The gown had a rouched bodice with a flowing satin chiffon skirt that was detachable, while the train stayed attached to the dress. As you can see from the photos, Megan wanted a very low back as well as some other details such as beading along the neckline, the straps and a light spray of beading along the entire dress.
The location and amazing wedding was captured by photographers Brian Khang and Aaron Dieppa. Megan and Yaojen look stunning in these photos along with the breath taking back drop!




Congratulations Megan & Yaojen!

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Megan & Chris

Megan came to me over a weekend with her parents, who were both visiting from out of town. She had a vision as to what her gown should look like. So after our first meeting, she knew that I would be the Designer able to create her gown. During the design process, Megan decided she also wanted me to design and create dresses for her Mother, her flower girl and her six month old niece. The inspiration for the girls was Megan's gown combined with the bridal party color scheme of black (I will post images of the girls dresses with a surprise in an upcoming post!)
Megan's gown was made from an organza rouched bodice, her skirt was made with raw edged organza that was hand sculpted to look like flowers. We also created her veil, and her feather head piece along with her organza shrug.





Her wedding took place back in her hometown in Ohio, where unfortunately Mother Nature decided to throw in a few thunderstorms. But, even with damp weather, Megan looked stunning and, I believe, made her wedding even more dramatic and incredibly photogenic. Megan was incredibly easy to work with and put her complete trust in me. Her understanding of the Design process made our work enjoyable and memorable. Megan was so happy with the results that she now wants me to create her own unique red carpet gowns...as I now look forward to creating! Her amazingly stunning photos were taken by photographer Michelle Ellis!


Congratulations Megan & Chris!

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Rosanna & Andy

My Bride Rosanna came to me with her sister Angie, whom I have posted about previously, as a referral from the Jeweler across the street. She wanted a gown that would fit into the earthy location of her wedding, Mammoth Mountain. Typically, most of my gowns are a variation of silk, from formal duchess satins to lighter weight silk charmeuse, but for Rosanna, we decided to incorporate linen with silk. For the body of the gown, we used a fine linen and then used a silk shantung to sculpt the floral appliques for the embellishment.
Her gown was organic, earthy, very flowing, and still sexy, perfect for an outdoor wedding in the mountains!




Rosanna also wanted all of her Bridesmaids and Groomsmen to tie into her gown and the the Grooms suit, so we made all of the dresses for the ladies, and the vests and pants for the men, including the little ring bearer. Since linen is a great fabric to hold color, we were able to create a few different swatches with color variations that Rosanna was able to choose from before we started any of the fabrication.
It was truly an honor to have been chosen by both sisters to have been such an integral part in both of their weddings. And now, both Rosanna & Angie, own not one but two truly couture gowns!
All of the love and location was captured by photographers from the Pros.


Congratulations Rosanna & Andy!

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Jessica & Daniel

My Bride Jessica discovered me online and since she is a local resident, she decided to make an appointment. As we spoke during her first consultation, which also included her Mother, I came to the realization that, they too were Cuban, just as I am! Of course, Jessica & I connected immediately and she made the task of working with her effortless and fun. I ended up creating Jessica's gown from a photo inspiration that she had found through a magazine tear.




Jessica had a very specific idea for her gown as well as for her Bridesmaids. Most importantly was the specific color she had chosen for her Wedding that she wanted to incorporate into the Bridesmaids dresses and Groomsmen ties. So, I ended up designing and fabricating her gown, her Maid-of-honor, four Bridesmaids, her niece, all of the ties for the Groom & Groomsmen, and even the napkins for the reception!





All of this tied into the amazing location of her Wedding which was in the Malibu Riviera area. The gown, dresses, colors of the Wedding party, all blended beautifully with the ocean, sky, and natural surroundings that make up the Malibu area. Not only was I given the honor of being involved in this very special day, but my Husband & I were also invited to attend the Wedding. It was a lovely surprise to see that she had sat us with her family!
The Wedding and reception were captured beautifully by well know photographer Asgeir Bollason of Asgeirfotographica. His photo journalistic style complimented the wedding, the wonderful location and the great love that is so evident between Jessica & Daniel.




Congratulations Jessica & Daniel!

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