Real Martina Liana bride Michele married her husband Jose in Style 873. Michele wanted a classic, traditional wedding dress, and she found just that at The Plumed Serpent Bridal. While she initially thought she wanted a simple dress, she fell in love with her gown the moment she put it on. Like many couples, Michele and Jose were forced to modify their original wedding plans due to COVID-19. However, they had a beautiful wedding that celebrated their love for one another. We asked Michele to tell us more about her journey as a bride. You’ll fall in love with their inspiring, romantic story. Congratulations Michele and Jose!
The Proposal
At the end of every summer, Jose and I plan a weekend trip to wrap up the season. Our trip during the summer of 2018 was a special one. We planned a long weekend getaway to Newport, Rhode Island.
Before the trip, I was researching fun activities and saw that there was a “love lock fence” in Newport similar to the “love lock bridge” in Paris. I mentioned to Jose that it could be fun to just walk by it to check it out, but Jose had something bigger planned. Jose told me he went to the local hardware store to pick up a large padlock and Sharpies, but he was also picking up something else – an engagement ring!
On our way up to Newport, Jose was awfully quiet. Once we got there, we dropped off our bags and set off on our adventure to find the “love lock fence” which was supposed to be on the famous Newport cliff-walk. We walked the entire cliff-walk to no avail. Jose pulled out his phone to search for details on the fence and found an article stating that the Historical Society of Newport took down the locks to preserve the aesthetics of the mansions.
We decided to put our padlock on a random fence on the cliff-walk. When Jose gave me the padlock, he first presented it to me faceup. He had written “MC + JF 08/25/2018.” But then he told me to flip it over. On the back of the padlock it said, “Will you marry me?” I looked up and saw Jose kneeling down with a beautiful engagement ring. I burst into tears of excitement and yelled, “Yes!”
The Dress
I wanted a very clean, sleek look. I initially thought that meant I needed to wear a very simple dress. I went to multiple dress boutiques and told each consultant that I wanted something simple and elegant. So naturally, they put me in white wedding gowns with no lace and no texture. None of them felt right to me.
Prior to my visit to The Plumed Serpent Bridal, I looked on their website and came across Martina Liana. I visited her Instagram where I saw Style 873 and made a mental note because I loved the high neckline.
During my visit at The Plumed Serpent Bridal, I said to the consultant, “I want something simple.” Yet I mentioned that I loved Style 873 on Martina Liana’s Instagram. The consultant jotted it down on her piece of paper and began pulling different dresses for me to try on. As she did this, I walked around and saw a dress with a similar neckline to Style 873, but all she fitted me in were plain white dresses. After trying on half a dozen dresses, I asked to try on the one that had the neckline I liked. I fell in love with it! I felt so comfortable in the dress and it was very complimentary to my body. I knew it was the one. The consultant came over to me and said, “WOW! The dress you picked on your own is Style 873 from Martina Liana.” It was meant to be.
The Wedding Details
Jose and I wanted a very traditional and timeless wedding. We had a traditional Catholic church ceremony and hosted our guests at a nearby country club. The country club was built nearly 100 years ago and is a historic Renaissance Revival style luxury facility. Their ballroom reminded us of some of the mansions we toured in Newport when we got engaged, which made us fall in love with the venue.
When it came to picking a theme, I wanted something warm and romantic, so we incorporated lots of candles, warm up-lighting, and a neutral color scheme. We had lots of greens and soft whites for our flowers and centerpieces. The bridesmaids wore a satin, champagne dress while the groomsmen wore traditional black tuxedos with bow-ties and smoking slippers.
Another traditional detail we incorporated was a 1967 baby blue Mustang. Our florist put a “Just Married” sign on the back of this antique Mustang and a beautiful eucalyptus garland.
We made our wedding very personal by customizing the party favor. Jose and I met at a coffee shop in our hometown called Donut Delight back in 2011. The coffee shop was able to cater the party favors which were clear iced-coffee cups filled with donut holes. The cups had the Donut Delight logo which is a staple in our hometown that every resident knows about. Jose’s best friend and best man even mentioned the coffee shop in his speech! The party favor was a surprise to everyone, even to the best man.
The Show Must Go On
Given the circumstances with the global pandemic, we faced many obstacles and difficulties re-planning our wedding. We received pressure and advice from multiple angles, yet no one truly understood what having this special day meant for us. As a couple, Jose and I decided to push out our wedding from May 30, 2020 to August 29, 2020 rather than wait another year. We lost multiple deposits, thousands of dollars, and uninvited over 100 people so we could adhere to New York State regulations of 50 guest maximum. We cried on multiple occasions, but we stayed strong.
Jose and I were able to have our special day this year after dating for nearly a decade. Although we faced many tribulations, our dream wedding came true, and we were able to celebrate with our closest of family and friends. Our guests were able to enjoy themselves in a socially-distanced safe and joyous manner.
The most special memory of the day was seeing everyone’s genuine excitement by the looks on their faces. Everyone was happy, laughing, and smiling, especially Jose when he first saw me walk into the church. The entire day was truly magical, and we had so much support from our family and friends.
We are so thrilled that this lovely couple had the wedding of their dreams. Now it’s your turn to celebrate your love on your special day. Find a Martina Liana retailer near you today!
Photos by Maggie Conley