Friday, August 17, 2012

Kristen Found The Dress @ The Dress

Kristen found The Dress @ The Dress for her October 2011 wedding to her fiance Gerald. They met and fell in love as students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  She was on the Illinettes Dance Team and he was on the Illini Drumline, so they rehearsed and performed together as part of the marching band.  




Shortly after they had both started their first jobs out of college, Gerald popped The Question. They were looking forward to a few days off for Labor Day weekend.  Since they had Friday off, they decided to go out on Thursday to kick off the long weekend.  "I suggested going to a cute-looking neighborhood bar we had been meaning to try, but he insisted that we go somewhere 'fancy,' so he made us reservations at a great French restaurant (where we now go every time we have a special occasion to celebrate).On that Thursday, he sent Kristen a huge bouquet of flowers at work – which he had never done before, "so I began to get a little suspicious.  We went on our dinner date and everything was normal, but when we got home, he got quiet and serious.  He said, 'I have a confession to make.  I didn’t go to work yesterday – I drove down and had lunch with your dad.'  Then he got down on his knee and the rest was a complete blur!  I was so excited I could hardly speak, and was only able to say 'yes!' with an enthusiastic nod."



They chose an October date for their wedding because Kristen has always loved fall weather, and it reminds her of school and football season which are the things that first brought them together.  "My brother had been married in October several years before and had perfect weather, so I was hoping for the same (which, fortunately, we got!)."
The ceremony was held at The First Presbyterian Church in Monticello, Illinois, Kristen's hometown. She had grown up attending the church. "It is beautiful and quaint but not too small, so I knew it would be perfect for us."
The reception was at Allerton Mansion, which is also in Kristen's hometown, and perfect for their 150 guests.  "We looked at several types of venues, but fell in love with Allerton immediately because it is gorgeous and unique, and fit perfectly with the “vintage glam” style I wanted for the wedding.  We loved the cozy and intimate feeling of having the reception in an old mansion.  Also, the mansion and its surrounding park and gardens provided a beautiful setting for photos."



When Kristen was choosing The Dress there were a few key things she was looking for, and this dress had them all – strapless, sweetheart neckline, elegant lace, and a little bit of beading.  "Most importantly, I wanted a crystal waist detail or sash.  Nicole and her team pulled out the most gorgeous crystal sash, and as soon as I put it on with the dress it all came together perfectly." She wore a gorgeous trumpet skirt Enzoani Blue gown with lace appliques over vintage-looking netting covered in crystals, pearls, and sequins. She chose a matching veil with the same lace and a beautiful faux flower accented with Swarovski crystals, all from The Dress by Nicole.







"Like most girls, I had been planning my wedding in my head since about 8th grade, and I always wanted my color to be a deep burgundy red.  That is what I was planning on, but I started wanting something different and less “weddingy.”  I was loving all the taupe, nude, and blush dresses that are popular right now, and decided it would be trendy yet elegant for the wedding." Kristen chose B2 bridesmaids dress that had layered two colors of chiffon to get the right shade of taupe for the bridesmaids’ dresses. She accented the gowns with white, ivory, and blush pink flowers.

Kristen's favorite moment of the day was, "once the ceremony and photos were done and we got to the reception, I felt a huge wave of relief.  There was nothing left to do or think about but celebrate and have fun!  It is not often that all of your closest friends and family are in the same place, and we had the best time dancing the night away with everyone."
Their favorite wedding detail was that they incorporated photos of themselves with family and friends in pretty frames as a part of the centerpieces at each table.  "It fit in with the “homey” feel of the reception, and it was fun for guests to walk around and see different photos at all the tables."






Kristen's advice for other brides while planning their big day..."We created a step-by-step agenda of every detail that needed to happen on the wedding day, and then stepped back and figured out what we needed to do and plan to ensure that each step happened exactly as we wanted."
Her advice for the day of..."Relax and let your friends and family help.  You’ve done so much work with planning, now is the time to enjoy it.  My bridesmaids and mom were so great and made sure I had a good breakfast, my hair was just right, and that every detail was taken care of." Kristen and Gerald's beautiful wedding was also featured in a central Illinois wedding magazine and blogged about on Behind Every Bride!


Thank you again Kristen and Gerald for sharing your day with us! If you would like to be featured as a bride that found The Dress @ The Dress contact us!