It's very hard to pick a favorite bride because all of them are so unique, but I would be lying if I didn't say that that making my close friends' (and colleagues') were extra special.

Many of you have had the pleasure of working with Kate (Katya) on your own special occasion. She is our patternmaker extraordinaire and manages our production. 

Making our beloved Kate's wedding dress was something I had been excited to make since the day I heard about Samuel. Not only do I work with Kate, but she has become a very close friend of mine over the past six years. Her custom wedding gown had to be perfect and exactly what she had in mind. We collaborated as a team to bring her wedding dreams to reality.

Q: How did you incorporate a family tradition or family heirloom to your special day?

A:  I knew I wanted to incorporate prayer into the ceremony. My dress was very fitted and there was nowhere to kneel, so my mother-in-law brought pillows that were made by either her mother or her grandmother for that particular reason.

It was difficult to incorporate traditions because I'm Russian and some of the traditions can get to be a little crazy. Even though Samuel is Latino by heritage, he grew up fully American. For our wedding, we created little moments that had meaning to both of us and our friends and family.  

Q: How did you and Samuel meet? How did he propose?

A: We met at First Baptist on Post Oak during a Bible study. From then on, I knew he was the one. Our proposal was a lot more exciting though! Samuel told me that I needed to pack a bag for a trip, but he wouldn't tell me where we were going, so I packed clothes fit for both camping and the beach. When I got home, he surprised me with a trip to Florida. We took off to Clearwater and when we arrived he surprised me with a rowing trip to Caladesi Island, which was a very private setting. He set up his phone on a tripod because he knows how much I love to take photos, and secretly recorded the entire process! 

Q: Did anything funny or chaotic happen on your wedding day?

A:  On the day of my wedding, my father couldn't come all the way from Russia. I still wanted him to be present in some form, so my friend who escorted my mother had my father connected on FaceTime. Because my father doesn't know American wedding traditions, he was talking the entire time without realizing that the entire chapel could hear him! Eventually, my mother turned the screen to face her and discreetly told him to stop talking!

Q: What song was your first dance to?

A: Our first dance was to Barry White's “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe”. 

Q: Where was your bachelorette party?

A:  My bachelorette party was held at Spa Castle in Carrollton, Texas. It was the perfect relaxing escape we all needed. 

Q: What unique feature did you include on the special day?

A:  We had a couple of unique features on our wedding day. On my wedding day, my bridesmaids surprised me with something very special. After our first dance, they announced they had prepared something for us and began to do a choreographic routine. This had already taken me by surprise, but suddenly other girls began to join in from their seats, forming a flashmob! 

Another unique feature that we included was having the chorus sing the Lord's Prayer in both English and Russian. Having that moment tying both of our heritages together was very special.  

Evening Details

Wedding Site | AD Bruce Religion Center for the ceremony & Nouveau Antique Art Venue for the reception

Food and Drink | Tony's Barbecue and Steak House

Photographer | Gina Schild

Entertainment | Sarah Watson, Jennifer Paulson & Amy Rebenack

Beauty | Hair: Meta, Make up: Irina Borodina

Wedding Dress | The one and only, David Peck