A Love Written in the Stars
Presenting Our #MZBride Spotlight: Let's immerse into the love story of Michelle Demaree, our stunning bride who wanted a look that captured both timeless elegance and playful charm. She chose perfect Karlee slim-fitted gown that highlighted her figure with sophistication and grace for the ceremony. But her vision didn’t stop there—she also fell in love with a short, enchanting Mishi dress with matching detailed long gloves for her after-ceremony celebrations! In the following interview, Michelle shares with us how she started planning her wedding journey and will give you her exclusive tips!
How did you start planning your wedding? What were the first steps? Paul and I spent several months looking up venues around Southern California … we got engaged at the Rosewood in Santa Barbara and just loved that area but preferred a private non hotel venue so we would only be surrounded by our family and friends. We discovered Sunstone Villa in Santa Ynez and fell madly in love with the lush vineyards , gorgeous trees and romantic French villa. That was it! We settled on the 17th of May and made it a love inspired Spring themed wedding.
How did you know your dress was 'the one’?
I knew immediately. I had tried on 3 dresses and the moment I put on Karlee I was overwhelmed and started crying. No other just made me feel the way that dress did which was like the most feminine, beautiful and joyful representation of who I am. I also fell in love with Mishi and knew she would be the perfect cake & dancing dress!
How did you find working with the bridal store team?
I perused designer wedding gowns online and fell in love with Mira’s ethereal floral designs immediately. I searched the closest store that carried her line and saw NWLA which was just 5 minutes from my home, lucky me! Everyone at NWLA was incredibly helpful and Nadia and Sam made my Mira Zwillinger dress experience very special.
Advices that you would give to our future brides?
1. Focus on enjoying every moment with your husband. Less focus on perfection. More focus on enjoying your magical day! 2. Make sure your Wedding Planner knows what is most important to you both so she can communicate that to your vendors / photographers and you can enjoy your day. 3. Your will be busy… but take 15 minutes to eat, enjoy and actually “attend your own wedding” with your husband. One of Paul and my favorite memories was sitting, eating and drinking and listening to the violinist with all of our guests, just a few moments we weren’t “on” and we were just enjoying what we had created together.
What was your wedding theme?
A Love Written in the Stars - We had the rocket, heart and star theme on all of our wedding signs and invitations as it represented Paul (a rocket scientist🚀), me (a big lover💗) and my daughter Charlotte (our shining star⭐️). During the ceremony Paul gifted Charlotte a family diamond pendant with a rocket, heart and star as he became her stepfather.
