bridal boutique brighton Michigan

ruthie

Welcome to another installment of TWD’s Bride of the Month!  We are super excited to showcase this wedding because the bride, Ruthie, was the 2nd bride ever to purchase her dream dress at The White Dress Bridal boutique Brighton Michigan!  {Oh, the memories!}  Ruthie was a complete blast to work with every time she visited our little shop.  Enthusiasm and positivity radiated from her as evidenced by her ever smiley face.  What else can we say – Ruthie was one glowing bride and we are so happy to show you her wedding story.  And one more thing before we get started – all the photos below were taken by L.A.’s Photography.

So, without further ado…

{Meet Ruthie…and Mike!}

 

First things first, how did you meet your husband?

We met through a co-worker of mine who was his high school friend. A group of us went out after work one day and Mike and I really hit it off.

{Kissing the bride.}

What was your favorite part of wedding planning?

Oh, my favorite part was definitely the engagement pictures we had taken. We used them for our Save the Dates; I had bought a fun yellow dress with maroon polka dots while in Vegas a few years ago and it gave me inspiration to do a themed Save the Date. Mike and I had fun with them and it really got us thinking about how much fun we could have with the entire wedding planning process.

After our Save the Dates I would say that my favorite part was just planning our wedding in general. Having been a bridesmaid in a multitude of weddings and working as a banquet server throughout high school and college I had been around many different types of weddings. Along the way I was sort of planning my own, it was a true joy to make our vision come to life.

 {Throwback engagement photos.}

Sounds like you enjoyed the process!  But it wasn’t all so easy, was it?  What did you find to be the most difficult part of wedding planning?

The most difficult part was picking a time and a place. Destination weddings had some appeal to us, as we just wanted something small with immediate family. Ultimately, our ceremony was “immediate family only” at a small chapel near the location we met. We had pictures taken at Kensington Park, where we had our first date. Our reception venue was our home. We had a relaxing backyard pig roast, where we celebrated with all of our family and friends.  Once the big decision of date and location are made, the rest was more fun!

{A funny moment between sisters.}

After that, the next most difficult part was dealing with the fact that everything I had envisioned was not going to be possible. My dream had been to have our invitations be DVD invitations, printed on DVD’s to look like records and the sleeves like record jackets; sort of in a line with the throwback Save the Dates. I found the record DVD’s online and even ordered 150 DVD sleeves and designed a sticker that would have been the record sleeve. Unfortunately, a friend that I had recruited to help me create the invitation DVD got swamped at work and we had very incompatible schedules. The lesson I learned was to hire out help on the things that are really important to you.

{Another shot from the engagement photo sesh.  How adorable are they?!}

Now onto the fun stuff – how did you know that your “white dress” was the one?

I did not expect to like the dress I picked, as I specifically did not want a strapless dress. As soon as I put it on (with help from Kristy), I felt beautiful. It was strapless, but was also modest on top. It was classy and was the first dress that made me actually feel like a bride.  Then Kristy brought in a sassy little sash from her eclectic accessory inventory; it was the perfect addition. It made the dress an original! I was in love with it, and as soon as my mom saw it, she just said “Yup! That’s the One!” and the rest was history.

{Donning the gown.}

What was the most memorable moment of your wedding day?

Marrying Mike!  Aside from that though… because we had a small, intimate ceremony, I really loved the moment when we came around the corner of our home after we were wed to see all of our family and friends cheering for us in our backyard.

{One of Ruthie’s favorite part of her wedding day – captured on film!}

If you could relive your day again, what would you do differently?

I would invent a time machine and pause time every half hour or so throughout the day. This way I could have really enjoyed having all of these wonderful people together celebrating our love in one place for just a bit longer.

{The flower girls help out with a photo.}

 What advice would you give to future brides?

If you can afford it, hire a wedding planner! My planner had just started her business and is now flourishing.  {Emily Dawson Event Design}  She really was able to help bring my vision for a backyard wedding celebration to life. She helped with all of the details and even created our gorgeous centerpieces and did some of the flowers. She made it so that I did not have to delegate to family and friends too much.

{The head table.}

{Some of the table decor.}

{The cake, compliments of a personal friend of the bride and groom.}

And last but not least, why did you want to become a TWD Bride of the Month?

I just had an amazing experience at The White Dress and wanted to share my story.  It was such a different experience than what I had when I visited other boutiques where I felt unsure and overwhelmed.  At TWD, the selection of dresses and accessories was unparalleled.   Plus, I received specialized attention and honest opinions and advice – which I needed as I am not a girly girl!   My dress was so amazing and I felt so special wearing it – and most importantly, I felt beautiful in it on my wedding day!

 Many congratulations to Ruthie and Mike!

Closing Credits