Karma, Fate, Destiny…with your wedding vendors. Embrace it!

In Chicago over the holiday weekend, while waiting for a table at Hyde Park‘s Original Pancake House, my family and I bumped into the wonderful and talented Julia Needlman, of Julia Needlman Custom Couture, the woman who made my custom wedding gown. It was wonderful to see her (and her mother – my nursery school teacher) and have her meet my husband. Somehow it felt very much like things came full circle.

Meeting Julia was almost a magical experience.  She saw inside my head, and pulled out what I wanted my wedding dress to look like.  Sitting in her studio talking, I forgot I hadn’t known her forever.  She made the process feel organic, and very special.  Some girls may want the whole Kleinfeld “Say Yes To The Dress” experience, but having visited one bridal shop with mom and mom-in-law in tow, I felt something else was more to my liking.  And Julia felt right.  So seeing her again, was like fate.  Goodness knows I had talked about her nonstop, and now Stephen got to meet her, and we got to catch up…it was just a lovely moment.

Julia's brilliant dressmaking in action under the huppah

So.  Flash forward a year.  Are you going to be delighted to run into people who worked on your wedding?  Do you feel connected to your vendors?  It’s important to have that meeting of the minds – and yes, hearts, with the people who make your wedding day tick.  Memories aren’t made to keep to yourself, you want to share them with everyone who had a part in making your dream a reality. Make sure your vendors are people you want to be in those memories, and to share them with!

Be well, and love well.

Dinah

PS – Speaking of “Say Yes To The Dress,” don’t forget that “Randy to the Rescue” will premiere on TLC on June 15th starring my brilliant hairstylist Paul Norton! (oh yeah – and that Randy guy too).

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New Wedding Show? Get Me Some Popcorn! Especially since my friend is in it!

I wrote Friday about my brilliant hairstylist, Paul Norton.  Well, he’s on a new bridal make-over show debuting in a few weeks on TLC!  It stars Randy, the colorful manager of Kleinfeld’s from “Say Yes To The Dress, and of course, Paul.  Check it out!

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A Reality TV Bride Tells All: why I said “yes.”

When my then fiancé, and I announced that our wedding was going to be taped for a TLC reality show, people were more than a little surprised.  Everyone was convinced we were adding to an already stressful time.  In fact, saying “yes” to TLC was one of our best decisions. Let me tell you why.

The last weeks before the wedding were a whirlwind.  There was one oasis: shooting the show. Stephen and I spent two hours talking and “being cute” together.  We walked down a street near the beach hand in hand, trailed by a camera, giggling. We sat on a beautiful, sunny,  patio, reading to each other. We talked about how we fell in love.  That afternoon was a brief shelter from the crazy wedding planning storm: we got to reconnect, and remember that under the tulle and the tablecloths, was our unique love story.

The bride and groom, showcasing our use of succulents in a bridal bouquet and boutonniere
incidentally, showcasing our use of succulents in a bridal bouquet and boutonniere

I treasure those two hours, every moment.  The lights, the cameras, and the questions that reminded me why I had said “yes.”

Note – Credit where credit is due: I got, hands down, the most amazing hair and make-up team in Southern California.  Dana and her team from Design Visage in Orange County made me feel like a movie star. Thanks ladies!