Justin Alexander’s Brand-New Dancing Into Forever Ballet Collaboration Gave Us Fierce Feels
It’s truly crazy that we haven’t had a “bridal market,” in the traditional sense (Bridal Fashion Week in NYC), since October 2019 - but honestly, like we’ve said at least 10000 times in the last 13 months, we’ve actually come to love the ‘new normal.’ As wedding people (and yes, that’s what we are, we live and breathe weddings and the beauty of everything bridal), we’ve been to in-person runway shows and on-model presentations, but since everything started going virtual, we’ve kind of fallen in love with the ways designers and bridal houses have risen to the occasion in showcasing their new collections. And Justin Alexander just blew us away with their creative and artistic take this season, so much so that we’re hoping for an encore performance (quite literally) this fall, next spring, next fall, and beyond.
And now, we present, Dancing Into Forever
Why it’s different and what we loved about it
Justin Alexander commissioned the dance to demonstrate an empathy for and understanding of the ups and downs of wedding planning during a pandemic. Interestingly enough, Justin Alexander Warshaw, CEO/Creative Director of Justin Alexander, recently got engaged himself, so the synergy of the project was like life imitating art!
For us, it’s always super fun to get swept up in the energy of bridal market and entranced by the gowns that come down the runway. That said, there’s a certain degree of distance and non-reality when it comes to fashion in the wedding world. A wedding dress isn’t just fashion, it’s an ensemble, it’s a spirit, it’s friendly, it’s familiar, it feels like home, and it feels like love, on stage, IRL. That’s exactly how this Dancing Into Forever collaboration between Justin Alexander and two of New York City Ballet’s brightest talents made us feel. If you watched this as a bride, did you feel equally moved?!!
Principal dancer, Tiler Peck, is perfect (obvi so is her partner, but brides are our favorite). And not only in a “prima ballerina” way - rather, she’s personable, relatable, and she brings such a palpable innocence and depth into her debut as a COVID bride. In the roundtable talk following the video, Tiler notes that she wasn’t sure she’d be able to bring justice to the role of a bride-to-be in the midst of these circumstances (without being a bride herself), but OMG her authenticity was spellbinding.
The video took us through the ultimate rollercoaster that wedding planning during a pandemic has proven to be: starting with the high of an engagement, proceeding into the thrill of dress shopping, descending into the disappointment of changed plans, guest list distress, and general tedium that devoured daily life, and then reaching a turning point of control and resolve when the couple pressed pause to step away from their stressors and remember how lucky they were to find each other.
Our favorite part was the end, of course, when Tiler and her handsome counterpart, Roman Mejia, made things official via a city hall union and a traditional, albeit super intimate wedding ceremony. By the time their nuptials arrived, it was all smiles for the aisle and a final newlywed pas de deux that had the pair reminiscing over their wild wedding ride and dreaming about all the love, laughter, and life to come.
There will be a finale to this, someday soon (we hope)
“We wanted to create something that inspires to-be-weds and retailers around the world. This dance was created to provide hope for the future of weddings and to show brides that in the end, love always wins. Tiler Peck is known as the most musical ballerina who can create a connection to her audience in a moment. We are so lucky to have her and the very talented Roman Mejia bringing this story to life.” ~ Justin Alexander Warshaw
“I loved collaborating with Justin and challenging myself to create, act, and dance a story that encompassed all of the mixed emotions that brides-to-be (like my sister!) have been feeling during this challenging time.” ~ Tiler Peck
Stunning wedding wear will always be there, and even if a packed dance floor isn’t possible right now, you can still dance like nobody’s watching, with the one you can’t live without. To every recently-engaged bride, bride who’s been planning for some time, and/or bride looking forward to a big day on its way, we say “Merde, you’ve got this!” IYKYK!
FOLLOW JUSTIN ALEXANDER ON IG TO SEE EVEN MORE BRAVO BTS ON THIS COLLABORATION + LOTS OF INCREDIBLE REAL-LIFE BRIDE MOMENTS
We partnered with Justin Alexander to give you the highlights of this truly magical dress debut. As always, thanks for supporting our sponsors!