Bridal Profile - Laurel Beebe Triplett

If you own a bridal boutique and don't have as much a love of romance as you do for business (and problem solving!) then you may be in the wrong arena. We do love romance, especially when it's a little daffy, a little comic and ends well. The story of bride Laurel and Andrew - married in July of 2018 - fits that bill. Before we get to their wedding and her beautiful gown from BT, we have to tell you a little about their story. Actually, we'll let Laurel do it:

"We met in May 2016. We both worked at Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock operating rides. It was a summer job for us both. One day at the end of the day we were on trash duty together how romantic! - and began talking and realized we had a lot in common. Over the next couple of weeks, we got to know each other better and since Tweetsie was only open to the public on weekends at this point, we had time to talk while we worked. During the week, we would go in and paint rides and fences and arrows on the ground, burn off old numbers and patch up the chairs on the chairlift, etc. We were put together the first day, and then we chose to pair up some of the other days (whenever they let us choose).  Soon we began hanging out after work and grabbing dinner together. It was not long before we started dating, and once we did, we fell fast and hard for each other."

We don't know about you guys, but if that isn't a Hollywood "meet cute" then ... I don't think they exist. The couple returned to Tweetsie the following summer and that's when Andrew proposed, getting down on one knee and presenting her with a diamond ring.

The Wedding

Theirs was simple, pretty and sweet. Laurel and Andrew were surrounded by family and friends in their church, said the vows, had a small snafu with the rings (the Best Man nested them and hers bounced out and rolled down the stairs during the vows) and then made it to the reception. Andrew is in a blue grass band "Uncle Joe and the Shady Rest" that played the reception and everyone had fun catching up and celebrating the couple. They went on their honeymoon the next day at Ocean Isle Beach. A perfect summer wedding.

The Wedding Gown - a surprise even to the bride

So Laurel knew that she did not want poofy, did not want a mermaid style, did not want strapless, a long train or too much lace, and her gown needed to be white. The price needed to be between $500 and $1,000.
You never know, sweet ladies out there planning your weddings!

Again, here's Laurel:

"I ended up with a poofy ball gown style that had a relatively long train and a lot of layers.  Not what I expected at all!  It was ivory, which looks white, so I was fine with that. It was mostly tulle but had a lace overlay. The bodice was flowery and had pearls sewn onto it. I also got a hoop skirt to go under the dress.  This shaped the dress and made it look better, and it actually made it easier to walk since it kept the dress out and away from my legs/feet. I think my favorite thing about the dress was that the whole thing was sparkly!"

See! You never know when your choices will shift and you'll "say YES" to a completely different dress. 

"Kelly told me to keep an open mind.  She said many brides go in with an idea of what they want, and then walk out with something totally different.  That is what happened to me.  She was also really kind, courteous, and friendly.  She did not try to push anything on me.  She helped me find dresses to try on that were what I envisioned.  She also helped my bridesmaids choose their dresses.  And Julie McNeil, who did the alterations, was fantastic to work with, as well!  She is incredibly talented, and she made sure she got the alterations exactly the way I wanted/needed.  We had multiple fittings to ensure my satisfaction.  I also liked that I was able to have my dress cleaned through Bridal Traditions."

Laurel's bridesmaids all purchased their gowns from BT and Laurel also purchased her earrings for the big day from us too. We love watching brides find what they want and facilitating what could be a stressful process and making sure it's memorable and easy. Laurel was prepared, so even though she ended up with a different gown, the process for getting the dress ready and her entire wedding day ended up being a walk in the park.
Congratulations to both Laurel and Andrew!!