Booking a Deluxe Bridal appointment at our Long Beach, CA location, bride Lily was a little anxious about going into her wedding gown shopping journey. “I was so nervous in the beginning.” She told us, “I was worried about sizing, dresses fitting me right, and even with getting help changing! I was always someone who went to the restroom to change in gym class because there was no way I was changing in front of people.”
Bridal gown shopping can be a highly emotional situation and being a plus-size bride, sometimes, can add more stress. Fortunately, Strut was there to make Lily’s experience stress-free and comfortable.
“…Strut made me feel so comfortable. My consultant that day was Kellee and she was so helpful and sweet.” She said, “My guests also loved the spread of snacks and drinks Strut provided for us. It was an incredible experience and I have been telling everyone who asked about my dress about you guys! Kellee was my consultant, but I have been helped by quite a few people there and they were all incredible I wish I knew everyone’s name.”
Lily said yes to a V-neck full sequin and lace ballgown with a horsehair hem in soft, desert champagne color. “It is crazy because my dress is probably the exact opposite of what I originally wanted in dress shopping.” Lily explained, “I wanted a lot of sparkles with no sequins and straps. I ended up getting the straps removed from my dress, and it was covered in sequin appliques. I fell in love with the way the dress moved and how easy it was to walk around in. I was able to add more sparkle to it which is always a plus. I am not someone who ever wears dresses (I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal) so I was worried, but I could have not felt more amazing.”
Lily and her high school sweetheart, Steven, were wed on May 14th, 2022 at The Secret Garden at Rancho Santa Fe in front of 155 of their closest friends and family members. “I was never one of those girls who had been planning their wedding since they were little with thousands of Pinterest boards ready; all I knew was I wanted it to be nice.” Lily said, “I wanted it to appear as fancy and classy as I could with still some fun elements. My mom would always say that “Sleeping Beauty” was my theme and somehow that makes sense to me.”
“(The Secret Garden…) has an outside and an inside part to it, so we had our ceremony and cocktail hour outside while we saved the inside ballroom for the reception.” She went on, “We liked that everything was together, and people did not have to be worried about getting lost or confused about where to go. This venue is also an all-inclusive venue. Having never planned a wedding before, and not necessarily having the budget for a wedding planner, this venue made everything so easy for us… The entire team, Epic Events, was amazing and everything we could have asked for.”
Despite having a great time with all of their guests (according to the bride, some attendees were having a great time at the open bar) Lily and Steven got to share a very special moment together before the ceremony: “My husband and I decided not to do a first look, as traditional as it is, and opted for the first touch.” She explained, “Our photographers led us to a location where we would not see each other, and we just reached out and held each other’s hand before the ceremony. We shared our last words as fiancés, and it made me feel so excited for what was to come. Seeing everyone come together to celebrate such a big day for us is something that we appreciate more than many may ever know. Of course, marrying Steven, my husband, must at least be mentioned when it comes to my favorite parts of the day. We are high school sweethearts who had been together for nine years before finally tying the knot. Now I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend, and I could not be happier.”
“My wedding day was everything I could have asked for and that is all thanks to my family, friends, and the many vendors I used for my wedding!” she told us, “One of my favorite parts of the day was first arriving to the venue, make-up and hair done, seeing how all my decorations and planning came together. It is a crazy feeling to be planning and designing for months, to see it all combined and be exactly how I had imagined it.”
Congratulations Lily and Steven! Thank you for sharing your love story with Strut.
Vendor Love
I would also love to acknowledge your guys seamstress because she was amazing too! Turned the dress into exactly what I had hoped for. I know her Instagram is @folklore_dress_studio.
When it comes to my wedding there are a few different handles: the venue itself is @thesecretgardenrsf while the team is @epiceventsco. This team is where most of my vendors came from when it came to the DJ (DJ Harmz), the florist (Jerri), and coordinator (Christina). The photography team does have their own handle @epiceventsstudios and my photographers were Allie and Brittannee! The cake was done by @vgdonuts, and our cake topper was custom made from WorldCakeTopper. The caterers also have their own handle @ecocaters. My guest book was an audio guest book from @fetefone and they were amazing as well; always available to answer my questions. My photobooth was from @mirrormephotoboothrental; another amazing vendor. The big letters behind the sweetheart table were from @bigazletters.
Looking for a stunning lace ballgown like Lily’s Sleeping Beauty wedding dress? Strut carried lace aline and ballgown wedding dresses to size 38 in our bridal stores to try on. Read more about our plus size wedding dresses then book your one on one wedding dress shopping appointment today!
