Meet Sarah, our featured GL Bride of the Week, who was a vision of beauty in the G-303 gown from our GALA Collection No. VIII on her wedding! Her choice epitomized the fusion of modern sophistication and timeless elegance, making her special day unforgettable. In the following interview, Sarah shares her favorite moments and how she discovered her dream gown. As told by Sarah:
A moment of your wedding day will you never forget?
Right before I walked down the aisle I was standing with my mom and dad before the door opened for us to walk down. The music changed and my heart started racing, I was so excited and overwhelmed. The doors opened and all our friends and family stood to watch us walk in. I don’t even remember seeing anyone while walking down the aisle, I just locked eyes with Clayton (my husband) and walked straight to him. Our ceremony felt like we were wrapped up in a giant hug from all our friends and family. It was the most magical thing I’ve ever experienced.
One thing you wish you knew as a new bride? What advice would you give to future brides?
Everything will come together as it’s supposed to. I was really organized – I kept track of all the money, vendors, etc. and that made me feel really at ease. But even with all that planning things still didn’t go according to plan and yet it was still the most magical day in the world. Your friends and family will help you, your vendors will do their jobs and at the end of the day the only thing that really matters is you marry your person.
A detail that made your wedding special/unique?
We went from ceremony to cocktail hour to our first dance followed by 25 minutes of dancing before dinner! We specifically played disco & oldies to get our parents on the dance floor before we switched up to more electronic music later on. It kept the energy up, everyone flooded to the dance floor before dinner. It was the best thing we did.
As cheesy as it sounds, I had a gut feeling. I put it on and instantly felt like this was my dress. It matched my vibe, the venue, the energy we wanted for the wedding in general and overall, it felt like me. There’s no other way to describe it.
How did it feel when you put on your dress the day of the wedding? What was everyone's reaction to the dress?
When I put on my dress it made everything feel real. I was in the room with my mom and photographer. It was very surreal to be in it, at my venue, with my mom, ready to walk down the aisle. We did a reveal with our whole bridal party and their reaction was exactly what I hoped for. My friends cheered and yelled and we instantly ran into a group hug. It was so special.
Honestly, no. Even though some things didn’t go according to plan, it worked out as best as it could’ve.
What was your favourite part of the wedding to plan/you were most looking forward to?
The venue was my favorite part! We got married at M&D Farm in New York and it was exactly what I wanted. It felt like you were transported into this magical world that was so beautifully created. It was like nothing I’d ever seen. We booked it without even seeing it in person. We saw it on Facetime and after we hung up Clayton looked at me and was like, “You love this place, don’t you?”. We booked it immediately.
I was most looking forward to the dance, the music and the DJ! We booked our DJ, James Mulry, again, on the spot. We hung up our call with him and I knew he was going to create the party I was looking for. He did not disappoint!
How did you meet your husband? How did he propose?
We met in college in 2011 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We had actually been dating for 11 years before we got married. I was working in the Bahamas for 3 months in 2022 and Clayton came to visit for 2 weeks. I had an inkling he was going to propose while he was there but didn’t know when. I finished teaching my fitness classes in the morning and he came to the beach and brought me lunch. I always walked our dog on the beach in the afternoon so I didn’t think anything of it as we started heading down the beach.
At one point he told me he was going to go swimming and then started walking over to me and I was so confused! It took me longer than I’d like to admit that he was proposing, but he got down on one knee and I said yes! He flew my mom, best friend and his parents out to the Bahamas and we took a ferry to meet them on another island for 2 nights. Truly couldn’t have asked for a better celebration and proposal.
How did you find working with the team at Galia Lahav?
The team at Galia Lahav was kind, they listened to my wishes and respected my budget. After I picked my dress I worked with Ayana and she honestly was my hype woman. She helped me make decisions and made me feel beautiful.
How many dresses did you try on before you found it?
I visited 3 stores before Galia Lahav and thought I found “The” dress at another store, but it wasn’t that gut feeling I thought I’d get – you know the one everyone talks about. I figured that maybe I wouldn’t get that feeling until I got to Galia Lahav. My mom and I were pulling dresses off the hangers to try and the one I ended up getting wasn’t the style that I had envisioned, but it looked beautiful so I pulled it anyway. When I put it on I immediately knew. My mom knew. I called my best friend and she knew. We all started tearing up and that was it! I probably tried on a total of 15-20 dresses before finding it.
