Photographer
Bethany Meister Photography

Venue
Minneapolis Central Library

There is just so much to say about this couple. Katy + Kathy are two of the coolest brides that I have the pleasure of knowing and had the honor of working with. I first met Katy during her wedding dress search when she brought her closest girlfriends into the atelier for some shopping and champagne. Katy was beaming about her upcoming wedding. She told me all about her fiance, and even though I had not met Kathy yet, I was getting a sense of how special she was.

After trying on a few dresses, Katy put on the Dove from the Take Flight collection. She loved the wrap style, shape of the neckline, buttery crepe through the skirt, and it’s pockets!! But most importantly, she said that she felt like herself in the dress. That’s a theme that both Katy and Kathy would return to throughout the dress making process.   

Katy came back to the atelier about a week later for measurements and to go over some customizations that we would make to her wedding dress. This time, Kathy was with her, so Katy and I whispered our plans as Kathy relaxed on the couch nearby.

At the end of Katy’s appointment, Kathy pulled me aside and asked if she could come back with her daughter. After seeing one of our pantsuits, Kathy thought that something like that would be ideal for her. She and her lovely daughter Sarah came back and also decided on a look from the Take Flight collection. Kathy loved the Wren pantsuit and also chose to customize it with a halter neckline. It was a familiar cut, as she often wore that neckline casually and when working in her garden. She felt beautiful and comfortable in a halter neckline. Kathy also chose to have her suit made in black! A color choice is always a fun customization for this designer!

Both Kathy and Katy met with me for fittings over the next few months. Neither of them knew what the other was wearing. In cahoots with Katy’s niece Stephany, Sarah, and Kathy’s good friend Joan, we made sure that both customized wedding garments complemented each other. Both Kathy and Katy wanted to be surprised by what the other was wearing so it was not too difficult to keep things secret.

Each bride started with muslin fittings and then were fitted with the final fabric; Kathy in black and Katy in white. I loved getting to know each of these incredible women throughout our fittings. They shared their touching love story and how they met at the Minneapolis Central Library. Both are major book worms and had so much else in common. They beamed when they talked about each other. Katy expressed deep appreciation for Kathy’s strength and Kathy admired Katy’s emotional intelligence. Fittings were such a blast and we counted down the days to their wedding.

One of my greatest takeaways from creating each of these bride’s customized wedding ensembles, was how true they stayed to themselves. There are so many dresses out there for brides, but these two women made sure to find something that truly represented each of them. That’s a big part of what I try to provide to brides through custom wedding dresses, pantsuits, as well as our collections. Finding the right garment to wear for your wedding is not a small task because there are so many factors to consider such as budget, venue, and style. It’s easy to get lost in the search and forget the most important criteria, authenticity to one’s self.  Finding something that makes you feel beautiful and honors your style and truly represents you. For some that might be a black pantsuit and for others that could be a white wedding dress.

The first time these lovebirds see each other! Love this moment when they just take it all in!

Kathy did all the flowers for the wedding!

I was honored to be a guest at their wedding and it was one of the most touching ceremonies I have witnessed. It was personal, welcoming, and inspiring. My favorite part (though it is hard to choose) was the recitation of Justice Kennedy’s opinion on Obergefell v. Hodges. There was not a dry eye in the house.

“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right," Kennedy wrote.

Loved spending the evening with this incredible group of people.