An excursion into sheer elegance
Flower detailing
Stepping in to Lea-Ann Belter’s bridal salon in Leslieville is like taking in a deep breath of fresh air. What gets you first is the clean smell of fresh dresses, antique wood and the open concept space that allows you to take everything in.
The simplicity of the store itself leaves ample room for each bride and her loved ones to absorb the splendour of each hand crafted offering of dresses with names like Grace and Cecilia, Lucy and Mathia.
Sarah Polley wore Lucy for her Toronto wedding recently
“I have been naming my gowns since I starting making them more than 20 years ago. I have always felt that a name is nicer than a style number, and a lot more personable. I also come to get attached to my gowns when I’m making them, so it is nice to kind of think of them as people. I often name them after someone, either real or fictional. If I have seen a movie or read a book with a great female character in it I will name a dress after her” mused Belter.
Each dress is hand made in Lea-Ann’s atelier and not one piece is created without her hands examining the dress and checking it for perfection. As for perfection, each gown is created with only the finest materials—dupioni silk, French Alençon lace and all beads, flowers and buttons are hand sewn in with every attention paid to detail. In fact, each creation is as unique as the bride who chooses it.
So what kind of bride chooses a Lea-Ann Belter creation? “I think a bride looking for simple elegance and classic, natural beauty on her wedding day. Brides always comment on how our gowns are ‘real gowns,’ not costumes, and I think people are attracted to the collection for its comfort. Each gown we create is entirely reverse-stitched and fully lined in silk, so the fabric touching your skin during the most important day of your life is as fine and soft as the fabric your dress was crafted in – you could literally wear it inside out if you wanted to” commented Belter.
A Lea-Ann Belter bridal gown is far from ostentatious—don’t expect flashy, gaudy or gauche. Instead, each bride will find her dress elegant, romantic, delicate—the piece is made to complement the bride, not take over from her own natural beauty.
Whether you’ve been to her store or not, you’ve likely seen at least one of her pieces. The aforementioned Cecilia was worn by Rachel McAdams in the blockbuster hit The Time Traveller’s Wife. Cecilia is timeless and romantic, with a floor-length silk organza sash and hand-tinted blush silk roses.
Another Canadian film princess to don a Lea-Ann Belter creation is recently married Sarah Polley. She exuded elegance in Lucy, a strapless dupioni silk gown with a wrap bodice, crystal detailing and a dramatic chapel length train with tuxedo pleats, to her Toronto wedding.
Pippa
When asked how she stays inspired to keep putting out one stunning dress after the other for over 20 years, Belter had this to say: “After making dresses for so many years it just comes naturally. I don’t try to design gowns, they just come to me. I always have dresses sketched on napkins or the back of my plane ticket. It’s just what I do.”
Lea–Ann Belter’s full collection is available in her flagship Toronto boutique and several designs are available in select stores across North America and Europe. Appointments at the flagship store are one and a half hours each to ensure each bride’s experience is relaxed and rewarding.
For more information, please visit: www.lea-annbelter.com
Lea-Ann Belter Bridal
785 Queen Street East
416 778 6868
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