The Story Behind the Dress

"I hoped Robin would be 'the one' very early on. We went on a beautiful Westfalia camping trip near Kluane National Park and I remember talking and drinking wine and wishing I would get to do that with this person forever."

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I knew within the first five minutes of meeting Matt that we were destined to be together. It felt as if we had known each other for years and our souls had simply been reconnected. Dating in New York City can be a slog, and finding Matt in a sea of 8 million people still fills me with gratitude.

"We had spent majority of our relationship long distance, so I think having our ceremony with just us two was the most important. We didn’t want any distractions, or decorations … just us and the mountains."

Like many 2022 brides, we got engaged during the pandemic. He knows I do not like a lot of attention on myself, and so one day after spending yet another day in our home he let me know there was a surprise waiting for me upstairs in our bedroom. He had lined the entire hallway with rose petals, and candles, and had dozens of photos of our family all around. He was wearing a suit and asked me to marry him.

"Every moment spent in my dress was perfect. I danced, jumped, hugged, moved, picked up my nieces, played around, drank, ate… everything was so comfortable and I wasn’t distracted once with the dress. Every single guest commented on how beautiful and comfortable my dress looked. It was light and flowy and still very unique. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing."

"We got married at The Stanford Inn in Mendocino. The grounds are beautiful. It’s close to the ocean and redwood forests. The resort champions plant-based and environmentally conscious lifestyle which is important to us."

"For me, there wasn’t any single moment when I became certain that he was the person I wanted to spend my life with. It was the incredibly consistent thoughtfulness, care, and respect he showed for me. He is an amazingly genuine and kind human, which made him very easy to fall in love with."

"The only thing I really wanted was to be barefoot in the grass under a tree...Don’t sweat the details! The only thing that truly matters is that at the end of the day you married the love of your life."

How did you feel spending the day in your wedding dress?

"I loved it. I felt beautiful & sexy & comfortable. Everyone is still telling me how gorgeous I looked in the dress & Andrew said I looked like a supermodel from the 90s who got married in a music video… I take this as the highest compliment."

So tell us, how did you meet the love of your life?

"We’re high school sweethearts! I had a crush on him and I told my friends about it, and then one of them passed that news along to him and here we are ;)"

"I called to say thank you, and he told me to reach into the flowers. Tucked inside the blooms was a plane ticket to Cancun. He said, 'Don't worry, it's fully refundable, but I had to try one more time.' This time I agreed, and we had the most wonderful time together. It was there that he told me he loved me, while we were watching a meteor shower one night by the ocean."

"I knew that he was the one when we could just sit with each other at a cozy coffee shop and study together and that was enough. It was beyond what could be exchanged in words (although our conversations were also nice!), but it just felt comfortable, safe, and right. He looked across at me so warmly and sincerely, and it just was something I sensed, you know?"