Our Bride, Christina: Customized Gown to Perfection

Written by: Clare Spencer

Photography by: Marco Art Photography

www.marcoartphotography.com

Some girls have no clue what they want when it comes to their wedding gown, (and there's nothing wrong with that), others have been envisioning their special day for years. From the flavor of cake and flower arrangements right down to the smallest of details, some girls have it planned and won't settle for anything less than perfection. Of course, for these types of girls, when it comes to their dream wedding dress it has to be just right. They want to feel like a bride and get excited every time they even think about putting the gown on and naturally, the gown has to be everything they wanted and more.

Christina visited countless shops, including the famous Kleinfeld's in New York, before she found her way to Mimi's Bridal. She wanted to get excited about a gown but thus far nothing had struck her fancy and she was beginning to worry. She decided to stop in after work one day by herself. As soon as she started trying on the Hayley Paige gowns she began to feel the excitement she was looking for.

"I knew that I wanted to have one of these dresses for my wedding day."

She planned to return with some family and friends during a Hayley Paige trunk show so that they too could share in the moment of finding her gown. At the trunk show, Christina was able to customize the dress into a practically whole new design. It was everything she wanted. Through the designer, they were able to combine the bodice of one dress with the skirt of another (Josi top with Dori bottom). Later on, during alterations at Mimi's, the in-house seamstress and fitters were able to add beaded straps that matched the bead-work of the bodice; the finishing touches to Christina's perfect wedding gown.

The bride's advice: "Don't settle on a dress, keep looking and find the one you are truly excited to wear!!"

What's one of the best ways to propose? Answer: with ice cream, of course! Christina's now husband, Robert, called in some favors when he proposed at Treat Dreams in Ferndale. Treat Dreams is the couple's favorite ice cream shop. Like any classic ice cream parlor this one has a weekly flavor board with all the different flavors listed. On one particular day when the couple decided they needed a frozen treat, one of the special flavors read, "Will you marry me, Christina?" I'm thinking Christina went with that one.

It was a sunny August day when Christina was able to finally wear her wedding gown down the aisle. Christina was married to Robert at the Clarkston United Methodist Church which is located in Clarkston. Their reception was held at the Pine Knob Carriage House, also located in Clarkston. The couple chose these venues because both are located in their hometown. Their wedding was beautifully cohesive, from the mix and match bridesmaids dresses in all varieties of the blue color family to the church floral decorations to the frosted sugar cookie guest favors. Every detail worked well together. And yes, Christina was excited to wear her customized, one of a kind, Hayley Paige wedding gown.

"Thank you to the staff at Mimi's, everything was perfect."