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!

Noel Found The Dress @ The Dress!

We are starting a new theme with our blog and featuring our fabulous customers that have found The Dress at The Dress by Nicole! Every few weeks we will post the details about her special day and her gorgeous dress. If you are interested in becoming featured as one of our "She Found The Dress @ The Dress” brides please contact us at nicole@shopthedress.com and we'd love to hear about your day! 

 

Noel found The Dress @ The Dress for her October 2010 wedding to her fiance Jeff in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. They met in high school through mutual friends and started dating shortly after.

The ceremony was at St. Hubert's Church, where Jeff grew up attending. They chose October for their wedding because October is Jeff's favorite month and Chicago weather can be unpredictable, but fall is usually pretty stable. Noel also loved the fall colors and knew it would be beautiful that time of year. 

The reception was at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle and they wanted to be surrounded by the gorgeous oranges, yellows, and reds of the fall trees. They also chose that reception location because it was one of the most unique places they had seen and it was perfect for their 200 guests.

 

 

 
Noel's favorite moment of the day was being up at the altar with Jeff, smiling at each other, saying their vows. "I just remember being really, really excited that we were getting married,” says Noel. “Another moment might seem silly, but with all of the rush of getting ready, I never actually looked at myself in a mirror after I was all ready.  Finally when I was in the bathroom at the reception, I walked by a mirror and realized ‘Oh my goodness, I’m wearing my dress, this is my wedding!’ I was so happy, and never wanted to take the dress off." 

Noel chose a gorgeous mermaid Kitty Chen Couture gown with ruched taffeta and beaded lace appliques. The skirt was layered tulle trimmed with lace and the bodice had a corset back that accentuated her gorgeous figure. The gown was topped off with a beautiful cathedral length veil with scattered Swarovski crystals, rhinestone clusters, and silver edging. 

 I was lucky to attend the ceremony of their wedding and it was absolutely gorgeous! My brother was one of the groomsmen and has been friends with the couple since high school. Noel is a dance teacher so the church was filled with her young students and their parents. Also because the couple grew up in the neighborhood, there were many neighbors and friends that attended the ceremony to support the couple and get a glimpse of the beautiful bride.

Noel's favorite/unique detail of the wedding: "I LOVED my seating chart at the reception.  Since Jeff and I had been together for so long, we decided to theme our tables with different milestones throughout our relationship; school dances, vacations, graduations, first dates, first homes, etc. My aunt is an artist and she designed the most beautiful timeline of our relationship that designated who sat at which table.  I now have that hanging in my home.  It’s so important to me because not only does it capture so many of Jeff and my moments, but it also has the name of every person who attended our wedding."

Timeline table seating chart painted by Noel's aunt

 Noel's advice to other brides while planning is, “to be sure to take your time and enjoy!  Try not to get stressed about sticking to timelines - when you have to book the photographer, the florist, buy shoes, etc. There are so many things to do, but if you rush through everything, you get lost in planning a very important event that will only happen once in your life.  Also, shop for the dress as much as you can!  There is nothing more fun than trying on dresses!!"

@ The Morton Arboretum

Her advice for other brides on the actual wedding day is, "people kept telling me to take it all in and don’t rush through the day, so I tried really hard to listen to that advice.  It wasn’t all a blur to me.  I remember every moment because I enjoyed every moment.  Also, take a few minutes to spend some time just with your husband.  At one point after dinner, Jeff and I sat outside by ourselves to kind of just say hi and talk.  There are so many people who want to see you during the day that it becomes easy to forget to spend time with the person you just married!" 

Thank you Noel and Jeff for sharing your day with us!