Bridal show features local design

Not long before the bridal fashion show began Friday, every salon chair in Royale Hair Parlor was empty. But behind a black screen in a usually unseen part of the salon, the back room was abuzz with activity.

Women and girls of all ages slid into wedding dresses ranging in color from standout orange to pure white. Final hairpins were being secured and bouquets were handed out 15 minutes before the show began.

When 7 p.m. came, the main salon was full.

Spectators ‘ooh’ed and ‘ah’ed for each model as they walked the length of the parlor.

The Bridal Art Fashion Show staged at Royale featured styles from two local businesses, A to Z Vintage and Lily Ball Designs.

Local artists also created the cake, food and photography.

“That was the emphasis,” said Lisa Morrison, owner of an event planning and design services company called I Do Events. “Local hair, local fashion, local floral, local food.”

Erin Gammon, the managing stylist with Royale Hair Parlor, said this is Royale’s first bridal show.

The stylings for each model were a wide range from modern to vintage.

Gammon said there was an effort to choose models of different sizes and ages.

Some of the models were garnered through Facebook and other bridal shows, Gammon said. Others, like Abby Bush, were asked to model.

Bush, a 17-year-old high school student who plans to enroll at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, said she was approached by one of the stylists at a tailgate.

“This is my first time doing anything like this,” Bush said.

Alex Martin, a self-described “wedding fanatic,” said he had come to the event to watch his partner model a dress and to try to better understand wedding culture.

Martin’s partner was one of 10 models in the show and prepared the cake, along with a bride and groom cake topper, for the event.

Martin said the two of them had “slaved away all night and all morning” preparing the dessert for Royale’s show.

The variety of styles featured in the bridal show was meant to appeal to any bride-to-be, Gammon said.

“A lot of the bridal stuff is over the top and super fancy, and that doesn’t suit a lot of people,” Gammon said. “We have a lot of clients who are a little bit more down to Earth, and they want something that suits them and still feels like them.”

Royale typically has bridal parties almost every Saturday during wedding season, Gammon added. Royale is one of the few parlors in Bloomington that takes wedding parties.