When I first spoke with La Gartier bride Kayla Shudy on the phone, I instantly felt a connection to not only her as a person but also her story. I could tell that Kayla was sweet, honest, and lived her life with a full and open heart. As I listened to her talk, 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 story. Why? Well, I can write it down here in words but I don't feel that I will ever truly be able to convey the beauty of Kayla's custom wedding garter set. The back story: Kayla's mother passed away in 2011, shortly after meeting Kayla's soon-to-by hubby. When Kayla got engaged, she knew that she wanted to be able to have her mother with her in some way on her wedding day, but wasn't sure how. When she heard about our custom designs, she reached out and asked us if she could send us a sleeve from her mother's wedding dress so that we could use the fabric within her wedding garter design. (We call these designs "repurposed" wedding garter designs and I adore them with all of my creative being.)
So, Kayla shipped us the sleeve to our Atlanta studio and we got to work right away. Little did I know that the garter set that would be born of our meeting would end up being one of the prettiest custom garters this side of the Mississippi.
The elements of Kayla'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.
The butterfly that you see at the center of Kayla's toss was special due to the fact that it was Kayla's mothers' favorite symbol. Not only that, but it also served as Kayla's "something blue."
The best part? This locket was a vintage find, so it also serves as Kayla's "something old".
I am literally dying to know what Kayla is going to decide to put inside the locket on her wedding day.
The back band of Kayla's keepsake garter was embellished with dozens of tiny sequins and pearls that were taken from the sleeve of her mother's vintage wedding gown. *grabs tissues*
I knew that Kayla was not going to want to toss her vintage butterfly locket garter, so I created a third REAL toss garter for her that featured a silver "O" charm at the center (which, as you can guess, is the first letter of her new last name.)
La Gartier bride Kayla Shudy's wedding garters inside of our signature box. I have no words to describe how honored I feel to be a small part of such a significant day in Kayla's life. I can only hope that we made her mother proud.
