Wedding Shoppe Inc.
Stories
“Yeah, Brizi – we’re out getting him new tools for it now. I know, right? His new job and I’m probably more excited than he is! “
I pointed Rob to the jewelry counter he and I were strolling past. I’d seen a ring in there the week before, and it was on sale, you know? We were doing a little better, so I figured it was a good time to start dropping jewelry hints. He got the serious look on his face, and called the clerk over.
“Ooooh! Girl, I need to let you go. I think we’re about to look at rings!”
She gasped, “I hate you! Call me! Bye!”
Not even ten minutes later, I had a chunky white gold overlapping band, a fiancé and butterflies in my stomach. We were on our way to pick up his son, headed for his parent’s house, making calls and spreading the news. He got to spread the local news. I had to spread mine nationwide.
I called Cleveland, Chicago, New York, Florida, Arizona and New Mexico. All my sisters, all my best girlfriends. The closest one is 400 miles away.
We communicate online, phone, text. I have very sweet casual and new girlfriends here in town. Finding wedding planning assistance and support wasn’t really difficult. But there are a couple of things that just require your mom, sibs, and besties: confiding your jitters, deciding on lingerie…and shopping for the dress.
I’m 40 years old, this is my second marriage, we were having a casual picnic wedding and had a teeny little budget; I did not want anything traditional or expensive. I went to some mall stores. I’d start to explain what I wanted, and then I’d start to cry. And then I’d leave.
So I went online, where I could privately weep while I shopped, and I found weddingshoppeinc.com.
It was easy to narrow my choices, pore over some beautiful dresses and send my besties the links to my favorites. I added the links to my Facebook wedding page, too, and asked for some fashionista feedback. Once all my girls voted, I printed the top three and took them to my appointment at The Wedding Shoppe. I tried some on, and changed my mind, and tried some more. On staff that morning was the most charming and patient young lady! She had fantastic suggestions. I went with Bill Levkoff’s Bridesmaid #874 in a pale gold.
Things could have been SO stressful. But instead I had a comfortable, mellow shopping experience online and in the store. I only needed minor adjustments to make my dress a perfect fit.
It was a seriously fabulous wedding! I rocked a 40s blues diva vibe, which my fiancé matched with a vacationing G.I. look. Everyone was surprised by how well our unusual choices worked. Of all the compliments on my dress, I heard most often how well it suited my style and personality. You can see how happy I am in our wedding pictures. Our photographer, Allen Luke (LukeStudios.com/weddings) did an amazing job; I was deliriously pleased with how the dress looks in each shot!
Our wedding day was perfect for so many reasons. It did not hurt that my dress was a hit!
--Shauna JeMai A., Brooklyn Park, MN | 5/15/2010
Never in my life, did I ever imagine that I would be so blessed to have such an incredible wedding.
Long ago, like many other little girls, I would put a pillow case veil on my head, or walk my barbie down a pretend aisle and envision my perfect fairytale wedding. After meeting Scott, the handsome and affectionate love of my life, those hopes and dreams finally become a reality as we began to plan our wedding day.
As amazing as it was, all of the dreaming could never come close to the incredible wedding we had on August 28, 2010. Everything was perfect. From the dress, to the flowers, the invitations and the location. It was without a doubt, the best day of my life.
Looking back, the thing that made it so perfect, so incredible, wasn't the dress, or the flowers, or anything else related. Our wedding was perfect because of the people that shared it with us. Our family and friends, were the one thing that made it better than anything I could ever have dreamed of.
I am so grateful to all the people who played a part in making our wedding so truly perfect.
Dress: I went to The Wedding Shoppe just a few days after getting engaged to try on dresses for fun with absolutely no intention of choosing anything. I fell in love with the fifth dress I tried on and just like everyone says, I knew it was the one.
Veil: Since my dress was on the more simple side, I wanted a veil that added some drama and sparkle. I found a cathedral length veil with rhinestone trim at the wedding shoppe. It also had a blusher, which I didn't love, so the wedding shoppe removed it and added a comb to make a second veil. My mom then added rhinestone trim to the edges and I wore it as a shorter version of the Cathedral length veil for the reception.
Headpiece: I loved all the big floral headpieces I would see but couldn't seem to find one that matched my dress. The wedding shoppe took fabric from my hemmed dress and made a custom flower with a vintage rhinestone center. It was absolutely perfect
Location: The Union Depot, St Paul Minnesota. We absolutely loved the Union Depot. It was classic and elegant, and the food was incredible. The wedding coordinator Georgia was amazing to work with and made everything so easy for us.
Favors: My favorite beverage has always been Diet Coke and a few years ago, Scott, my husband got a job with Coca-Cola. For our place cards we attached names to old fashioned bottles of diet coke with a story about our love for Coke on the back! It was so fun.
Flowers: I wanted lots of color, and Carra Otten, of Le Petit Fleur did an AMAZING job. She was so easy to work with and had incredible ideas and style.
Photography: Erin Johnson Photography. We had so much fun working with Erin! She has such great ideas and moves at record pace. The photos she took are incredible and we are so happy we went with her!
Videographer: Jeffrey Fuchs | Northern Lights Video. We weren't sure if we were going to hire a videographer, but I am so glad we did. Jeff was very easy to work with and very professional, we hardly even noticed he was there the day of our wedding. His work is amazing and he was able to capture so much emotion from the day of our wedding. We loved him!
--Shannen J., Minneapolis, MN | 8/28/2010
I looked at other shops and felt so discouraged about what I thought I wanted in a wedding dress. I went to the Wedding Shoppe and the attendant I had was fantastic! She was friendly, SO encouraging, and helped me find a dress I love (and I didn't even think I would like that style). I was blown away at how great the overall feel was and customer service the Wedding Shoppe. Best in MN for sure. Also, I have the privilege of being a feature bride on the WS Blog. Sarah Huinker has been great to work with on the website and keeps bloggers and Facebookers up to date! The blog has been so helpful to read about other brides going through a similar season of life. Not to mention promos and features. I also really feel lucky to share my experience. Thank you guys for making this step of planning a wedding so fun and easy. I love the Wedding Shoppe!
- Nikki S.
--Nikki S., Minnetonka, MN | 4/9/2011
My husband and I were married May 24, 2008. I chose to purchase both my wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses from your store. I live in Madison WI and most of my bridesmaids also live in WI. I chose your store by chance because I needed to get fitted for another wedding that I was in and thought that since I was there, I might as well look at some dresses. Your service was amazing. The sales associate asked what style I was looking for and then looked me up and down and knew which dress I was going to choose. She was dead on. I fell in love with the dress, purchased it, and although I found my bridesmaid dresses at another store, decided to order them through you. Thank you for helping to make our day perfect. Everyone looked amazing and felt great! You have an wonderful store filled with fantastic employees.
Thank you again. I am always sure to recommend The Wedding Shoppe to any bride looking for advice! So far 3 of my friends have purchased either their wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, or both from your store!
--Krystal P., Madison, WI | 5/24/2008