Lindsey found The Dress @ The Dress for her August 2011 wedding to her fiance Josh. The couple met during her sophomore year and Josh’s senior year at University of Wisconsin. Josh’s fraternity, Sigma Chi, was hosting
their week-long philanthropy called Derby Days where all the sororities compete
in different events with one another."A bunch of my sorority sisters and I went to an event where the boys were being auctioned off throughout the night. Eventually, Josh and 3 of his fraternity brothers did a dance to the song Foxy Lady on stage in front of the entire bar. Later on, I overhead two guys talking about my best friend and how they met her the night before and laughing. I thought they were making fun of her so I turned around and said 'Hey! That’s my best friend!' They reassured me they were discussing how funny they thought she was. They then told me they had been a part of the group that was up on stage for the dance and I did not believe that Josh had been up there. Immediately my best friend brought over photos and proved me wrong that Josh was in fact on stage!" And the rest is history!
"We had never really discussed getting engaged or when it would happen or our wedding but we both knew we were going to get married. A week before I was leaving to move to Arizona for school, I finished my last day at my summer job. My coworkers had planned on taking me out to dinner for my last day but had told me something had come up so we went to lunch instead. I got a text from my Mom on my way home asking how my last day went and she told me that the garage was broken so to use the front door when I was coming home. I didn’t think anything of it and said okay. I tried to call Josh and he didn’t answer and then I got a text from him saying he was running and he’d call me later. I pulled up to my house and opened the front door and immediately my jaw dropped. I was greeted in the entryway with dozens and dozens of candles and rose petals leading throughout the house. As I followed the candles I looked out the back window and saw Josh surrounded by candles and flowers and on one knee. I was just in so much shock I stared at him until I finally walked out onto the deck. All I could say was “What are you doing here!” Because I had talked to him earlier and he had told me he was golfing all day…and was in Arizona! I just kept repeating that over and over again. Josh told me to come over to him where he grabbed my hand asked me to marry him! I immediately said yes! I just couldn’t believe how much he surprised me and was still in shock to as to how he pulled it off! Our families were waiting down the street at a restaurant to celebrate with us and he had told none of my friends because he didn’t want it to get back to me! That night I surprised many of my friends with the fact that I was engaged and we enjoyed the rest of our night with a big celebration with all our family and friends!"
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| Lindsey and Josh's engagement night |
They got engaged in August 2009 but even after she moved to Arizona they were still living 2 1/2 hours apart because of work and school. Her graduate school program was two years long, and did not want to start the marriage off as a long distance marriage so they waited until they were living in the same area. So, even though they did not want a super long engagement they waited until she finished school in August 2011 and she had also always wanted a summer wedding anyway.
"We chose to get married at Hammerschmidt Chapel in Elmhurst because my sister had gotten married there and I fell in love with the church. It is such a beautiful church and I loved every detail about it. It was exactly what I had always pictured in my mind. We chose to have our reception at the Abbington because I had always envisioned a very elegant setting and that is the exact feel I received from the Abbington. I could see every detail of the wedding come together when I went to visit the Abbington and I knew the food was amazing!" It was perfect for their 200 guests.
Lindsey started her search for The Dress. "I had not thought very much about my wedding until I got engaged but
when asked what I wanted my dress to look like after our engagement, the first
thing that popped into my head was lace. I knew I wanted a very delicate lace
dress. When I walked into The Dress by Nicole I was amazed at all the beautiful
lace dresses in the store. But the intricate detail of the lace on my Air
Barcelona Debora dress and train awed me. It was so delicate and perfect. The jeweled
broach I knew was a must because it gave just enough sparkle to match my
personality and make the dress stand out for me and knew it was the one! I then
picked out chandelier jeweled earrings to go with the sparkle on the broach, a
jeweled bracelet, and a jeweled hair piece that matched the broach on the dress
that all added just enough sparkle and fit the elegant theme of the lace dress-
all from The Dress By Nicole.
To fit my personality and my love for pink I added pink glittered Kate Spade
shoes that made every detail perfect and very much me!"
Lindsey's absolute favorite color is pink and she's am obsessed with anything
pink! "I didn’t want my wedding to explode pink but when thinking about my
colors all I could think about were different shades of pink. I wanted everything
to be very elegant so decided to add a pop of color and put my bridesmaids in
long hot pink chiffon dresses and a hot pink bow on the flower girls dress
(also from The Dress By Nicole!) and kept the rest of the décor and flowers pale
pink and white throughout the ceremony and the church so it wasn’t complete hot
pink craziness!"
Lindsey's favorite moment of the day was when she finally got to see Josh
at the ceremony. "The entire ride in the limo to the ceremony I just kept saying
I cannot wait to see Josh! I cannot wait to see Josh! The second my best friend
started singing 'Feels Like Home' as I walked down the aisle, I could not stop
smiling. I just felt the most amazing feeling when I saw him and an
overwhelming feeling of happiness. I will never forget the look on Josh’s face
when I first saw him and the look in his eyes when he took my hands and said
his vows. It is something I will never forget!"
Her favorite detail of the wedding was that she chose
to walk down the aisle to the song “Feels Like Home.” "The song encompasses
everything I love about Josh and the fact that our love makes me feel like I’m
home and safe." Her best friend sang the song as Lindsey walked down the aisle. "I felt like it made our ceremony really personable and about us. I will never
forget the feeling I got when I heard the music change and heard the beginning
of the song as my best friend began to sing. Our reverend then based a lot of
the ceremony service on the song and our love for one another and it really
made our ceremony personable and about our love for one another."
Her advice for other brides..."is to not get all caught up in the craziness of planning the wedding. When you are way overly stressed looking at your checklist, deadlines and listening to what everyone else wants and expects of you, take a deep breath and remember what this day is all about…the beginning of the rest of your life with the man of your dreams. Remember your doing this to celebrate YOUR marriage and the beginning of your journey and that everything else will fall into place perfectly!"
Thank you Lindsey and Josh for sharing their beautiful day with us! I can still remember Lindsey coming in over Thanksgiving to try dresses on when she found The Dress! If you would like to be featured as a bride that found The Dress @ The Dress contact us!
