The stunning venue in today’s wedding had long been on our bride Alina’s mind, and it’s easy to see why. With a double staircase and a gorgeous courtyard for the ceremony, it certainly made for a dramatic (and emotional) entrance for both bride and groom! The vibrant colors in the photos, from the bridesmaids in their matching robes and the shades of blue completely pop in the photos for this stunning wedding.
Alina + Todd | April 5, 2014 | Costa Mesa, California | Dress Listing: Romona Keveza, L263
The Ceremony
I fell in love with Turnip Rose at Grand Newport Plaza in Costa Mesa, California the first time I saw a photo of the two cascading staircases and I was really hoping my fiancé would like it as well and he DID! The ceremony took place in the courtyard of a huge Spanish-style building and instead of walking down a traditional aisle; there was a groom’s staircase and a bride’s staircase where my groom and I made our dramatic entrances. My dad passed away when I was 12 and my mom raised me, so it was only fitting that she be the one who walked me down and gave me away. During the ceremony, our pastor told our guests a brief story of how we met and fell in love. Instead of doing a sand or candle ceremony, we chose to take communion together as husband and wife and it was one of the most special and meaningful moments of our entire wedding.
The Reception
The cocktail hour and reception was in the same building complex, but inside and was completely different from our ceremony. The reception room used to be a lounge/club and was transformed into a beautiful and very modern celebration space, complete with 2 bars, 10 flat screen TVs, complete lighting and sound system. My family is Russian and we love toasts so we had eight toasts instead of the traditional four! We laughed, cried, ate delicious food, drank vodka and danced the entire evening. Our desserts included a liquor-infused chocolate covered strawberry bar and it was definitely a guest favorite.
Alina’s Dress Search
I didn’t know exactly what kind of dress I wanted, but I knew that I wanted a lace, A-line dress with a low back that was light and comfortable to dance in all night long. I went to four different bridal stores and tried on about 10 dresses and a lot of them were cute, but it wasn’t until I tried on the Romona Keveza Legends gown (L263) that I was really excited. I tried not to like it because it was out of my price range and I knew I would have to spend even more on alterations. So I went back to the bridal salon with my mom, kind of hoping she would tell me she didn’t like it, but she loved it too!
Reene at In Stitches hemmed my new dress to fit my small athletic frame and created a beautiful and flattering bustle and made a custom gorgeous sash/belt from the left over lace (after hemming) and decorated it with rhinestones. It was so delicate and made specifically for my beautiful dress and added a little bling since the dress was all lace and needed something tastefully sparkly. The dress fit me beautifully! The neckline was gorgeous, the low back was so sexy, but classy, it was so light and comfortable; I was able to wear it for 12 hours without any problems and danced the night away confidently.
How Alina Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Beautiful, comfortable and classy
Why Alina Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
I decided to sell this amazing Romona gown because wedding dresses are ridiculously and unfairly expensive and I am hoping that there is a petite bride out there that has fallen in love with this specific dress and wants to be smart in how she spends her wedding budget. The less she spends on her dress, the more she has left over for open bar and many other wedding expenses! I love this dress, but it would be a shame to leave it in the closet indefinitely.
