We are beyond excited to finally announce The White Dress’s very first official Bride of the Month!  The oh-so-lovely Cara has graciously allowed us to feature her wedding!  Be prepared for some gorgeous photos ahead.

A few general notes before we begin.  First of all, to make these posts a bit more “user-friendly” we have decided to follow a question and answer format…jammed packed with lots of beautiful wedding photos, of course!  And secondly, all of the below photos were taken by Bobbi Rattai Photography.

Ok, let’s get started!

 {Meet Cara.}

Cara came to us all the way from California and had her mind set on one of our very favorite gowns, Madison!  We also had the pleasure of working with her mother to find the most perfect one-shoulder dress in a fabulous summery color, thanks to Cara’s vibrant wedding color  palette.

{Mom, Cara, and the MOH, her sister Michelle.  Three lovlies all in a row!}

How did you meet your husband?

Michael and I met over nine years ago during college.  I was working as the hostess at a restaurant and Michael, who had just graduated from college, had a position there as a manager in training.  Even though he was warned not to date his staff, we couldn’t be separated practically as soon as we met.  Unfortunately, our courtship ended much too soon when Michael was abruptly relocated to Texas.

And so, for a time, we lost touch…but of course we never forgot each other.  Luckily, our story didn’t end there.  Four years later, I decided to contact him out of the blue.  And Michael made sure that we wouldn’t ever lose touch again.  After finally being reunited several years later, we fell in love all over again.  After my move to Texas, and then a subsequent move that took us both to California, he proposed!

{Cara and Michael.}

{Another engagement photo in the winter weather!}

So, what was your favorite part of wedding planning?

Because the wedding was in Michigan and I was living in California, wedding planning was tough!  And honestly, I was so fortunate to have help from my mother and step-mother on a lot of the planning.  But hands down, my favorite part of planning was shopping for my wedding dress with family and friends!

{Cara and her father walk down the aisle.}

{The guests await the bride.}

Speaking of the dress, how did you know that your white dress was “the one”?

I knew because of the way it made me feel – beautiful, elegant and sophisticated.  If I could get away with it, I would wear that dress everyday for the rest of my life!  I loved that it was light weight, didn’t have a super long train, and had a touch of bling.  It was just perfect for me!

{During the ceremony.}

{First kiss as Mr. and Mrs.}

{Breaking the glass!}

Back to wedding planning – what was the hardest part?

Being so far away!  As I mentioned before, my mother and step-mother were so amazing to help out with all the plans and the details that you can so easily get caught up in.  I am so grateful that they were able to really  help me out – it allowed me to really enjoy the wedding to the fullest!

{Officially official!}

Now, on to the exciting part – the wedding!  What was the most memorable moment of your wedding day?

That would have to be what I am now calling the “Sparkler Fiasco”.  Like I am sure others have seen, we really wanted to have a sparkler photo moment – you know, the lovely sparkling lights in the background, everyone is smiling having a ball, and then the bride and groom have this magical moment.  Well, ours didn’t turn out quite like that.  Everyone had sparklers and after they were lit, our guests had no idea what to do.  We had forgotten to provide them any direction on what to do or where to stand…and the photographers were in a panic trying to to make sure to capture the magic moment we had wanted.  So, Michael and I just kissed.  And it turns out, the pictures were perfect!

{The “Sparkler Fiasco” – turned into the magical moment.}

What moment of your wedding day do you wish you could just put on repeat and play over and over again?

I wish I could repeat the entire day over and over again!  But if I have to narrow it down, the most special moment was definitely our “first look”.  I loved that we had a few moments to ourselves, letting it all sink in that we were getting married!

{The first look.}

{Enjoying some time together.}

{Posing on the beautiful property at Waldenwoods.}

{So sweet!}

What advice would you give to future brides?

Do a “first look” with your groom!  It was a great way to spend time with each other and get the special photos of just the two of us out of the way before all the guests arrived.  It definitely made the day last longer and the intimate moment of seeing each other for the first time on our wedding day was priceless.

{Another gorgeous shot of the bride and groom with the lovely Waldenwoods property in the background!}

{Getting introduced at the reception.}

{The first dance.}

{Speech time!}

{Dad and daughter share a special dance.}

{The dancing continues!}

{The party has started.}

And finally, why did you want to be a TWD Bride of the Month?

I really wanted to share my experience with other brides.  TWD made me feel like I was part of their family – not just like a shopper or buyer.  I had a wonderful experience at The White Dress – from the moment I picked out my dress through the final fitting!

{Gorgeous, no?}

Closing Credits

• Photography:
  Bobbi Rattai Photography – Lansing, MI