Story time! I’ve always loved pictures, because they can hold so much meaning and almost always carry an untold story! Here’s a #tbt to that one time I wore the prettiest dress I’ve ever worn on the best day ever… our wedding day. I had never owned that many dresses, nor many fancy outfits. So this topped it all. I never even thought in a million years it was possible to have a dress from one of my favorite wedding dress designers. It very truly and honestly just wasn’t the plan. As a *just for fun* wedding planning outing, I set up my very first dress search appointment at a trunk show with my mom and sister…just so we could dream a little, have a girly outing, eat some cake, and try on any dress I wanted. I already knew the price tag made them all out of the question. A little window shopping never hurt! For the first outing I thought, you don’t find it on the first try anyway, right? The designer, Claire Pettibone came out to chat with us about the dresses. When I tried on this one, she told us more about it. It was a sample straight off of the runway model who wore it and it was a lot cheaper because it was basically a rejected prototype design. The buyers had already chosen to produce one that looked a lot like it. It ended up being the only one made…which meant you had to buy it “as is”.  It looked a little dirty and beaten from being worn by the models…the right sleeve/strap hanging on by thin strands. Even in that condition, it was still so pretty to me and at a price we didn’t expect. So it became mine! The catch… It was a dress already made for a size 2 (tall) model… of which I am not. I was nervous… but I found an amazing seamstress (named Grace) who literally worked magic and then some. Seriously. It was evening gown style, but she even added the toned down train I wanted. Grace made it happen. It fit me so perfectly on the big day and I was so excited for Omar to see me in it! Being the photographer that I am, I wished I could’ve taken photos at my wedding. But of course… how in the world was I going to make that happen? It was the least of my worries, since I was just so ecstatic to marry my best friend. I was stress free and worry free, the most ever in my life… because I was completely at peace and had never been more sure about anything in my life… I wanted to marry my man.  The photo above, someone happened to pick up my cell phone and took it when I wasn’t paying attention. It looks so glamorous, but I’m pretty sure I was just walking my way to the bathroom.

So here I am… in a dress I never thought was necessary or even possible… a *rejected* design that never went into production, the only dress made… truly one of a kind. It was a special unexpected little treat. I thought it was such a cool story… something so beautiful that just didn’t quite make the cut elsewhere (crazily enough)…  but couldn’t have been more stunning to me. Omar loved it too! Even as gorgeous as I felt in the dress that day, what made me feel priceless wasn’t all the nice fabric and fanciness, it was that look on my husband’s face when he saw me for the first time in that dress, his heart on display. Wouldn’t trade that for a million years.

Photo By Jen Rodriguez

Two of my favorite wedding dress designers, Claire Pettibone and Anna Campbell (2013 Gossamer collection) were the inspiration behind my dress… we added a not too over the top train because I’m more shy like that, and some sleeve beading detail to drape my shoulders.

Photo by Megan King