We love seeing new-to-us wedding venues, and photos of Jennifer’s nuptials at The Graduate in Iowa City, Iowa were so fun to see! Like her wedding vibe, her classic wedding dress also had a touch of quirkiness to it with the addition of an overskirt!
We asked Jennifer how she found our local bridal shop and she said, “I actually ended up at Strut Bridal on a whim. My mother and I made some appointments to go shopping at some of the other bridal stores in the area, after attending two other appointments at more traditional stores I was a little let down by the selection; nothing I LOVED and the prices were ridiculous. I did some googling and Strut came across my phone, I called to see if I could get an appointment and they were able to get me in SAME DAY!”
She continued, “When I walked in, my mother and I both, were taken away by the experience instantly. The salon was beautiful and the everyone was so welcoming. On top of that the dresses were BEAUTIFUL and so many options for straight sizes AND plus sizes. I was paired up with Sema’j and it couldn’t have been more perfect. I had chosen a few dresses that instantly ‘caught my eye’. They were all gorgeous and I started explaining to Sema’j what I was looking for and he instantly had that ‘I HAVE THE DRESS’ moment… and the rest is history. I was sold on the dress as soon as I put it on. BUT WAIT, there’s more…. The overskirt. I was sold. The dress was modern and timeless and made me feel beautiful, and the overskirt was just EXTRA.”
Talk about a classic wedding venue with a bit of quirkiness, too: “We got married at The Graduate in Iowa City, IA. It was indoors. Our headcount was just over 100 people. My husband attended the University of Iowa, and has deep ties to the area (Go Hawks!). It was a beautiful venue that had a fun mix of ‘city’ and the quirkiness of the Graduate hotel. I mean look at that cool book bar.”
When we asked Jennifer about her wedding vibe, she said, “Classic/Modern with a little bit of quirkiness. Loved the white and green florals and wood tones throughout the venue. I loved that my dress was modern and simple and then had the removable overskirt to make it a little ‘extra’, My husband wore a maroon velvet suit to add to the fun.”
When we asked her about her wedding dress shopping experience in our Chandler, Arizona bridal shop, she said, “Sema’j was THE BEST on my special day. He made me feel so special and understood my ‘vision’.” Jennifer chose a strapless satin ballgown classic wedding dress with ruched bodice and slit in the skirt. Then she added a tulle overskirt for fun!
VENDOR LOVE:
Photography: Instagram handles Monroeco.photo and jenayamichellephotography
Venue: the graduate Iowa city
DJ: Atlas Entertainment
Florals: Something Borrowed Blooms
Hair and makeup: essence salon in Cedar Rapids IA
We asked Jennifer for some advice to give to other brides, and she said, “It goes without saying, but don’t stress the small stuff. There are so many details on the wedding day and it’s so easy to get caught up in the little things ( are these the right napkin colors, I want 4 candles instead of 3 at every table, etc etc). Truly, those aren’t the things you notice and NO one else does. If there’s a change in the setup or timeline day of, the only person that will notice is YOU. Enjoy the day, celebrate with your family and friends, and try to make the most of it!”
She continued, “The whole day was incredible, but I think my favorite moment of the day was our ‘final dance’. The day was full of love and fun with all our family and friends, and we saved a ‘final dance’ for just us and the photographers. We emptied out the ballroom and had one more dance with just us two to ‘Enchanted’ by Taylor Swift. It was perfect to have some ‘quiet time’ to celebrate our love together and being ‘enchanted’ to meet one another!”
A FINAL DANCE?! We have never heard of anything more perfect! What a gorgeous end to a perfect evening! Thank you, Jennifer, for trusting Strut Bridal Salon and SemaJ with your vision. Best wishes!
While Jennifer’s classic wedding dress is no longer available in our bridal boutiques in Chandler, Arizona or Long Beach, California, we have a huge selection of bridal gowns in satin, mikado, chiffon and more for that clean and classic look. Book an appointment to shop our size-inclusive selection of wedding gowns in sizes 0 – 38!
