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Wedding Stories

March 2, 2013

Real Wedding: Elizabeth & Adam

Elizabeth and Adam share how they filled their wedding day with the things they love most.

The Scene: October 20th, 2012, in Denver, Colorado

On our wedding day, the most important thing to us was to incorporate as many things and people we love as possible. Among our favorite things on Earth are family, friends, music, beer, food and having a good time with said favorites. We got married on the most beautiful Colorado fall day—October 20th, 2012—at Highlands Lutheran Church, followed by a reception at Space Gallery in the Art District of Denver. It was the most incredible experience in the world to share so many sweet moments with the most important people in our life—all in one space!

We have amazingly talented friends and family, and our wedding day was so lovely because they shared their gifts with us. Some of our favorite personal touches of the wedding day were:

  • our beautiful cake was made by a good friend
  • the bridal processional was arranged by another friend
  • two friends performed the song that I walked down the aisle to (“Somebody Loved” by the Weepies)
  • an original song was composed by a friend for our recessional
  • Reed Grimm and the Shoeless Revolution led an amazing dance party
  • pint glasses were designed by another talented friend of ours as favors

Our beer-themed wedding reception involved some of our local craft beer favorites as well as beer that was home-brewed by our friends. Serendipity Catering did an amazing job with our beer-pairing menu, which suggested craft beers to go with all of our food options. We choose to DIY the majority of our flowers and centerpieces, and I was blessed to have an army of women pull all of that together to make our day beautiful and just right. Our families have preceded us with an incredible legacy of marriage, and we honored them by having their wedding photos placed around the art gallery.

My Wedding Stylist: Stacey Kallenberg at the Nordstrom Wedding Suite in Lone Tree, Colorado

My visit to the Nordstrom Wedding Suite was far and away the best dress-shopping experience I had. It was my last appointment after a marathon day of dress-shopping with my mom, who had come in from out of town along with my cousin and aunt. Aside from the obvious reasons of wanting to get the just-right dress, there was an added desire to find the perfect dress: As a gift when I was in college, my maternal grandparents—who have since passed—gave me money so they could buy my wedding dress one day. It is, to date, one of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received.

My stylist Stacey was extremely helpful and professional about listening to what I wanted and putting me in dresses she thought I might like. I found many beautiful dresses, but not The One until the very last dress I tried—a lace gown by James Clifford. It was a bit outside of what I thought I was looking for, but it turned out to be perfect! I never imagined feeling like a princess on my wedding day, as I’m just not that type of dreamer, but I really did feel beautiful.

Stacey made sure she stayed very, very accessible to me whenever I had questions or needed to get in touch. She also helped me with undergarments and gave great advice on both shoes and how to incorporate vintage jewelry that belonged to both of my grandmothers. The tailor I worked with was wonderful and worked within my time constraints to make my dress fit perfectly. The service at Nordstrom was top-notch, and I felt like I was in great hands during every step of the process.

Special Moment: The most romantic part of the day by far was when my groom surprised me by performing “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds. Be still, my heart! We accomplished our goal of throwing a great party to celebrate, and ending the day as the love of my life’s wife made the day perfect in every way.

Photography by Kevin Von Qualen

Did you find your wedding gown at Nordstrom? We love a good wedding story! E-mail Nordstrom Wedding Stories for details about getting your wedding featured on our blog. And for more inspiration, make a complimentary appointment with a Wedding Stylist or browse our Wedding Suite.

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February 21, 2013

Real Wedding: Jefferson & Ashley

Ashley shares the details of her big day—and her friendship with Wedding Stylist Christy.

The Scene: October 27, 2012, at Still Waters Vineyards, Paso Robles, CA

From the day Jefferson and I got engaged, we knew we wanted our wedding to be an intimate, fun and nontraditional event for our guests—all about family and our love of wine. By having a destination wedding at a small vineyard in California, we were able to bring that vision to reality. The day was a dream come true for both of us.

We wanted our family and friends to feel as though they were attending an amazing party with great food and wine. To keep the guest count low, we made the decision to invite only those people who were in our life on a regular basis.

We asked my uncle to become “Deputy for the Day” to perform our ceremony. He has been an instrumental person in our lives, and we couldn’t think of anyone else we would want to marry us. Also, because I am an only child and my parents have been my best friends my whole life, it was fitting to have both of them walk me down the aisle. It is a memory I will hold close forever.

We also included our golden retriever, Napa, in the ceremony. She was the “flower dog” and filled her role with great stride!

My Wedding Stylist:
Christy Weidner at The Wedding Suite in Scottsdale, AZ

From the moment I met Christy, I knew I would be working with her for all our wedding needs. We just clicked right away, and I knew she would understand my style and desired look for the wedding, even though I didn’t have an exact dress in mind. We had e-mailed back and forth a few times before meeting, so when I arrived for the first shopping experience she had several dresses picked out for me. Christy was extremely professional, an excellent communicator through the whole process, personable and such a happy person.

My Look: The dress was by Nicole Miller, the Off-the-Shoulder Portrait Techno Metal Gown. It had shades of ivory and metallic gold. I accessorized with the Nina ‘Claire’ veil, kate spade new york ‘gerbera garden’ bracelet, Nadri ‘Princess’ earrings and the Badgley Mischka ‘Madalyn’ pump.

The Nicole Miller was the fourth dress I tried on, and I immediately knew it was THE dress! I had never envisioned wearing a veil, but when Christy had me try on the Nina cathedral veil, it was the perfect pairing to complete the look.

Christy made the entire experience so fun for everyone. We had a few fittings that included family members coming along, and each time we were in the suite we felt so welcome and appreciated! Little did I know that when I went looking for my wedding dress I would find a lifelong friend. We had a large reception in Arizona after the wedding and were delighted that Christy was able to attend. She is an incredible stylist and has become a great friend!

Our Special Moments: During the ceremony we passed around a glass dish that has been in my family for a hundred years. It held our rings, and we asked each guest to say a blessing over them before we recited our vows to each other. The entire day was full of emotion as we saw our dream unfold with the people we loved around us.

We worked endless hours on invitations, programs, menus, games and favors. Jefferson and his father made wine for each person to take home, a special reminder of a memorable day!

Photography by Scott and Breanna Chanson, Radiant Photography by the Chansons

Wedding décor provided by Modern Revival

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November 2, 2012

Real Wedding: Courtney and Yakeen

Courtney tells us how she managed to juggle her time between planning her beautiful wedding and studying for the Bar Exam!

The Scene:
Fall 2012: Rengstorff House Gardens, Mountain View, CA
Yakeen and I dated for about seven years before he proposed in May of 2011 on one of our annual camping trips. Our vision from the beginning was to have a small, intimate wedding, which is exactly what it turned out to be–about 45 guests. I am originally from Mountain View, and I really wanted to get married in my hometown, so the Rengstorff House was the perfect ceremony venue.

We decided to have our reception at Michaels At Shoreline Restaurant, which was so convenient because our guests were able to walk to it following the ceremony.

We did not want to spend a lot of money on the wedding, and we also wanted to keep the stress often associated with wedding planning to a minimum. Most of my planning actually took place while I was in my last year of law school in Los Angeles. I took advantage of my winter and spring breaks while in Mountain View to meet with my venue, flower and cake vendors.

I did most of my planning months in advance, because I knew I could not do it while studying for the Bar Exam, which I took in July of this year. With my mom’s help, I also made the invitations, seed-packet favors, place cards and signs–Yakeen drew our guestbook tree.

My Dress:
I found “The Dress” at the Nordstrom Wedding Suite in San Francisco. As soon as I put on my Nicole Miller dress, my mom said, “That is the one!” It’s a form-fitting, floor-length, off-white silk dress with lace on top. Because I am petite, I originally wanted a knee-length dress, as I thought that hemming a long dress might ruin the look.

I am lucky that both short and long dresses had been pulled for me, because otherwise, I probably would not have even tried on this Nicole Miller!

The Ceremony:
The ceremony was very special for Yakeen and me–in particular because of the people who were part of it. Our officiant was a superior court judge who Yakeen worked with while in law school. We both have the utmost respect for this judge, and we were so honored that he agreed to marry us. Our photographer was one of my best friends of over twenty years; she is not a photographer by trade but took amazing photos because she knows us both so well.

Other special players included another best friend who acted as my “day of” person–ensuring that everything went smoothly–a stylist friend who did a beautiful job on my hair and makeup and my brother-in-law, who played the acoustic guitar while guests arrived for the ceremony. We could not have asked for a more perfect day–celebrating a new step in our lives together with our close friends and family!

My Wedding Stylist:
Heather Bowser at Nordstrom San Francisco Centre
Heather was such a great help from the very beginning. Weeks prior to my appointment, she called and asked about my dress preferences, so that on the day my mom and I met with her, she had several dresses in my size waiting in my dressing room. She even had shoes and undergarments in my size, so I did not have to bring anything with me. Heather made the wedding dress shopping experience fun and stress-free!

Hemming the dress did not pose any problems either. Nordstrom’s seamstress, Lilly, came right up and pinned the dress to show me how it would look once hemmed, and she assured me that it would fit perfectly.

I loved that I could get everything, including the dress, undergarments, shoes and jewelry, all in one place. The personal service I received was exceptional, and I could not have asked for a better experience!

Favorite Accessories:
I also got my wedding accessories from Nordstrom with Heather’s assistance. It was really helpful to try on my Nordstrom undergarments (shorts and body shaper) to see exactly what they would look like under my dress. During the final fitting, I tried on the belt that I originally had purchased at Nordstrom to go with the dress, but Heather suggested a slimmer belt that had since come in; it actually looked a lot better, and I was able to exchange the first one for it.

My mom also asked Heather for jewelry suggestions, and she found the perfect silver necklace, which was simple yet added a little sparkle to my look. It was so convenient that Heather was able to ship my dress and accessories to my house once they were ready, so I did not have to drive back to San Francisco to pick them up.

Special Moments:
I have one funny story about the day, which involves that belt I mentioned. I must have been so flustered while I was getting ready that I forgot to put it on! Luckily the dress looked great without the belt too, because it was not until after the ceremony was over and most of the pictures had been taken that I suddenly realized the belt was missing! I am so happy that I remembered then, so at least I could wear it at the reception.

I tell my friends that this story just shows that as organized as you can be, unexpected things will happen at your wedding. Nevertheless, you will still have a wonderful and memorable day!

Photography by Elisabeth de Kleer

Did you find something for a wedding at Nordstrom? We love a good wedding story! E-mail Nordstrom Wedding Stories for details about getting your wedding featured on our blog. And for more inspiration, make a complimentary appointment with a Wedding Stylist or browse our Wedding Suite.

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October 16, 2012

Real Wedding: JoAnna and Aaron

JoAnna recounts her vintage-inspired wedding and everything that helped make it special.

The Scene
:
Fall 2012: Four Mounds Inn, Dubuque, IA
I wanted our wedding outside, close to water, and to have a vintage feel. I wanted old objects and memories to be carried throughout and for it all to feel comfortable for guests. The theme was “Vintage Romance,” purely based on my taste and my love for my fiancé.

I wanted the venue to feel private and secluded, so we chose Four Mounds Inn, which sits atop a bluff overlooking the Mississippi in our hometown of Dubuque, IA. It’s an old estate built in the early 1900s with many charming vintage features and a large grass lawn in between the two mansions–perfect for a tent! It’s very wooded, and I knew my vision would be perfect there. It was relaxed, private and easy.

My Wedding Stylist:
Amie Kesler at Nordstrom Michigan Ave., Chicago.

I bought my dress from the Wedding Suite at Nordstrom, and I am so happy I did. Not only do I love my dress, I loved my experience. I never once worried about quality or service; I was well taken care of. My stylist was amazing throughout everything, and we’ve even developed a relationship. I’ll be sending her my photos from the wedding with a thank-you for being so amazing and making me feel so special.

I sent Amie a few ideas of what I like and a link to my Pinterest account; we talked about everything before we even met to try on dresses. When I got there, she had everything pulled for me, and her choices were dead-on. Thank you, Nordstrom—and thank you, Amie!

My Dress:
The dress was called ‘Coco Marie’ made by Heidi Elnora, with a Katie Grace lace vest on top. I also wore a Caroline DeVillo cathedral veil and champagne sash. Luckily, the lace from Caroline was the exact same that Heidi used, so it went together perfectly. I wore Judith Jack earrings and satin wedges from BP. shoes. I wouldn’t have changed a thing!

I loved that I had options within the same dress and with the vest, which had buttons going down the front to give it a very classic, traditional look. I could also turn the vest around for a deep-V in the front, which had a very “me” look, and then taking it off gave me the option to cool down and dance!

Our Special Moments:
Two old doors to the entrance of our tent provided a special touch. They were the doors to the home where my mother grew up, and everyone was amazed to hear about them.

We danced all night long and got surprised with fireworks. I also surprised Aaron with a song by The Cure sung by my sister with music played by his nephew and his girlfriend. We did everything ourselves, so it was a complete and true reflection of the two of us—from each song selection for our playlist, right down to the labels for desserts.

No stress that day, just anxiousness and happiness…everyone was glowing, and the event was dubbed Love Fest 2012.

It was the most magical day we’ve ever experienced, and we will cherish it forever.

Photography © 2012 Eric Yerke.

Did you find something for a wedding at Nordstrom? We love a good wedding story! E-mail Nordstrom Wedding Stories for details about getting your wedding featured on our blog. And for more inspiration, make a complimentary appointment with a Wedding Stylist or browse our Wedding Suite.

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June 1, 2011

Jenn & Dan’s Wedding

We love hearing about our customers’ wedding style. Here, Jenn tells us all about her search for the perfect dress (plus bridesmaid dresses and a suit for her husband-to-be) for her Hawaiian destination wedding.


All photography © Jessica Valle

Dan and I met on eHarmony.com, and after a few short months of dating, we knew we were meant to be.

When planning our Maui destination wedding, my ultimate goals were for everyone involved to be happy and to look his or her absolute best. It all worked out—and Nordstrom helped us get there.

First, I visited Nordstrom.com to find bridesmaid dresses. I searched for ‘purple’ under the special occasion section and snap—there were my dresses. But the dresses only came in a size 4, so the Downtown Seattle alterations team took both of the girls’ dresses down to a size 0 and size 00. They fit like a glove and my girls actually got compliments!

Next, we found Dan’s suit—a beautiful Canali in an uncommon 43R—at the Downtown Rack. We finished his suit off with shirt, shoes and belt from Men’s Furnishings. For a guy that is hard to fit for a suit, it looked like a custom job.

Then a month before our big day, I discovered my original wedding dress purchased at another shop didn’t fit. Tracy at Nordstrom Southcenter worked wonders: she found and held the last gown in the company in the style I wanted until my maid of honor and I could get to her store, and even had other ideas waiting for me.

She was so attentive to detail—the right foundations, alterations and she even called me several times to make sure I was doing okay! I was also able to find my shoes, jewelry and the perfect red lipstick (I have been searching for the perfect red my whole life).

At the wedding, we were all happy and looked great—and I have the stories and photos to prove it!


All photography © Jessica Valle

Let us help you look great for your big day with dresses and more from our Wedding Shop, or make an appointment with one of our complimentary Wedding Stylists to preview dresses and apparel for you and your entire wedding party.

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May 12, 2011

Bridget & Michael’s Wedding

We love hearing about our customers’ wedding style. Find out how Bridget and Michael planned their Sunriver, OR, dream wedding (in less than four months!).


All Images © Ruettgers Photography

Michael and I met on December 30, 2009, and by January 1, 2010, we both knew that we would spend our lives together. It was a whirlwind winter, a lovely spring, and in early June he proposed.

I’d always dreamed of getting married at the Great Hall in Sunriver, OR, where my family had vacationed my whole life. We were lucky enough to get an opening in September, and got to work planning the wedding with less than four months to go.

Michael and I wanted our wedding to be classic and elegant, but joyful and fun. We enlisted the help of Erin Marshall, a Wedding Stylist at the Downtown Seattle Nordstrom, who didn’t flinch about the short timeline.

Erin helped me find the perfect, pretty-yet-chic bridesmaid dress: a navy, mock two-piece with an asymmetrical bow, deep scoop neck and pockets. The dresses were shipped directly to all of the girls’ houses. Erin even did a last-minute size switch the week before the wedding because a pregnant bridesmaid’s baby bump had grown bigger than we’d anticipated.

I’d loved shopping with Erin so much that Michael’s mom came to see her to find her dress, too. I also had appointments with Nordstrom Beauty Stylist Kirk Mills, who helped me find my makeup and gave me lessons on how to do it myself on the big day. My earrings, perfume and rehearsal dress also came from Nordstrom.

Our wedding day, September 25, 2010, was nothing short of magical. It was a perfect Indian summer weekend—85 degrees and sunny—and our guests had a wonderful time playing and enjoying Sunriver.

My favorite part was promising my love to Michael for the rest of my life. Close seconds, though, are our adorable nephews and nieces and the epic dance party that lasted late into the night!


All Images © Ruettgers Photography

Getting married? Find dresses and apparel for your entire wedding party in our Wedding Shop, or make an appointment with one of our complimentary Wedding Stylists.

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April 28, 2011

Tina & Carlos’ Wedding

We love hearing about our customers’ wedding style. Here, Tina from Florida tells us all about her beauty-salon romance and marriage to Carlos.


All photography © Victor Junco

When Carlos and I met in 2006 (at the very salon we now own together in Tampa, FL), I was getting my hair done—head full of foils, salon cape and all—while Carlos worked at the adjacent station. I am mortified now to think of how I must have looked! It was love for sure.

After moving here from Cuba 22 years ago, Carlos had worked at the salon for 15 years and had basically grown the business himself. About a year after we started dating, the salon went up for sale. I believed in him and in us, so we bought the salon together.

Carlos and I were engaged on Christmas in 2008. When planning our wedding, every detail was very important to us. We went to Nordstrom for my silk-beaded ivory wedding dress, jewelry and the dazzling shoes on my feet. We even flew to New York to meet with our talented wedding cake designer, Sylvia Weinstock, and Ellen Weldon, who designed our wedding invitations.

The wedding was on October 11, 2010, at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay on the top floor of Armani’s Restaurant, which overlooks the sparkling blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. That special day, our family—including my 11-year-old daughter Sera and new stepson, Christian, 6—became one.

It was the most incredible day of our lives.


Love Tina’s dress? Find your own dream dress in our Wedding Shop, or make an appointment with one of our complimentary Wedding Stylists to preview dresses and apparel for you and your entire wedding party.

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