Real Brides: Kate

I was in my junior year at Monmouth College, a reserved and focused student athlete who was determined to become a physician. I was in my own world studying, when I received a message from Brian, a friendly, handsome, and much more outgoing guy. He was inviting me up to a cookout at the fraternity complex. At the moment, I had been pretty content where I was, but I told him if he could find me sitting in my hammock somewhere on campus, I would go with him. Not even five minutes passed, and I was packing up my things to walk to the cookout! Since then, we have both graduated from Monmouth, I have continued to the University of Illinois College of Medicine & Brian has spent the last three years teaching elementary students. We’ve traversed the challenges of a long-distance relationship, grown together, laughed together, and looked forward to our future.

Upon a lovely welcome into the shop, this dress was the first one that caught my eye at Hi Beautiful Bridal in Rockton, Illinois. We were planning a wedding in the heart of winter, so a dress with gorgeous sleeves was high on my priority list. I had always wanted a wedding gown that was modest in the front and had a back that left me speechless. The dress was not even all the way buttoned up and Emily, the shop owner, saw the look in my eyes. This dress was everything that I wanted; the detail of the lace sleeves, the subtle sparkle, the illusion back, the comfort of the material, the buttons, and finally the beautiful train. A truly classic, timeless wedding gown!

I knew I made the right choice when it was so incredibly challenging not to show Brian or tell him a thing about the dress. From the start, he was adamant that the first time he wanted to see me was walking down the aisle. This made for a long fifteen months of keeping my dream dress a secret. Thank you, Moonlight Bridal, for creating this secret worth keeping!

Photo Credits: Nicki Lynn Photography