Kleinfeld Love Stories

Engaged:

There’s a few little details that are important before hearing how he proposed, Drew has been my best friend since I was 12. My crush innocently developed around the age of 14 and by 15, I couldn’t live my life without him and apparently he felt the same way. We began dating at age 15, dating all through high school, college, law school for him, and here we are… still loving each other more and more every day since children.

Drew and I were visiting home for the weekend from college to see my parents. When I walk inside my dad greets me and says that mom is finishing up getting ready for dinner and to go check out what mom did with the dock while we wait. (This is common- my mom’s empty nest syndrome has led her to re-do the house). Drew and I open the back door to find paper lanterns lining the pathway to the dock. The bay is smooth and the night sky is purple. I look at Drew confused and then look back down towards the dock. I see giant lit up canvases mounted to each side of the dock with pictures of us throughout the 8 years of us being best friends. The end of the dock had a newly-made white pavilion covered with stringing lights and chandeliers. Once capturing all of these details from afar I started to hyperventilate and repeatedly asked “Oh my gosh!!! Is this what I think it is?” Drew laughs and grabs me, leading me down the dock and I can slightly feel him shaking from the nerves, then is when my first tear came. After reminiscing at each canvas we get to the end of the dock where there is a chandelier, Persian rug, a gorgeous tuft couch and a golden champagne stand with a bottle and 2 glasses in it. He grabs me by the arms and sits me down on the couch while getting down on one knee. He tells me how he’s loved me for years yet his love has grown and grown for me each day. He tells me that he wanted to ask me to be his wife right here in this spot on the dock because it was exactly where he had asked me to be his girlfriend 7 years prior. He tells me how he had been waiting for this moment because to him I was so much more than his “girlfriend”, I was his soul mate, his world, his future wife. He pulls out the ring box from his blazer, pops open the box and asks “Will you marry me?”.

Designer:

Kleinfeld Consultant:

My dress was scribbled in a notebook titled “Maria & Drew’s Wedding” that I created at age 14… the funny part was, after I found my dress, I pulled out the book and the dress I got from Kleinfeld was EXACTLY the same as my drawing!! All of these years later and I still wanted a princess, sweetheart strapless lace bodice gown with a tulle skirt.

I visited New York City with my mom, both of my grandmothers, my maid of honor and my dad for the hunt for the perfect wedding dress. After multiple stores and appointments all weekend, I hadn’t fallen in love nor had I found exactly what I was looking for. Kleinfeld was our last appointment, and by the end of our trip, it was our last hope. We walk into Kleinfeld in complete awe at the beauty of the store. Diana meets us in the lobby and star struck my entire family follows her to our dressing area on the floor. I describe to Diana exactly what I want with every detail and she responds “uh huh uh huh okay I’ll be right back” and darts off in a blink. She comes back in a few minutes with what I think may be the dress. I try it on, walk out to my family, and all of the sudden there isn’t a dry eye in my group! Everyone in tears, on the first dress… IT WAS IT! Something that nobody told me was that putting on the veil is the absolute best part! I am so overly in love with my veil and that was something I didn’t expect. I felt like a princess.

I said yes to the dress that I scribbled in my notebook when I was just a girl!

Married:

Location:

Venue:

Wow. If I could put my wedding into one word, thats what it would be. I tear up writing this as I look back at my wedding day truly being the most spectacular day of my life because it was the day my best friend, my dream man of 10 years became MY man, MY husband! I was on cloud nine and nothing could happen that would bring me down.

I woke up on my wedding day, opened the door from the bridal suite to find hundreds of sticky notes covering the walls.. (that was Drew’s thing when we were younger). They were all reasons why Drew loved me! And another reason why I loved him and couldn’t wait to marry him!

The ceremony was in the most stunning place I’ve ever seen and it’s still a dream to me that I got to get married there. Alys Beach, a small town on 30a in Florida, has a luxurious Mediterranean feel, white mansions right on the ocean, feeling like you’re in Greece and nowhere near Florida. Drew lost it at the end of the isle, which is quite ironic because I’ve only seen him cry once in all 10 years we’ve been inseparable. We wrote our own vows, kissed (at the foot of a 7 ft. floral cross that I still dream about), and officially became Mr. & Mrs. Hill!

We rode in our 1960’s Rolls Royce to the reception in Watercolor, FL to arrive at a white garden and twinkling lights that I only thought was in my head for all of those years, and now it came to life! We cried at speeches, enjoyed the cigar and bourbon bar and danced the night away. I still hear from all of our guests, how emotional and fantastic our wedding day was. A day that truly exceeded all of my dreams.