Our Jasmine bride MJ thought she had found the one after waiting six months for her dress to arrive. But after a dress shop nightmare, MJ felt hopeless. Read all about MJ’s experience and how Jasmine helped make her fairytale wedding come true.
One Happy Family
On July 7th, 2019, MJ and her fiancé Kwame exchanged vows on Belle Isle, an island in the middle of the Detroit river. What’s beautiful about the island is that it is entirely a public park. There is a beach which is where all the Detroiters spend the summer, and where the couple had their rehearsal BBQ. The island has lots of old buildings such as the yacht club, casino, conservatory, boat house and more. Belle Isle is also such a special place to MJ because the boat house is actually where her grandparents got married back in the day. Today, most of the spaces are event venues, some have been able to reopen after the cities bankruptcy. The couple loves the island and is their favorite place to go as a family.
It was a big day for MJ and Kwame as it started at the Crown Plaza hotel downtown Detroit where they got ready separately. It was an emotional morning filled with excitement and nerves. “It was amazing to have all my favorite women in one room and to feel their love for me. I loved having my, now step-daughter Amari, there with me. It was emotional and overwhelming for us both but the experience bonded us.”
Photography | www.heidiuhlman.com 
Kwame got ready with his groomsmen down the hall, then they had an amazing first look together with Amari. The three of them headed to the island from downtown detroit in a shiny new red Ford Mustang. They all arrived at the Conservatory Garden which overlooks a gorgeous glass terrarium-like building surrounded by beautiful greenery, fountains and flowers. The setting was breathtaking and the ceremony was beautifully performed by MJ’s uncle Tom and their friend, Paulina, who assisted with a spiritual ceremony. “This moment was the most love I have ever felt in my heart and everything felt right as Kwame and I joined in our lifelong partnership,” MJ describes their wedding. Lots of tears were shed but all out of happiness. After the ceremony concluded, everyone headed over to the casino for the reception. It is a beautiful old marble structure with pillars and arches surrounding the building creating an outdoor patio all the way around where guests enjoyed apps and drinks. Inside, there is a two story structure with high ceilings and the whole building covered in black and white spider marble. The wedding had dancing and games downstairs with a beautiful Lebanese food buffet upstairs for dinner. For dessert, there were delicious cupcakes downstairs. MJ revealed that so many things went through her head as a to-be bride, but one feeling she wasn’t prepared for was feeling so much joy and happiness in celebration with everyone. “I felt more beautiful than ever and it is a feeling I will never forget.”
Nightmare No More
MJ didn’t have the flawless, “Yes to the Dress” moment when she found her dress. She described her dress shopping experience as a nightmare! She looked for about 6 months the first time around, looking at most of the shops in the Detroit area and also traveling to Ohio and New York. MJ is a 4’11 woman with beautiful curves. While shopping off the rack is easy, when shopping for wedding dresses, her ‘size’ created a real challenge to try anything on, which immediately made the process un-enjoyable for her and made her feel very self conscious. Something brides should not ever feel, especially when looking for a wedding dress! She had several shops tell her that my body type was the issue and that they only had ‘limited’ options to try on, even though they had hundreds of dresses. MJ resorted to finding bridal separates and even drove to Ohio to find the perfect pieces. She waited 6 months for the top and it was too big and didn’t look like what she had ordered. After alterations, adding beading to look like the original, she had paid more in that alone than the cost of the top.
Fairytale Ending
Since MJ was 6 months away from her wedding, she was turned away from most shops due to lack of time. A new shop called Pink Poodle Dress Lounge caught her eye the first time around but they hadn’t opened yet, but luckily for MJ, they had just opened!! “I had high hopes after talking to the shop owner Raeshawn Bumpers about my issues and she reassured me they had plenty I could try on. I brought my mom and aunt with me and a million ideas of what I thought I wanted. Walking into their cute pink upstairs boutique lifted my spirits immediately.”
The stylist MJ worked with had researched her and had a beautiful dress she wanted MJ to try on. She hesitated, but decided to trust them and tried the dress on first. It was the opposite of everything MJ wanted- it was the Honey Gold tone, strapless, heavily beaded and a huge ball skirt that cascaded like a waterfall. MJ put her on and looked at herself and just started balling. I had been looking so long and in so many places and she was exactly how I never knew I wanted to look. The most amazing thing of all is the Style T192010 sample size she had was the exact size she ended up ordering. For the first time she could see it all, the wedding and herself as a bride and wife. MJ looked at herself and saw more beauty than she had ever seen in the mirror before. She felt a glow in her heart and a feeling of joy and self love.
Words to describe how MJ’s Jasmine dress made her feel: Romantic, enchanting, beautiful, glowing and pure joy! She felt like this dress had been made for her curves and body. This is something she never experienced before! Jasmine is my favorite scent and so rightfully so I named her Jasmine, Jassy for short! She has been married for a few months now and still puts her on from time to time when she needs a pick-me-up! MJ understands that eventually she’ll have to preserve her, but for now, Jassy has her own clothing rack in their dining room.
Words from the Bride
Just a Thank you to the Jasmine team for making the dress of my dreams. I never believed in fairytale moments, but I felt like I was living in one on my wedding day and am so grateful to your team and Raeshawn at PPDL for making that happen. Shawn and PPDL offered me such an amazing experience I am so grateful to her and Jasmine Bridal for giving me the most amazing dress I could imagine.
Vendors
Dress Boutique: Pink Poodle Dress Lounge @pinkpoodledresslounge
Photography: Heidi Uhlman @heidiuhlmanphotography
Florals: Vivano @viviano_flower_shop
Venue: Belle Isle Casino and Conservatory
Hair & Make Up: Karoline Williams (hair) @karolinemykia
Lauren Brown @lbs_lookbook
Kai Soderstrom (makeup) @knowfolly
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