Denise + Mark | Monique Lhuillier Wedding from Photography By Charise

Denise’s dress search was complete kismet…falling in love with Monique Lhuillier‘s Meringue corset + skirt and getting the opportunity to buy such a decadent dress from a PreOwnedWeddingDresses seller only 5 minutes from her house! I totally had a “No way?!’ moment when Denise shared that.  And what’s even better, the amazing dress kharma of this very special gown continues now that Denise successfully sold this gorgeous dress to another lucky gal just a few weeks ago.  So good!

Denise + Mark | September 21, 2013 | The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA | Dress Listing: Monique Lhuillier, Meringue Corset + Skirt

The Ceremony
No one warns you how amazing that moment is as your father begins to walk you down the aisle and you get to see the wedding you have been planning for months for the very first time – from your closest friends and family to your husband-to-be waiting for you at the end of the aisle. The ceremony was very personal to us and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. We incorporated the traditional aspects of a wedding and added a Rose Ceremony, which brought our families into it nicely. During the Ring Ceremony, my husband surprised me at the altar with a special ring, which so startled and surprised me that I forgot to repeat my lines when it was my turn to put his ring on his finger.

The Reception
The Polo Private Dining Room was the perfect alternative to a traditional ballroom for our intimate reception of 70 guests. The bright orange, red and pink bouquets, three-tiered cake with rhubarb ribbon and cream flowers, pearl table frames and party favors highlighted the cozy yet elegant ambience of the dining room. The affair started with our First Dance, followed by a delicious Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese appetizer, Rack of Lamb and Chilean Sea Bass main entrees, and continued with toasts by our Best Man, Maid of Honor and Father of the Bride, then opening-up to include our joyous friends and family on the dance floor and winding down with our cake cutting. The Beverly Hills Hotel knows how to do it right! They exceeded our expectations in every way.

Denise’s Dress Search
I searched online for about two weeks to narrow down what style I liked for a wedding dress. I realized pretty quickly, my favorite designer was Monique Lhuillier but figured, due to budget, she was out of reach. I kept coming back to this one Lhuillier dress on PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com and wondered if the seller was local. So, thinking it a long shot, I sent her an email. She was closer than I could have ever imagined! I had only just started my physical dress search the day before, almost by accident. I thought I would check out a local sample store a friend had recommended because it’s where she had bought her wedding dress. After trying on about twelve gorgeous dresses in the sample store over a 2-day period, the PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com seller contacted me and, as it turned out, she lived five minutes from my house! Although the other dresses I tried were all beautiful (and I almost bought one of them), when I tried on this particular Lhuillier dress, I knew instantly it was the one. The dresses I had seen before then were my feeble attempt to get the ‘look’ of this very dress and, now, I could afford the dress I actually had wanted all along.

How Denise Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Glamorous, Sexy + Elegant

Why Denise Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
Strangely, I feel inanimate objects are somewhat animate in a weird way. I think the dress should get to be a part of another couple’s special day – not sit in the closet. The dress is just too beautiful to only be worn for such a short time. It also gives someone else the chance to wear her dream Monique Lhuillier dress without breaking the bank. It worked out so nicely for the previous seller and myself when I bought the dress on PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com, that I figured why not pass on the good kharma!

Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier, Meringue Corset + Skirt | Photography: Photography By Charise | Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Beverly Hills Hotel | Event Planning: Day-of-Coordinator,Terri Castillo, Bellisimo Events | Floral Design: Wisteria Lane Flower Shop | Cake: The Butter End Cakery

See all of our wedding dresses by Monique Lhuillier…