Real Bride

#EnzoaniRealBride: Tabitha & Jared

A Pride and Prejudice Themed Wedding for a Storybook Love

For #EnzoaniRealBride Tabitha, finding "the one" was just as unexpected when it came to her dress as it was with her love, Jared. A single blind date turned into a lasting romance that, six years later, led to a gorgeous wedding fit for the history books. Read on to see more of Tabitha and Jared's classic Pride and Prejudice-themed nuptials...and Tabitha's perfectly paired wedding dress: BT13-01 from the Beautiful collection.

THE DRESS

We had a two year engagement, but I went wedding dress shopping about 2 weeks after we got engaged, just for fun. I had no intention of actually purchasing a gown. I tried on 3 dresses, prior to my Enzoani Beautiful gown. My sisters had picked it out and I thought it was stunning on the hanger. My mom wanted me in a gown with sleeves, but my stepmom wanted me in a strapless, so I loved that the illusion neckline offered a happy medium. When I tried it on, I remember thinking, "Wow, this is actually really comfortable." I had no mirrors in the fitting room, so I had no idea how it actually looked.

I remember walking out into the fitting area and seeing all of the important women in my life and every single one of them burst into tears and exclaimed, "It's the one!!!" I was in shock! I had not intended to even think about purchasing a gown that early into the engagement, but as I turned to look in the mirror, as mom put the veil on my head, I burst into tears, as well. We all knew there was no need to look any further and I purchased the gown soon after. I was worried about experiencing some sort of dress regret during my long engagement, but I never wavered! It was perfect!

THE LOVE STORY

When I was 17, I had yet to go on a real date, so my mom decided to play a little matchmaking. She worked with a nice lady who happened to have a 20-year-old grandson. They began talking about how cute we would be together and decided to set us up. Jared and I both doubted my mom and his grandmother when we received individual text messages saying to get in contact with each other. I mean, how often do blind dates actually work? But, we decided to listen to them and got in contact with one another and we hit it off.

Our first date was about 3 weeks after we started talking on the phone, because Jared was a student at a local military college, so he did not have many weekends off. But, I think it was a huge blessing that we had had that long to get to know each other over the phone before our first official date, because it made us so much more comfortable. We went out to go see a movie and instantly felt an attraction. After Jared dropped me off back home, I got a call from him asking if I was free the next night. From then on out, the rest is history.

Jared proposed 4 years later and then we were married a week after our 6-year anniversary. Times have not always been easy but I truly believe that you know you have found "the one" when you find that the work that a relationship entails is so worth it.

THE WEDDING DAY

I absolutely love Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice. I was blessed enough to find my Mr. Darcy in Jared, so I wanted our wedding theme to reflect those passions. You can see the theme in the lavender that we used throughout all of the floral arrangements, the table numbers were actually "chapter numbers" and each included a favorite quote from Pride and Prejudice.

For our sweetheart table, I used hand-drawn pictures of Elizabeth and Darcy, the book seen in my bridal portraits is Pride and Prejudice, and I used scrolls on antique paper for our ceremony programs. While guests were being seated, the harpist and cellist played songs from the Pride and Prejudice film score, our guests signed our guestbook with a feather quill pen, and the coffee cup that I used while getting ready had one of my favorite quotes, from Jane Bennet, painted on it.

I absolutely loved our wedding!! There were so many special moments throughout the day! One of my all-time favorite memories, though, was when Jared's father gave his Best Man speech. His father is a quiet, thoughtful man, but absolutely hates public speaking. Throughout the two-year engagement, we had all picked on him about his speech and how nervous he was about it. Needless to say, we were waiting with bated breath when he got up to speak.

He began by telling a story of when Jared was little. They had been at a family gathering and something had stopped working. Four-year-old Jared got up in front of everyone and said, "You know what my daddy says when things don't work right?" His dad thought to himself that this can't be good, because he knew what he said when things didn't work properly and it didn't always consist of appropriate language. Little Jared continued, "He says, 'piece of junk!" Jared's dad sighed in relief thinking he'd gotten out of that better than he'd expected and better than he'd deserved. He continued his speech saying that that story sums up Jared. He's more than they expect and ever deserved. He then went on to say that, "Now, with Tabitha as a daughter-in-law, she's also more than we expected and more than we could possibly deserve." This was truly a special moment and such a confirmation that I married the man and into the family of my dreams. We are so very blessed.

MY ADVICE...

I know so many brides say that their wedding was the happiest day of their life, and I would sit back and wonder how that could be possible. I'd felt a ton of stress during the engagement and was so detail-oriented. About 2 days before the wedding, I reached my breaking point and had to have a sobering moment. I was so stressed about all of the little details and I put everything on myself. My family and friends had been offering their help throughout the entire engagement, but because I "had a vision," I didn't accept their help.

My advice would be to let things go and let others in. If someone truly wants to help you with any wedding day details, accept it. This truly is one of the most amazing moments of your life, so enjoy it. Don't let the little details overshadow the bigger, more important things.

Embarrassing/Funny "Human" Moment: About a week before the wedding, I had stressed so much about the wedding ceremony and reception and had made so many lists of things that I needed to make sure I had at the venue. Guess what I forgot to have at the venue....MY DRESS! I completely forgot about the "minor" detail of actually picking my dress up at the vendor's store! Needless to say, I arrived at the venue and the photographer came in to grab "pre-wedding" photos and I looked around and realized that my dress wasn't in the room! My mom is a saint and ran to the vendor to pick it up! I crack up every time I think of that story! My husband says I would've been the bride of his dreams even in a paper bag, but I personally am glad that I was able to walk down the aisle in my perfect dress!