L Y D I A

+

D A V I D

{May 25th, 2024}

She is just gorgeous!

Introducing our beautiful bride, Lydia!

When we first met Lydia, it was during an Essense of Australia Preview Trunk Show, where she chose this stunning, lacy A-line gown!

She customized it in alterations and made it strapless - we are obsessed!

Lydia accessorized her gorg gown with a cathedral length silk veil by Malis Henderson and pearl drop earrings by Ti Adoro!

{Photos by: Megan Hoffer Photography}

For her stunning flowers, Lydia worked with Bixler Blooms out of Marietta, Pennsylvania!

We looove those beautiful muted colors!

Before the craziness of the day really began, Lydia and her soon-to-be hubby, David, shared a special first look together!

{Photos by: Megan Hoffer Photography}

Lydia and David were married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at The Barn at Stoneybrooke in Atglen, Pennsylvania!

They also held a Ketubah signing, which is a Jewish marriage tradition!

{Photos by: Megan Hoffer Photography}

After the happy couple sealed the deal, it was time to celebrate!

Everyone headed inside the barn for a beautiful reception!

{Photos by: Megan Hoffer Photography}

How did these cuties first meet?

“The old-fashioned way… in a bar! David and I both lived in Baltimore at the time- he had lived there for about a year and I only 4 months. I went to the bar with a girlfriend and he was there with some friends. He came up and asked if we both wanted a drink and 8 years later, here we are. There’s a lot of story in between those years, but we started out as friends, realized a few months later that we really liked each other and at the end of 2016 we began dating!

Favorite part of the our meeting- the bar we met at was called “Don’t Know”, so when people ask us where we met… Don’t Know!”

How did David pop the question?

“We had a long weekend trip planned to Asheville, NC in November 2022. We planned to go to The Biltmore, the Vanderbilt’s estate, but knew we’d have to go in the morning one of the days to fit in everything else we had planned. I was running late that morning and he was as chill as ever- I never would have known what was about to happen. We were some of the first few people to the Biltmore that day and right when we pulled up, it was SO FOGGY- you couldn’t even see the mansion. David told me that if we walked up a nearby hill we would be able to see the Biltmore better. I fought back against this because… hello… fog….? but decided to follow him anyway. We walked up the middle of the hill where we were framed perfectly by the backdrop of the Biltmore and the mountains, and it wasn’t until he started talking that I realized the photographer set up in the middle of the hill was for us.”

Was it a surprise or did Lydia know it was coming?

“We had discussed getting engaged by the end of 2022, I had told him very detailed specifics about the ring I’d always envisioned getting, and I knew David had already talked to my mom and dad. What I didn’t know was that he had purchased the ring about 3 months before he proposed and that it was literally less than 3 feet away from me every night in his nightstand!”

After securing the ring, it was time to secure the dress!

How was Lydia’s dress shopping experience??

"HA… it’s a doozy. I think I need to give a tiny bit of background.

I worked at a bridal salon for a few years in high school and LOVED wedding dresses growing up. I also worked at URBAN (parent company of Anthropologie and the wedding dress shop BHLDN) during college and was there during the time BHLDN started. I was a Fit Model, meaning designers would cut and pin clothes on my (and other fit model’s) body to make them perfect for production. Needless to say, I got spoiled with having clothes built on me and working with so many wedding dresses.

I don’t know the official count, but I think I tried on about 75 wedding dresses at 3 different salons after I got engaged. After the first 2 salons I narrowed it down to 3 dresses. Not feeling 100% confident in any of them, I went to Something Blue at the recommendation of my friend (and bridesmaid) who had bought her dress there and had a great experience. I live in Chicago, my family lives on the East Coast and I didn’t have any friends available so I went by myself! They were having the Essense of Australia Preview Trunk show and had SO MANY beautiful dresses. Shannon and the whole team at Something Blue were amazing- I had the best time with them. I tried on so many dresses and after narrowing it down to 5 dresses in the store, I had the difficult decision of choosing one! After teetering back and forth between the last 2 dresses, I finally picked the one that became my wedding dress… kinda!”

How did she know her dress was "the one"?

“I didn’t have that “aha!” moment- so don’t be afraid if that doesn’t happen for you. Literally any number of dresses that I tried on that day could have been the dress I wore on my wedding day. After I purchased it I had second thoughts and almost went back to purchase one of the other dresses I had tried on; however, the thought I kept coming back to was “I felt so good in it when I had it on, so it must have meant something”. The dress had everything on my check list that I wanted- light weight, beautiful lace all over, romantic feeling, and an accentuated waist. The only thing I couldn’t wrap my head around was that I always wanted a strapless wedding gown and this dress had shoulder straps.

Something Blue had a wonderful list of seamstresses to pick from and I went with the one that my friend had used for her wedding – Custom Bridal by Renee. Before I went in for my first alterations appointment, I tried the dress on again at home and tried folding the straps down to make it strapless and TA DA- THIS WAS IT. I took a million pictures and felt like I was back in my fit modeling days. I planned it out in my head of how the straps would need to be cut and formed into the top I could finally feel was “the one”. When I took it to Renee, I told her my crazy idea and thankfully she was able to pull off some incredible tailoring work- adding boning that was needed, placing lace perfectly to hide the changes, taking in the waist- and made the dress perfect for me.”

What was Lydia’s favorite part of the planning process?

“Making the day feel “like us”. At the beginning of planning I came up with a vibe I wanted and ran with it- classic, romantic, chic barn wedding. I wanted to DIY as much as possible, so every sign, font, and decoration I chose.”

What about her least favorite part?

“This is no surprise- it’s really stressful planning a wedding. Even when you feel like you are trying to stay on top of things, so many items have to get done at the last minute and the lack of sleep can get to you.”

Now that it’s been almost a year, does Lydia have a favorite wedding day moment?

“I need to pick 3! 1- Standing with David in front of our friends and family and just feeling so calm and excited that we were at this moment together. 2- Walking around the venue and seeing everything I envisioned come to life- it was honestly better than I could have imagined. 3- Doing a photo dash to get pictures with every table. Everyone was so into it and I genuinely think they’re some of the best photos with our guest of the entire night!”

What is the best piece of advice Lydia can give brides-to-be who are currently planning their own big day?

“1. Pick a venue that is already beautiful so you don’t have to add too much. If they have a coordinator built in, it is honestly the best decision ever.

2. If you’re type A and like to be super detailed-oriented, it’s 100% fine to have a vision and stick to it-you’ll be so much happier you had a hand in everything.

3. In times where the planning or stress becomes all-encompassing, step back and remember that the most important part of the day is that you are marrying your best friend. Everything could go wrong- your dress could get damaged, your cake could not show up, your decorations not turn out how you wanted, weather could be awful, friends & family could get stuck in traffic, etc. I got to marry my best friend, and I got to do it on a beautiful day in a beautiful dress in a beautiful setting. But if I had to wear my pajamas to marry him, I still would do it again.”

Congratulations, Lydia + David!!

Check out more of their stunning wedding photos by Megan Hoffer Photography in the gallery below!