Martina Liana Style 803

Real Martina Liana Bride Jestine + Jeffrey

An uber romantic proposal, some very personal and cute touches, and one super cute Martina Liana wedding dress all made real bride Jestine’s wedding to groom Jeffrey beautiful. We love how they added touches of blue and their beloved bulldogs into the wedding, too. Congrats to this happy couple!

Martina Liana Style 803

The Proposal

My husband proposed on April 21st, 2018 in Madison, WI. Madison is known for its lakes and we really enjoy taking our two English bulldogs for walks around them. On this particular day, my mom was visiting from out of town and she had her two English bulldogs with her as well. We all decided to drive over to Lake Mendota and take the dogs for a walk. But, because we had four dogs and three people we needed to take two separate cars. My husband drove our two bulldogs and I drove over with my mom and her two dogs in her car.

Martina Liana Style 803

He had to leave a little before us to “get gas” so by the time I arrived he was already at the lake. When I stepped out of the car I saw Jeff and my two bulldogs hiding behind a tree. He released our first bulldog Popeye who was wearing a shirt which read, “Will you…” and then he released our other bulldog, Po, that had a shirt which said, “marry me?” He knows, I can’t say no to those dogs, so of course, once he dropped down on one knee before he could ask himself, I said “YES!”.

bulldog cake topper

Finding the Perfect Martina Liana Wedding Dress

I decided to go to Brandi’s Bridal Galleria because it is the only bridal shop in Madison that carries Martina Liana. I knew, before I was ever engaged, that I really wanted to wear one of her dresses. Her dresses are soft, timeless, and elegant. I wanted a dress that would accentuate my curves but still look very classy/sophisticated/bridal.

Martina Liana Style 803

I went dress shopping with just my mom and Brandi’s was the first and only place we ended up going. I tried on 11 different dresses and was feeling pretty defeated. However, my mom pulled this dress off of the rack after seeing and hearing what it was I wanted. I was ready to leave but my mom wanted me to try this last dress on. I am so glad I did! As soon as I pulled it on I knew Style 803 was the one. It felt amazing AND it brought my mom to tears which none of the other dresses even came close to doing.

Martina Liana Style 803

The Wedding Details

We got married at Neuse Breeze which I fell in love with as soon as I found it on wedding wire. We booked the venue sight unseen because I knew from just the pictures and review that Neuse Breeze was the place for us. Our wedding had 110 of our closest family and friends in attendance. The ceremony and reception were all outdoors. Our colors were icy peach, light blue, and copper/rose gold. I don’t think anyone who knows me would call me a princess, but on this day it was the first time I’d ever felt like one. It really was the best day ever and I wish we could do it all over again!

Martina Liana Style 803

Martina Liana Style 803

Martina Liana Real Bride Wedding

 

To personalize we did a few things…

  1. Our seating chart was made on a wooden paddleboard. Jeff and I love paddle boarding together so we thought that would be a cute way to bring that in.
  2. We love our dogs! We couldn’t bring them, but we did have little clay sculptures of them made for our cake topper! Also, we made Bulldog Chocolate pops as favors for everyone.
  3. Our love of the coast and cape cod: Our amazing cake artist made our cake look like it was decorated in oysters. Also, when Jeff and I travel we always get a Christmas ornament from the places we visit. So, we made everyone Christmas ornaments out of Cape Cod oyster shells! We painted the shells and wrote Havelock, NC on them so that everyone could remember the great time they had when they traveled to the Carolina Coast!
  4. We are HUGE marvel fans. So, all of the groomsmen had avengers socks and for the garter removal, I hid Thor’s hammer under my skirt. Also, the best man pulled out Thanos glove for his best man speech and talked about how each infinity stone holds the key to a successful marriage.
  5. Horse racing is a big thing for my husbands family and we got married on Kentucky Derby Day. So, before we were all introduced into the reception, the DJ played the Kentucky derby bugle call! 

Martina Liana Style 803

Martina Liana Style 803

One of my favorite memories was at the very end, once it was all over, my husband and I got to stay the night on the property in their cottage. The Flame Catering team was amazing and they left a bunch of leftover “doggie” bags in our fridge for us to eat. So, afterward, we sat down together at the kitchen table, finally ate our delicious food, drank our champagne, and talked about how amazing everything was. Getting to reflect with him about the day and just have that time to take it all in while it was still so fresh in our minds was the best.

Are you looking for the perfect gown to complete your wedding day vision? Find a Martina Liana retailer near you.

Photos by 704 Photography