Kleinfeld Love Stories

One of me and Ryan’s favorite places in the world is Hawaii. We live in Portland, so we love any chance to be in the sun. In June of 2015, we decided to go for a week long vacation. I had picked out the ring in November of 2014, so it had been about 7 months since we had gone ring shopping, and with me being as decisive as I am, I knew what I wanted on the first try (to Ryan’s surprise, he thought it was going to take much longer than that!). The trip was a big one for us as I was really hoping this would finally be the time he proposed. After a few days into our trip, we decided to rent a convertible and drive around the island. We usually do this on our trips there, so it wasn’t too much out of the ordinary. The thing out of the ordinary was Ryan’s driving that day. I could tell something was going on when he was weaving in and out of traffic lanes and driving like a complete maniac. After a couple of hours, I finally had to say something and told him to pull over near this empty beach area, where we could just have some alone time and get away from the crowds. We had some snacks and drinks in a cooler, so we grabbed the cooler and went for a walk. We were standing in the surf, just enjoying the view, enjoying being away from Waikiki (I call it Vegas on a beach), and each other’s company, when all of the sudden, Ryan quickly said “I want to be with you forever, so I got you this.” He pulled something out of his pocket and since I feel like I had waited on this moment for SO LONG, I was thinking, if that’s a necklace…. Well, it wasn’t. He dropped to a knee (in the surf, I might add), pulled out the ring from his pocket and asked if I would marry him. It was literally a scene from a movie and I will remember every detail for the rest of my life.

Wow, where do I even begin? First of all, I’ve been a fan of the show for years and always told my mom I would get my dress from Kleinfeld. I had to go to Baltimore for a work trip in November of 2015, so I talked to my mom, my sister, and my soon-to-be mother-in-law, and they all agreed to come all the way out from Portland, Oregon to New York City for a girl’s trip and dress shopping. I love Diane on the show, so I had requested her, not really thinking she would actually be helping me that day. Diane and I walked back into the Pnina room and my whole face LIT UP. She took one look at me and said, “I knew you were going to be a Pnina bride.” I picked out quite a few dresses, but again, back to the decisive thing, I knew exactly which one I would be getting. She didn’t want me to try it on first, so I walked out in another gorgeous Pnina gown. My family was instantly in awe. It was my very first time trying on dresses, in my first dress, in the most magical place in the world (seriously, though). I told them I loved it, but it wasn’t “the one.” They agreed and sent me back to try on more. Next, I came out in THE dress. They were filming SYTTD across the salon and some of the girls had made signs for their friend who was going to be in the show. I walked out in that dress, to gasps, tears and a bunch of people I didn’t know, holding up signs that said, “yes!” Needless to say, there were many amazing emotions. I knew in that moment that this was THE dress. Diane brought over the veil and I looked at myself thinking, “this is exactly what I pictured.” Of course, with my family coming 3,000 miles to try on dresses, they wanted to make sure we went to all of our appointments that day. I wasn’t thrilled about it, as I already knew I would be back, but I went along with it. I told Diane I would be back later that day, and she said, “Oh, I know you will,” with a smirk on her face I might add. Well, she was right. We came back around closing time and I slipped the dress and veil back on, walked out into the empty showroom, took one look in the mirror and just lost it. My whole family started crying (my Dad was on FaceTime) and it was such a special moment. Diane brought out the Pnina rep and we redesigned the back to make it a bit lower, so in the end, I received a custom, couture Pnina Tornai wedding gown! Everyone about died at the wedding and just couldn’t believe how beautiful the dress and veil were. I owe Diane and Pnina everything! I couldn’t have imagined a different experience and couldn’t have been happier! I feel so lucky to have been a Pnina bride. It was something I had always hoped would work out!

The wedding was at Sunriver Resort in Beautiful Bend, Oregon. It’s about 4 hours south of Portland and has a lot more sun and less rain. Fall is absolutely beautiful there, so we decided it was the perfect spot. We hired a coordinator, Elizabeth, through Bridal Bliss (a coordination company out of Portland) and she, Ryan, and I combined our visions together to create something absolutely breathtaking. The ceremony was outside with a huge arch of flowers and foliage. When I walked into the room where the reception was held, tears just started running down my face. I told Ryan, “it was exactly like I had pictured it in my dreams.” The night started with cocktail hour as Ryan and I took some sunset pictures in my beautiful veil and then we headed in for our first dance. I danced in my Pnina dress and had never felt more like a princess in my life. We had dinner, some more drinks, and then Ryan and I surprised everyone with a fun first dance, confetti cannons, and some amazing music. We danced the night away, had a slow motion photo booth (which is hilarious), and a sparkler exit. It was the most magical day of our lives and getting our pictures back was like watching someone else’s day unfold. I still can’t believe it was mine and everything went perfectly without a hitch. Most of all, and arguably one of the most important parts of the wedding, the dress couldn’t have been more perfect and I’m so thankful for everyone’s help in getting me to that point. Thank you Kleinfeld, Diane, and Pnina for making my dress dreams happen!