Above & Beyond: One Bride's Shopping Experience

We asked our featured bride, Alyson, to tell us about her dress shopping experience at Suzanne's Bridal Boutique. This is what she had to say:

First, my dress and veil, which both came from Suzanne's, was absolutely stunning and I still receive complements about my dress to this day!

I had a VERY unique wedding dress shopping experience. I only wanted to shop for my wedding gown with my mom. She had gone with only her Mom when she got married, and I wanted to carry that tradition on. And looking back now, I am so thankful it was just my mom and I who were able to share this moment together of wedding dress shopping.

My Mom and I had drive up from Yuma bright and early on December 30^th 2010. We had scheduled the next days for wedding dress shopping and we were scheduled at the various boutiques. After a VERY negative experience at our first bridal boutique, I called Suzanne’s to see if we could move our scheduled appointment to a sooner time. Suzanne actually answered the phone and was so genuinely nice and so sweet.  I was literally in tears about our first experience of wedding dress shopping. Suzanne reassured me that they would take care of me at her bridal store and they truly did that and more! When we arrived, Suzanne came out, gave me a hug, and introduced me to our consultant. Our consultant [Rosina] showed us briefly the dresses and explained the designers. Being open for “any” type of wedding dress, my mom and I literally began just choosing some that we thought we’d like - and the consultant selected one! By the time I put on the dress the consultant selected, I knew it was the one! After purchasing my dress, I was informed that it was also the dress that Miss Arizona was going to be wearing for Miss America. My mom and I went and got something to eat and then ended up going back and finding my mom’s MOB dress also! And she looked absolutely stunning at our wedding!

Suzanne’s Bridal truly went above and beyond in all aspects of our wedding dress shopping experience. The friendly, courteous staff was welcoming and helped make my experience such a positive memory that I will cherish forever. Also, the staff was excellent to work with since we were driving from Yuma for fittings, veil shopping, etc. Suzanne’s Bridal was such a wonderful experience we have recommended this boutique to numerous other brides from Yuma whom have also ended up finding their wedding dress there! Suzanne’s Bridal is a clear, distinct depiction as to how every bride wants to be treated during this special time in their life!

Our wedding day was the best day of my life, but I can truly say that being married to Tim is the best day of my life….. every day. Tim has been the biggest blessing in my life and I am so thankful and blessed that God has brought the two of us together to spend the rest of our lives together! - Alyson

All of us at Suzanne's Bridal Boutique want to wish Alyson and her groom, Tim, the best in the their new lives together. We know they'll find much joy together!


Suzanne's Bridal Boutique
480.926.9106
www.suzannesbridalboutique.com
www.facebook.com/suzannesbridalboutique
www.pinterest.com/suzannesbridal 

All photos provided by Fallbrook Photography - thank you!

Real Bride: Alyson

No one can resist the lure of a rainbow. Rainbows make us think of hope and eternal promise. For bride Alyson, the colors of the rainbow brought to mind the various ways that her friends and family had touched her life. And she incorporated them into her "bright, happy, summer wedding" held in Yuma last July.

Alyson met Tim in December of 2009 on a break from school...

"Tim and I met at a friend's Christmas Party and the rest of our lives have changed since! After we met, there was an instant connection. Not only was it obvious between the two of us, but our friends noticed also.Tim and I had our first date before I left again to go back to school. Our first date was everything other than a typical ‘date.’ We actually spent it out on the desert outside of Yuma hunting for deer. We built a deer blind together so he could go hunt from it for the spring season. Tim and I both love the outdoors and hunting! It was the perfect beautiful day and date! A few days after our date, I flew back to Tulsa University [in Oklahoma]. For the next 6 months, we kept in touch and we developed a very strong friendship and a great communication. Shortly, after I returned to Yuma, Tim and I went out again and the rest is history! On November 27, 2010 Tim and I returned to the desert for a deer hunt. Tim had a 10 ft banner made and put the banner up in the same location where we had built the deer blind. Tim told me “Alyson, you’re my best friend and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” I was COMPLETELY shocked…because I honestly thought that we were just going hunting again. Of course, I said yes! And the wedding planning and planning to spend the rest of our lives together began!"

 

The couple was engaged for a little over eight months with the bride's mom and wedding planner pushing the planning along. The result was a completely unique, summer celebration - from the bridesmaid dresses to the decor.

Alyson said that her bridesmaids were all different colors in her life. "All of my bridesmaids have been life long friends, but they are all so different and so special in different ways. So to capture that, I wanted them in different colors, since they are different colors in my life." The color that each bridesmaid wore represented something meaningful about her. For example, Alyson's matron of honor (who she's known for 24 years - WOW!) wore teal because her first car in high school was a teal Volkswagen Beetle.

The groomsmen wore vests and ties that matched the girls. Lookin' good boys!

You've heard of the bride changing dresses at the reception, but what about hairstyles? "My husband wanted my hair down and I wanted my hair up...so, we compromised," Alyson said. Sounds like their marriage is already off to a great start! She found the both the perfect veil for her ceremony and a fun feather and pearl hair piece for her up-do at our boutique.

Alyson says that one of their most important splurges was their videographer. "A videographer was very important to me and I wanted Arizona's best. Therefore I chose Bella Mia Video and can honestly say it was worth every cent!"


Music was a very important part of Alyson and Tim's wedding. They had a family friend (who also was the best man at Alyson's parents' wedding) sing during their ceremony and then Alyson's dad prepared a very special song for their father/daughter dance.  "My dad has an EXCELLENT voice," Alyson said. "He went to a recording studio, had "Daddy's Angel" by T. Carter recorded, and surprised me when we went to have our dance together on the dance floor." No doubt she'll cherish that recording of her dad singing to her for the rest of her life. So sweet! And once the music started, Alyson said her guests stayed out on the dance floor until 1:15 am!

Most stunning of all (to us, anyway!) was Alyson's dress... The elegant gown flattered in all the right places and the sparkling bead work added the perfect amount of bling.

Just reading her story and watching her videos demonstrates the magnitude of Alyson's heart. She obviously has a true affection for her husband, friends, and family. You can see from her smile how genuine she is. Which is why we were so overwhelmed by the nice things Alyson had to say about her dress shopping experience...but we couldn't fit it all here...be sure to check back later in the week to read more about Alyson and her fabulous dress!

Thank you to Fallbrook Photography (who we can say from our own experience are super professional and sweet!) for providing the photos for this story. You can see more of Alyson's wedding on their blog.

Inspired by Alyson and Tim's colorful, summer bash? Check out some of her vendors:
Dress, Veil, and Hairpiece - Suzanne's Bridal Boutique
Photographer - Fallbrook Photography
Hair & Makeup - Candace, Kaitlyn, & Johnny at Diesel Salon
Videographer - Bella Mia Video
Music - Mancini Entertainment
Reception Venue - Hilton Garden Pivot Point

Suzanne's Bridal Boutique
480.926.9106
www.suzannesbridalboutique.com
www.facebook.com/suzannesbridalboutique
www.pinterest.com/suzannesbridal