As our company grows, so does the complexity and depth of our custom wedding garters. You might want to grab a box of tissues for this one.
When I first spoke with La Gartier bride Moriah Stickley on the phone, I instantly felt a connection to not only her as a person but also her story. I could tell that Moriah had a great sense of humor, and a certain grounded, all-American nature that one finds commonly among people brought up in the MidWest. I seriously couldn't detect one ounce of mal-intent or subterfuge in Moriah's personality. I could tell that she was fun, honest, but had been hurt. As I listened to her talk during our very first phone consultation, I was surprised to learn that Moriah had been born with a twin brother named Elijah. Much to my heart's dismay, I soon learned that Elijah had died in a car accident not even two years ago as he was driving to Moriah's surprise engagement to her boyfriend of seven years. (Elijah was the reason Moriah met her fiance so many years ago as both of them had been serious wrestlers.) When Moriah told me her story about her brother, her story about her amazing soon-to-be-husband and the life she lived, I sensed that her garters were going to be amazing-- and they were. By the time we had finished her phone consultation, I felt more determined than ever to create a wedding garter set for her that reflected not only her beautiful heart but also her love for her brother...and dare I say-- a way for her to keep her brother close to her as she walked down the aisle. Why? Well, I can write it down here in words exactly. I am not sure why. Some things are ineffable. But I do know that when she asked me to be apart of this project, I knew that I had to give it my all. It's almost as if I felt that the weight of the situation..and the love of the situation...deserved the very best that La Gartier had to offer. Maybe I felt that I could help heal a part of Moriah's loss through this creation. I don't feel that I will ever truly be able to convey the beauty of Moriah's custom wedding garter set, but I do know this: when she asked me how to incorporate her brother into her garter, I asked her if she still had any of his clothes. She told me that she did! She had a neck tie and a t-shirt in his favorite color: blue. I asked her to ship me those two things as well as anything else that she wanted to incorporate. You can't imagine how thrilled I was when I received a package that included a necktie and t-shirt that used to belong to Eli along with pieces of Moriah's mothers' wedding gown! Talk about heirloom integrity!
The elements of Moriah's design were so multi-layered and UNIQUE that I can't think of anything else to do but bullet-point them! Scroll through the photos below to learn more about deeply meaningful custom wedding garter set. (oh-- and did we mention that we made her set of hankies too?! Don't stop scrolling now!)
The pearls that were sewn into the middle of Moriah's "Galia" custom garter were taken from her mother's wedding gown. The bow that you see above was a bow that was once apart of her mom's wedding gown also!
The back band of Moriah's "Galia" garter was made using her brother Elijah's necktie. The sides of her toss garter were embroidered (in blue) with her and her fiance's initials.
The "Calvin Klein" tag that is on the inside of her toss garter was taken from her brother's neck tie. R.I.P. Elijah you looked like a super cool guy.
All three of Moriah's custom wedding garters: one to keep, one to toss and one to call a toss but really keep.
Truth be told: Moriah's hankies were my favorite to make. All of them were made using her brother's favorite t-shirt. Not only is the color ah-mazing but the appliques that I hand-sewed to the front are from her mother's gown. Also, white embroidery is so pretty, don't you think?!?!
Moriah kept one for herself but gifted the others to her mother, her fiance.
Moriah's hankie with her custom garter set. Did I mention that the applique on the hankie was taken from her mom's gown? #AllCustomEverything
Yes, I am still posting pictures of these.
Interested in having a custom garter made for yourself? Please email us at info@lagartier.com to book your custom spot. Right now, we are completely booked until July of 2019 but as long as you are not getting married until after August 1st of 2019, then there is still time!! (big shout out to Moriah Stickley for trusting me with this project!)