Married in One Month | The Bridal Collection Real Bride

Like all great love stories, Keller and Katarina’s tale started slow and somewhat unknowingly. They were co-workers working in finance banking, spending copious amounts of time together. So naturally, their business relationship blossomed into a friendship.  When they both were offered jobs in Colorado, they realized that it was the perfect time to take their relationship more seriously and become an official couple. After dating for about a year and a half, Keller popped the question. Katarina knew, without a doubt, that he was her person. She specifically remembers a moment while visiting Keller’s family in Utah when they no longer seemed like just acquaintances, but instead, they truly felt like her family too.

A QUICK TURNAROUND

After getting engaged in December of 2019, they made life altering plans to move across the pond to France for Katarina to attend business school while Keller would work from a Paris office. As a UK citizen, Katarina’s adjustment to the move would be slightly easier, but for Keller to be able to also work and live in France, they would have to get married before their August 2020 move date. This meant they would ultimately have to get married by June 2020 for their plans to work out. That gave them roughly six months to plan a wedding, which is not a ton of time but, of course, still doable. Until COVID hit and all their seemingly perfect plans were nearly ruined. 

A ONE MONTH WEDDING

Katarina initially dreamt of a beachfront wedding in San Diego at a beautiful hotel with 200 of their family and friends. After their venue cancelled and guests began backing out, they had to reevaluate their vision. Luckily, most of their family, and a few of their vendors, were Utah locals so that made the most sense for the next best idea. They also still had to make sure they got married no later than June, no matter what. Even though the new venue of choice was amazing in the planning process, all of the uncertainty made it an extremely stressful time for the newly engaged couple, with less than one month to plan an entirely new wedding. The hardest part was that the venue’s guest count kept changing (due to the ever-changing restrictions); Katarina’s new normal included inviting, then uninviting, and then re-inviting multiple guests. They finalized their guest count at 50, including their bridal party, immediate family, and a few friends. Looking back, they feel like the smaller group was ultimately more intimate. The videographer live streamed the entire day so guests not in attendance could feel a part of all the special moments; this turned out to be one of Katarina’s favorite aspects of the day. The couple recognizes and appreciates how innovative vendors became during these trying times.

DREAM DRESS

Prior to COVID, Katarina had flown to New York City to find her dream dress. She was set on a gown by designer Sareh Nouri. On her first trip to the Big Apple, she found the dress she wanted at Bergdorf Goodman and had planned to fly out three more times for fittings and alterations. As their wedding date drew closer, cities began closing down and, of course, New York was almost completely closed. She was in contact with the designer and Bergdorf’s, while praying for an alternative plan knowing she would never be back in New York in time to try on her dream dress much less have the alterations completed. Katarina felt a little hopeless at this point and even considered wearing a white cocktail dress she had in the back of her closet. At one point, she remembers thinking that as a worst case scenario, they could exchange vows in the backyard and that the dream dress would not matter. That is when Bergdorf’s recommended The Bridal Collection to Katarina as the light at the end of the tunnel. Time was running out, but Bergdorf’s was able to send the dress to The Bridal Collection in Denver, just a couple of weeks prior to the wedding date.

SAVING THE DAY

Katarina recalls talking to the receptionists at The Bridal Collection nearly in tears, hoping we could accommodate her short timeline. The dress needed a reshaped neckline, shortened sleeves, and taken in through the zipper, the side seams, and in the skirt. Katarina came in with a friend and was even lucky enough to find a veil she was obsessed with to complete her look. The alterations were finished in time for the couple to leave for Utah, just days before the wedding. Ultimately, Katarina and Keller both looked amazing on their big day. Through all the trials and tribulations, the details that mattered the most remained unchanged. They shared their vows, surrounded by their most important people both in person and remotely. In the years to come, they will look back and laugh, or at least smile, at every stressful moment that ended up working out just as it should. Making their whirlwind wedding, despite all the many changes right up to the last few days, truly picture perfect.

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