Kleinfeld Love Stories

Engaged:

Lucas and I met nearly 10 years ago as high school sophomores in German class. By the summer leading into our senior year, we fell in love after over a year of close friendship. Although others said we would not last through freshman year of college, we followed each other to Clemson University and only become closer. Fast forward to the fall of 2021, we were traveling to Clemson, South Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with our friends who still lived in the area. The day after the holiday, my mom and I were walking around the tiny downtown area when she suddenly and somewhat randomly wanted to head into campus to take pictures. As we made our way up the sidewalk, I saw Lucas walking towards us with his parents. He took my hand and led me to an area of campus called Presidents Park. There is a Clemson Legend that if you and your partner walk through the park and hold hands in the gazebo as freshman, you will later get married. This is the tradition that Lucas and I took part in when we were 18 years old. There he got down on one knee, told me how much he loved me, how much he wanted us to be together forever, and asked me to be his wife. I was so excited that I also dropped to my knees, so I could meet him at eye level and put the ring on my finger myself. Then, our closest college friends rushed out from the nearby bushes to come celebrate with us with a bottle of champagne. It was a beautiful fall day and our proposal, while private in the moment, was made even better by having the company of our closest family and friends. It is a day we will never forget.

In February of 2022, I moved from Detroit, Michigan to Easton, Pennsylvania to move in with Lucas after two years of long distance. My mom was helping me with the move, so we decided it would be a great opportunity to visit NYC in order to try on wedding dresses at Kleinfeld Bridal. Before my appointment, I looked through some dress options on their website. I knew that no matter what, I wanted my dress to have a lot of embellishment and detail. I came across the designer Tony Ward and fell in love with three dresses available in the store. When we had our appointment, I tried on the Molly dress first and instantly felt like bride for the first time. I loved the subtle sparkle, 3d floral appliqués, and the plunging neckline. I loved that it matched the garden theme I was envisioning for my wedding day. While I initially thought I wanted something form fitting, the A-Line silhouette and layers of tulle gave it a WOW factor that I could not resist. We tried on a couple more dresses to be sure, but I knew right away that this was THE dress. We ended up purchasing the gown as well as a cathedral length veil with similar floral details by Pnina Tornai. When I had my first fitting nearly two years later, the dress fit perfectly and I only ended up needing a hem. It truly felt like the dress was made for me.

Married:

Location:

Venue:

A little over two years after I said “yes!” to the dress, our wedding day finally arrived! We held our wedding in Charleston, South Carolina at the Venue Middleton Place. It’s a gorgeous country estate, dating back to the pre-revolutionary war period, boasting the oldest formal gardens in the United States. We held our ceremony in what the venue refers to as the Octagonal Garden which is a Versailles-inspired garden that was designed by the same landscaper/architect who completed Versailles. Charleston has always held a special place in our hearts since our very first visit four years ago, and with so many friends and family living in the area, we felt it was the perfect location to have our wedding. We said our vows underneath a massive oak tree covered in Spanish moss, overlooking the Ashley River, while our guests sat in the front rows of the garden. Our wedding colors were dusty blue, blush, and white. Floral arrangements hung from the garden’s birdbath, along the ends of the aisle, as well as at the alter. Lucas teared up when he saw me in my dress during our first look. Lucas donned his father’s suit (our unintentional “something borrowed” which is a story for another time) and all of the groomsmen wore blue thistle boutonnieres. From the linens and the bridesmaid dresses to my shoes, the color dusty blue was a focal point throughout the wedding. We held our reception in the venue’s indoor space, called the Pavillion, which has beautiful floor to ceiling windows that showcases the vast property. We brought the outdoors inside by hanging greenery from the ceiling. We had a choreographed first dance to Ed Sheeran’s “How Would You Feel” that took months of learning as we have never danced before. While the day was unseasonably cold for the coastal southeastern city, the vibe of the day felt warm, welcoming, and inviting. My husband and I keep reliving this day in our heads and will never forget how special and beautiful it all was.