The Karina gown on our real bride Liv could not be more perfect. And Liv looks like she had the BEST time in her gown! The metallic gown was a pairing made in heaven as it fit in with her classic/modern New Orleans wedding and transitioned very well between her stunning ceremony to fun-filled night!
Liv was so kind to answer all of our burning questions and each answer created such a fun and charming love story!

How did you two meet?!
"We met in college, the summer before my sophomore year, while bailing his fraternity brother, who happened to be my date from earlier that evening, out of jail."

How did Stephen propose?
"He proposed in Havana, at the Hotel National where my grandparents stayed during their honeymoon, with a ring custom designed using a diamond that belonged to his Grandma Gracie. He had asked an Italian woman to take a picture of us in front of the view, and dropped to one knee. She then started screaming at him to do it again, but better this time, so he had to propose all over again with me giggling uncontrollably."

A little about Olivia and Stephen:
"Stephen is from a little town in South Louisiana, and runs his family's company. He is a diehard tennis player, as well as a bit of an amateur mixologist. I grew up in New Orleans and am currently in veterinary school, and planning on specializing in equine reproductive medicine. I ride horses and teach yoga when I need a breather from school. We're currently living in the swamp in a tiny 100 year old cottage we renovated ourselves with our 2 dogs Magnolia and Diesel."

Your venue at Elms Mansion is gorgeous! How did you choose your venue/date (May 26th, 2019)?
"We had actually already planned and booked an entire wedding for the day after, at Arlington Plantation in Franklin, Louisiana. About 5 months before the wedding was supposed to occur, we found at that Arlington had shut down without notifying us, and the Elms came to our rescue after one of the members of Stephen's tennis league had to move his daughter's wedding because it had become too large. It ended up being perfect, since the Elms had been my dream wedding venue since childhood, when I used to pass by weddings there on my way home from my mom's office."

Tell us about your dress shopping experience. Where did you find your gown?
"I bought my dress at Wedding Belles in New Orleans, a cool little boutique with more modern designers as their focus. 2 of my bridesmaids brought champagne and strawberries, and we nibbled on them while I tried on dresses, and then I returned with my mom and sister, who was also my maid of honor, to show them the final 3 even though I already knew which one I wanted."

How many gowns did you try on before you said Yes?
"Countless!"

Was the gown you said yes to what you imagined you'd pick when you started out?
"Absolutely not. I had my heart set on a blush appliqué floral draped plunge dress that I had seen on Instagram!"

Tell us about your ceremony. Was it religious? Did you choose your own readings, music, or write your own vows?

"We had a pared down Episcopalian ceremony since we knew it was important to our parents, but our own touches were the music and readings. The band played As Time Goes By as our processional, and we each had a favorite cousin read a poem - we used Marriage Morning by Lord Alfred Tennyson and A Moment of Happiness by Rumi."

What was your favorite part of the day?

"The entire party, in the ballroom after our Second Line paraded inside (a New Orleans tradition) dancing out of their minds to the last song of the evening, which happened to be me and Stephen's favorite song: St. James Infirmary Blues. It is an amazing old jazz funeral dirge, and our band, aside from being fantastic, just knew that we would appreciate the humor in leaving a wedding on a funeral dirge."

Lastly, we asked Liv if she had any advice to offer our future brides...

"Make a quick lap, and then go have FUN. This is your day that you spent months planning. If someone wants to see or congratulate your, they can find you on the dance floor!"

CONGRATULATIONS LIV! We are honored that you are one of our brides! Thank you!

What was your "Old", "Borrowed" and "Blue"?
"One of my bridesmaids was a sorority sister, who lent me her antique blue Alpha Delta Pi badge to pin to my bouquet."

Did you have any major surprises on your wedding day (or weekend?)
"We lost a groomsman! One of Stephen's groomsman simply didn't show up to the rehearsal dinner, and we haven't heard from him since."

How did your dress feel during the day? Anything you would have done differently or anything you feel working out perfectly?
"It was beautiful and I loved wearing it, however I think I would have looked into customizing the neckline to be more suited to my body type." (We can do that by the way! :) )