Real Brides: Kayla
Bobby and I met through mutual friends in 2013. We have been great friends since meeting and celebrated 9 years together shortly after our wedding date. Together we have a 4 year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, Sawyer, who is living a very happy, spoiled life. We love traveling, especially if it involves a concert, exploring new restaurants and breweries, and pretty much every outdoor activity. Our wedding incorporated all of those things we love. Sawyer was our ring bearer, we had a custom Sip and Solve with fun trivia questions catered to us and our story, we served our favorite beer from our hometown brewery, and had a live band with an appearance by Bobby’s band, Catfish Murphy! It was a perfect day surrounded by our favorite people!
When looking for a dress, I really wanted to feel elegant and romantic but still myself. My mom, sister, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law joined at my first ever bridal dress outing. We went to Embody Bridal in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and I had everyone pick out their favorites for me to try on. It was a fun way to try on many different styles since I didn’t have anything specific in mind. After trying on 6 gowns, I saw my dress hanging in the racks and just had a gut reaction to it. I had Erynn (the store owner, she is fabulous!) grab the gown without everyone else knowing and knew I had to put it on right away. When I walked out, the room fell silent (there had been many giggles and cheers before) and the tears came instantly.
The second I saw the look on my moms face, followed up by seeing myself in the mirror, I knew it was the dress. It made me feel gorgeous, hugged everything perfectly, and truly made me feel like a bride. As soon as Erynn put the veil on, it was obvious this was my dress. We shared a big group hug and many tears together. We couldn’t believe that it was the first shop and 7th dress! 7 is a lucky number in our life. I did some customizations to it to make it even more perfect for me. When I put it on the day of our wedding, I felt exactly how I wanted to feel on our wedding day. I felt like an elevated version of myself, in a gorgeous gown that was accenting me and making me feel so beyond special. It was perfect!! We danced the night away into married life!
Photo Credits: Ivory and Bliss
Bridal Store: Embody Bridal
