Meet our stunning GLbride Carly Rosen, who chose our VIV gown for her wedding. Join us as we embark on a journey through her wedding day, set against the backdrop of the timeless Ocean House. Carly's wedding is a testament to the enduring love and cherished family traditions that make each union a unique and heartwarming story. As told by Carly:
A moment of your wedding day will you never forget?
I’m sure this is a common answer, but walking down the aisle and seeing my husband at the end of it! Nothing can really prepare you for that moment. I remember forgetting that all eyes (& cameras) were on me. All I could think about was my excitement to get to the end of the aisle to see Jake.
Ocean House has a magical staircase that I was able to walk down with my dad for a grand entrance. Before we went to the top of the staircase, my dad and I had a moment to watch Jake and our bridal party walk down the aisle from the window together. That was one of my (many) favorite moments of the day and something I will always remember.
Once we received our photos back, we noticed how many guests staying at the Ocean House was watching our ceremony from the balcony, most notably, the little girl who watched from the terrace directly above the staircase and groups of kids in the windows above her. It felt like a scene straight out of a fairytale.
One thing you wish you knew as a new bride? What advice would you give to future brides?
Things will go wrong on your wedding day! I always heard this and assumed it would never happen to me. There will be things that go wrong, big or small, just remember the reason you and everyone else is there for. At the end of the day, you and the love of your life are married! Nothing can top that feeling. Stay positive, try to not control every detail, and leave any issues for the experts to solve (aka- your vendors!).
The first detail that comes to mind is how Jake and I spent our wedding morning together. We decided to do our vows privately over coffee on our suite balcony. We invited our photographer and videographer to come so we could share those moments with our closest friends and family after the wedding, but we found a lot of comfort knowing our vows were just being written for each other to hear which made them very personal. After we exchanged our vows, we went for a walk on the beach to get all of our nerves out. It was so nice spending time together that morning and being able to share our excitement before we went off to get ready.
The second detail that was very special to me is that I was able to wear my mom’s wedding dress and veil from the 90’s on my wedding day. At my bridal shower, my mom surprised me and my sister by turning her wedding dress into two getting-ready robes that we could wear on our wedding morning. It was such a special moment for both of us. (Ps. It helps that she had great style!!)
I never thought I would find a dress so quickly for my wedding. I always thought I wanted a lace, form fitting, long-sleeved dress and The Viv Gown is the complete opposite of that. When I arrived at Vows in Watertown, MA, I thought I was just going in to start getting
an idea of what I liked and didn’t like, thinking I would have to take a trip to NYC to find
my dream dress. Galia Lahav was always my dream designer to wear, so naturally I went straight to that section of the store. The Viv Gown was the second dress I tried on
at Vows and the only dress that brought my mom and sister to tears. I felt so feminine
and elegant walking around in this dress and knew it was the perfect fit for my wedding
visions.
I’m not going to lie; I am a pretty decisive person but I was actually indecisive on my
dress at first. I loved how feminine yet flirty this dress was, but I kept questioning if I
could find something better since this was only the first store I went to. I would say I am
pretty fashion forward, and there is a lot of stress about making sure you find the perfect
dress for your wedding day. I think it is important to discuss that not everyone is going to
have that crazy “this is the one” moment the second you try on your wedding dress.
I had that stress over my head for a while and felt like I needed to have that feeling or it
wasn’t the one. If I had done that, I probably would have wasted another 6 months
trying on dresses just to go back to The Viv Gown! My mom asked me an important
question when I was making my decision. She asked, “Do you feel beautiful in this
dress?” and I said yes. She then asked, “What do you not love about the dress?” and I
could not find anything I didn’t love about it. That’s when I realized that it was the one
and I am so happy with my decision.
How did it feel when you put on your dress the day of the wedding? What was everyone's reaction to the dress?
Seeing it all come together with my hair, makeup, jewelry, shoes, and veil was a moment I will never forget. I gave myself a couple of minutes with my sister to look in the mirror and take it all in. The day truly goes by so fast, especially in the morning. Next thing you know, you are starting to take portraits and your guests are arriving. I highly suggest adding some personal time to your timeline so you get a chance to soak it all in after you are ready. I did a first look with my bridesmaids and MIL, watching them turn around
is something I will always remember, it started to feel real for me in that moment! They loved the way the satin fabric glowed against the sunlight and the high side slit that spices up such a timeless and elegant dress.
Honestly, no! Our day was perfect. There were things that went wrong that were out of our control, but at the end of the day, I wouldn’t change a thing!
What was your favourite part of the wedding to plan/you were most looking forward to?
I was very involved in the details of our wedding making sure that everything was intentional, so I was most excited to see my visions come to life, specifically for our cocktail hour and our dinner party on the terrace. Our florist, Hana Florals, created the most beautiful blue hydrangea installed on our cocktail hour bar which was placed adjacent to Ocean House’s professional-level croquet course. We had a croquet professional giving tips & tricks to our guests during cocktail hour which made for some epic photos.
I was also very excited to see how our dinner on the terrace turned out. We wanted the dinner to feel like an intimate dinner party as opposed to a traditional wedding feel. To create this vision, we chose a mix of round and rectangle tables, textured ivory & grey linens, dark grey chairs, crystal glassware, soft live jazz music, and lots of candles as the sun set over the ocean as we served “Surf & Turf” to all of our guests. Sadly, it was so windy that the candles wouldn’t stay lit creating that intimate feel we wanted- but as I mentioned before, things will go wrong and it’s okay!
Did you make any stylistic changes to the original dress?
Yes! I kept going back and forth on whether to keep the bow arm ties or not. While it added a cute touch, I felt like the dress was more flattering on my shape without the arm ties so we decided to repurpose one of the ties by adding it to the bodice of my dress which complimented the belt. We also decided to lower the back of the dress to add to the flirty feel. I was so happy with how these stylistic changes made the dress feel even more like me!
How did you meet your husband? How did he propose?
Jake is my high school sweetheart!! He was the stud baseball player at an all-boys school nearby who Facebook messaged me within the first few weeks of 9th grade asking to hang out. Come to find out, we actually lived in the same neighborhood as little kids and our parents and sisters knew each other. Ten years later, Jake proposed to me at our favorite Boston spot during the first snowstorm of the season. He had both
of our families waiting at a restaurant nearby to celebrate. It was such a special
night.
How did you find working with the team at Galia Lahav?
Amazing!! I wouldn’t have changed a thing. The quality of Galia Lahav is unmatched and the customer service experience made what would be a stressful process, very simple.
How many dresses did you try on before you found it?
This will come as a shock to anyone who knows me… but I only tried on about six or seven wedding dresses before I said yes! The Viv Gown was the second wedding dress I had ever tried on.
