Store Hours: Monday & Thursday (11am-8pm) | Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday (11am-5pm) | Saturday (930am-5pm) | Sunday (12pm-4pm)
Phone: (513) 821-6622
We had a class together in college. Anthony pretended to need a study partner and met me in the library. I initially was only interested in helping improve his grade, but his charisma, funny jokes, and charming smile won me over. Little did I know, he had been interested in me for a while, but I never noticed his advances and didn’t remember dancing with him at a party. He was so determined and patient, and I love him for that.
Last year during the pandemic, my favorite cousin and I were planning a birthday brunch for her in Indy. I was so excited to have a reason to dress up and go somewhere after being in quarantine. When we got to “the party,” it was purple rose petals leading to a path of romantic gestures. It turns out the party was just a decoy, and they had been planning it behind my back all along.
Our wedding theme was “The Royal Wedding.” Because our guest count increased from 150 to 200, we were advised to change our layout to California-style seating. This meant that instead of having a separate ceremony and reception space, we would have our guests sitting at their tables while the ceremony took place. I was totally against the idea because I didn’t want the wedding to lose the intimate feeling of the guests but gave in ultimately because I didn’t want to feel cramped in a small ceremony space either. It made more sense to do it anyway because we had a large wedding party (12 bridesmaids, 11 groomsmen, a flower goddess, and a sign bearer) that the bigger space was much needed. Plus, we could still have three rows down the aisle for close family. That made it special. It turned out beautifully, and the purple uplighting really set the tone.
I gave up the traditional idea of having a flower girl. Instead, I had a flower goddess. My close friend from college said she always wanted to be a flower girl. I promised her in college over ten years ago that she would be my flower girl when I got married. My husband has a three-year-old daughter who held a sign that said, “Daddy, here comes your Queen.” It was so adorable. Our wedding party was so prominent because I had close friends from college, close friends from childhood, close cousins, and three sisters! He was on the football team in college, so football players always ran deep.
One thing that made my wedding special was what I called “the entrance of the royal ancestors” and the “entrance of the royal matriarchs.” I had large 20 X 30 photos of our deceased grandparents escorted in for a personal touch. I also had our great aunts escorted in since they are the matriarchs of our families. The violin trio and the personalized cookies with our guests’ names and table numbers were a special touch. Although everything didn’t go as planned, it was perfect for us and a night to remember forever.
I didn’t do my initial bridal consultation at Bridal and Formal. I tried the dress on in Indianapolis and have had it on my mind ever since. I moved to Cincinnati in January 2021 and couldn’t stop thinking of the dress. I looked up the dress location from the designer’s website, Bridal and Formal, and the dress boutique in Indy were the only two shops nearby that carried the dress. I went into Bridal and Formal to try on the dress again to determine if it was the one. The designer had a trunk show that day, so I got a discount unexpectedly. B & F even let me come back to take “I said yes to the dress” photos months later with my matron of honor.
The staff at the front desk were very welcoming, and Sally helped me try on the dress. I said yes to the dress alone with her, and I really enjoyed that intimate moment, although my close family wasn’t there that time.
Wedding Location – Cincinnati, OH
Ceremony & Reception Location – Delta Hotels at Sharonville
Bridal Gown – Maggie Sottero, style Juanita
Bridesmaids Gowns – Mori Lee, style 21583 in Wisteria, Dew Drop, & French Lilac
Photography – She Shoots 317, Mia Moore
