Jeanie Found The Dress at The Dress

      

Jeanie found The Dress @ The Dress for her 2011 New Year's Eve Wedding to her husband John. The couple met through mutual friends. She had a birthday party at her house for a mutual friend and one of them decided to invite John (who had just gotten home from a 3 week tour of Europe). "It was a perfect time in our lives for both of us," says Jeanie.

How John popped THE question... "I always told John I’m impossible to surprise so he would have to be pretty crafty to surprise me when he proposed. It was a Monday night and I came home from work with a pizza, to my father and John waiting for a plumber to look at something around the house. The plumber never showed up (which I thought was weird, but no big deal). So my father left and John and I ate dinner then decided to go to Petsmart (since my dog needed food. Yea, real romantic, right? :) On the way home from Petsmart John turned a different way, which I didn’t think twice about. He then pulled into a park nearby (which we went to on one of our first dates) and said he thought we could take a walk (we did that frequently so I didn’t think anything of it). There were kids playing in the gazebo so he said let’s just sit down and talk so we did and then I started getting suspicious. I looked at his pockets and didn’t see a ring box-so figured I was just crazy. The kids finally left and we walked in the gazebo and were looking at all the names on the inside- he then grabbed me and told me how much I meant to him and got down on one knee...I don’t remember the rest, I was SO excited!!!!"

Jeanie and John chose to hold their ceremony at Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church in Orland Park, Illinois where Jeanie attended growing up. New Years Eve was chosen because, "we figured everyone is always looking for a good party for New Years and we never wanted to have a super long engagement." Jeanie also LOVES Christmas time and how beautiful everything is always decorated. "We chose the church I grew up in for our ceremony, it’s stunning!"

 
The couple chose Grotto Italian Steakhouse in Oak Brook for their reception. "Good food was one of our biggest priorities so I looked at Italian restaurants (since I am Italian) and Grotto happened to fit everything we dreamed of!" It was perfect for their 190 guests. Jeanie chose their wedding colors, black and white, with a touch of red. "I thought it was perfect for the time of year and also very elegant and timeless."

Jeanie chose The Dress @ The Dress because, "I wanted something different, yet still elegant. The second I put it on with the belt I knew it was perfect!" She wore a gorgeous organza Aire Barcelona gown with a ruched bodice and ruffled swirls on the skirt. She chose the perfect sparkly ribbon belt to accent her waist and a feather flower in her hair. She pulled in the winter theme with a faux fur wrap and her bridesmaids wore taffeta empire waist style gowns with pleating on the bodice to match Jeanie's. She found it all at The Dress by Nicole.

Jeanie's favorite unique detail at the wedding was the cake. "We decided to have cupcakes with custom damask wrappers stacked to look like a big square cake. They were chocolate with peanut butter mousse and were SO good!"

"My favorite moment of the day was when my father walked me down the aisle and we turned the corner and I saw the man of my dreams crying as he watched me walk towards him."

 

"My advice for other brides is to not worry about what other people will think or say. It is your day, so make it everything you ever wanted-it goes by EXTREMELY quick!" Advice for other brides on the actual wedding day... "Enjoy every single moment. Do not worry that something will go wrong-just spend your time enjoying everything you do with your new husband, family, and friends," says Jeanie.

Thank you Jeanie and John for sharing your day with us! If you found The Dress @ The Dress we'd love to feature you! Let us know!