FROM ONE EVERMORE BRIDE TO ANOTHER: BAILEY HERMAN

We had the absolute joy of helping our sweet Evermore Bride, Bailey, find her wedding dress for her beautiful October 2023 wedding. It was so fun getting to know her, understand her wedding vision, and help her find the dress that fit her dream. We loved hearing about her love story so much that we decided you should hear it too... so here is an inside look at Bailey's story.

Bailey and Justin met at a rehearsal for the worship team at their church. He plays he drums and she sings and plays piano (a match made in heaven, some may say). They started out as really good friends and were interested in a lot of the same things, and quickly found out they loved spending time together. A year and a half later, Justin popped the question at Nathaniel Green park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the spring. Bailey said, " He explained how much he loves me, how deeply he desires to spend the rest of our lives together, and asked me to be his wife! It was the easiest and most blessed yes ever."

We knew Bailey's wedding was going to be stunning just by talking to her about her vision for the day. "I knew I wanted it to feel authentic, intentional, and filled with joy and celebration." We loved how she mixed different colors and textures for her bridesmaids dresses and combined that with earthly, whimsical florals. It was the perfect way to mix whimsical and modern. "I enjoy taking ideas and making them my own, and I felt so confident that our wedding day was very authentic to us!"

When getting to know Bailey, we learned that she was a girl who knew what she wanted! She admitted she was a little nervous about shopping for her wedding dress, but knew she wanted crepe material, long sleeves, tighter fit, and a square neckline. Even with such a specific vision, we loved how open she was to trying different things like pearl details and buttons. It was just a couple of weeks after she got engaged that Bailey and her friend Liz grabbed some coffee and came to her first Evermore appointment. "Putting on a wedding dress is such a surreal experience. I wanted to make sure that I remembered how special and exciting it was to try on different dresses that I might get married in!" She loved how her stylist Madison and friend Liz would always tell her she looked beautiful in every dress (which she did) and would ask what she was liking before sharing their opinions! Bailey also mentioned that her friend Liz reminded her that she was there for Bailey, and that above all else she wanted to celebrate how special of a gift it was that Bailey was getting to marry Justin, no matter what she looked like or what dress she chose. Just a little reminder how important it is to bring supportive guests to your dress shopping appointment :) After trying on about 6-8 dresses and talking through different elements that she liked and didn't like, her stylist knew exactly what dress to pull for her! It fit like a glove and she came back for a second appointment with her mom, grandma, aunt, and cousin to officially have her "YES" moment!

Every bride wonders how to know when a dress is THE dress, and Bailey's answer to this question is our favorite one yet... She said she knew it was her dress because she just felt like herself in it! "It was elegant and clean, while also being modern and whimsical. I was not expecting how beautiful I would feel, and I remember thinking, 'Justin is going to LOVE this' in addition to how perfectly it would fit into the rest of our wedding day vibe. I could picture walking down the aisle, different photos, and tearing up the dance floor at the end of the night in my dress. That’s how I knew it was mine!" This is exactly what we strive for with every bride! We want you all to feel beautiful, confident, and most of all like yourself on your special day.

There are many false beliefs when it comes to wedding dress shopping. We knew Bailey would have some amazing advice to give to our Evermore brides-to-be when it comes to this - she talked about the pressure that she had put on herself to look a certain way for a wedding dress. Looking back, she realized that she focused more on critiquing herself instead of just embracing how beautiful she looked and felt in the dress. Once she could simply allow herself to focus on this, her dress decision fell into place!

We wondered what brought her to our little shop downtown, and Bailey told us that she chose to shop at Evermore because of the women who are a part of the shop and the values that they have. She talked about how she always felt loved when she came in and how they served her in whatever way they could (que the tears we have writing this). We loved getting to celebrate her & her love!

Bailey's advice from one Evermore bride to another is, "To be open to the recommendations of your stylist and to remember to be kind to yourself. Wedding planning can be so stressful, and there can be so much internal and external pressure for it to go a certain way. Remember the way you want to feel in your dress and the vision that you have for your wedding day! Bring people with you to your appointment that will celebrate you; ask them if you can share your opinion before they share theirs! Remember: your fiancé will be OBSESSED with you and your dress, no matter which one you pick!"