An Intimate and Understated Affair | The Bridal Collection Real Bride

SAYING YES

When Jessie first met her husband Chris, they were both recently out of serious relationships and not quite ready to settle down. A year later, they reconnected when Jessie was moving into a family home that has been passed down through multiple generations. She asked Chris to come over and help her remove old wallpaper during a hot summer day. He handled the heat, meeting her parents, and the manual labor—all with flying colors. In that moment, she knew he was the one. Jessie knew where they were headed all along, but waited patiently for Chris to propose and enjoyed their time dating. One afternoon, while on a cheese and wine picnic at a lake near their home, Chris asked her the most important question of his life—to be his wife. She of course said yes!

A QUARANTINE WEDDING

The proposal happened during the first few weeks of quarantine, so they knew wedding planning process would be need to be done virtually. Like many of us, they assumed that by the fall, normal life would resume and they could have the celebration they were planning. They chugged along until June and realized there did not seem to be an end in sight. They had always wanted their ceremony to be small, understated, and mainly just family, so they decided to have a ceremony and leave the big party of a reception with all their friends for a later date.

NO PRESSURE

As a model and bridal stylist, Jessie has seen her fair share of beautiful and unique gowns. Her many years as a stylist at The Bridal Collection made her fall in love with wedding dress designer Savannah Miller. She wanted a Savannah dress that would give her that timeless, yet fashion-forward look. Her plans of a smaller, intimate ceremony gave her an ethereal vision that was also minimalistic and understated. Our owner and store manager arranged a secret and private shopping experience after hours for Jessie and her mom so she could try on the two Savannah Miller gowns she had been eyeing for months—styles “Adeline” and “Avalon.” After only trying on the two gowns, she knew Adeline was the one, and she said yes.

BEAUTIFULLY UNDERSTATED

The sleek and structured gown was everything Jessie wanted and more. With dainty straps and an elegant feel, her Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy inspo was finally coming to life. She frequently asked Chris what he thought she would wear, and he jokingly said, “a tie-dye two piece with a cape.” Little did he know, Jessie planned on incorporating a cape into her bridal look for part of the day. Jessie loves mixing up accessories and was torn between adding her favorite leather jacket or a cape. She decided the cape was more her bridal style. After the ceremony, Jessie discreetly replaced her veil with the cape before heading to take some couples portraits. When Chris saw the cape, he was stunned (in the best way possible).

Jessie did not want the pressure of everyone’s expectations of her wedding dress to taint her vision. She wanted the understated gown to be the statement that spoke the loudest. She revels in how she just wanted to feel beautiful. Jessie looks back on how not only did she feel beautiful, but the day was simply perfect. From getting ready in the same home where she and Chris fell in love—the same home where her grandparents lived and her mom grew up—to having their first dance under a tree that she and her sisters climbed as little girls, the day was special, intimate, and everything they never knew they always wanted. They soaked in every moment as they remained present in the most perfect backyard wedding.