Salon Updates

Hi!......I haven’t given you, my readers, a salon update in a long time! This post is well over due. 

Over the past couple of months, the salon has experienced a few changes and some new additions. We’ve had the amazing opportunity to have a scene from the movie ‘Baggage Claim’ filmed in the salon! The cast and crew were all extremely nice and professional and it was such a pleasure to see, well hear (we had to stay in the back), a few lines from the movie. Speaking of filming, last week there was yet another film crew at the salon. This time around, a independent student film was being shot to take to the Cannes Film Festival and hopefully get picked up. The salon has been getting some major exposure in the movie industry.

Now, with all that excitement, we’ve still been working on hundreds of gowns for brides, bridesmaids and mother of the brides. Spring is always the busiest season for the bridal industry and the salon has seen it’s fair share of hectic days.  At one point we had over 8 brides picking up gowns in the same week! That’s a lot for a couture bridal salon that creates every gown in the back room! We’ve also been developing the next collection for the label and I’m very thrilled to present the gowns for everyone to see. This collection is reminiscent of Old Hollywood with lots of beading, luxurious fabrics, and intricate details.

It’s been a busy yet exciting season and with the help of my wonderful team, all these things have been possible! I have two employees; Jocelyn is our sample maker/seamstress with the “magic hands” and Eve is my super upbeat assistant. We have been working together as a team for the past 6 months but every bride seems thinks we've known each other for years. The chemistry at the salon is so creative, fun and friendly, we find at times we are here all night and never noticed the hours passing by. The salon has always been my second home but now I have two lovely ladies to share it with............but  I cannot forget the salon’s mascot, WOOKIE! Wookie is my baby, my dog of 4 years and my everything. He keeps the salon running smoothly and all of us on our toes.

I can’t wait to see what else this year has to bring for the salon, the label and all of us! Stay tuned for many more updates!

Breaking The Rules: Not Wearing White

Traditionally, most brides wear white on their wedding day but sometimes I have the opportunity to work with a bride that decides to break this unwritten rule. A white wedding gown is not for everyone, just like a strapless bodice may not be your cup of tea. Using color for a wedding dress can be just as much fun as dancing all night on the dance floor after the wedding. Color has the ability to spice up the simplest gown and turn it into a memorable piece of art.



The first wedding were a woman wore a white dress can be traced back to Queen Victoria’s wedding to Prince Albert in 1840.  Before Victoria’s wedding, many brides choose colors including blue, yellow, black and grey for their wedding gowns. Soon after Victoria’s wedding, the white dress trend spread throughout Europe and more elite brides were beginning to favor white over any other color.  A white dress indicated the bride’s family had money to spend on a garment that could be worn once and possibly ruined by getting dirty.  In the 19^th century, brides of the middle class also picked white as the color of their gowns instead of the different hues that were picked previously.  Most brides of this era would wear their gown more then once to get plenty of use out of the expensive garment.



In the past I’ve had the pleasure of working with a few brides that decided to use colors like red, black, purple, hints of green, and multi-colored lining to make their day and dress more unique. Actually a previous bride, Deborah's black wedding dress was part of the inspiration for my Spring 2013 collection; a black, sand washed jacquard gown with hand beading on the bodice.  Her gown was classic old Hollywood at it’s finest.

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!

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!

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!

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...

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!

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!

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!