Kimi's Bridal Story
February 17, 2021
Here at Marcella's, we love nothing more than helping brides find the wedding dress of their dreams. And, once in a blue moon, that process is all the more meaningful when we get to help a bride who is not only a customer, but a dear friend and a cherished love one. Read about Kimi's story with Marcella's from employee to client below!
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Hi Marcella’s bridal friends, family and followers! My name is Kimi and I’m a two-time Marcella’s bridal customer and pseudo family member. I worked in the store back in 2015 and 2016, helping other brides find and create the dress they would wear when they say ‘I Do’ to their favorite person. It was the best job ever, working with some of the greatest people on the planet. I feel like this important to mention, because I have an insane bias when it comes the people that make up the Marcella’s Bridal family.
Quick backstory: I started working for Marcella while I was living in Spokane on a temporary basis. My fiancé at the time (not my current husband) was going to school and I was planning on living in the area until he graduated. Thankfully, I had a connection to a former employee (Morgan, you just read her bridal story and isn’t she amazing?) and learned that there was a job opening. After a brief phone interview, I had an in-person interview setup for the next week, I thought it would be fun to scope it out and look for my future wedding dress. I had only tried on wedding dresses one time before, so I had minimal expectations. Long story short, I found my dress and loved every second of the experience that they give to brides.
Well, I got the job and was officially onboarded as a Marcella’s Bridal consultant. The next year consisted of learning from the most selfless leader and person I’ve ever met. In an industry where production and the conversion of sales is what keeps the lights on, Marcella and management was the most invested in us; our growth and what skills she could teach us. I have never experienced anything like it in any sort of team environment that I have been involved with. She even offered up her home as a safe haven when things were rough on the home front. But all good things must come to an end and I had to make the move back to the Seattle area.
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The relationships built and bonds formed have remained solid over the years and across the state. I would come back to Spokane multiple times a year to help work the booth at the bridal convention, see my friends and fill my love bucket. So, when my now husband (the handsome stud muffin you see in the pictures) and I began to plan our wedding, there was only one place I wanted to go. We were planning on having a destination wedding in Mexico, so I had a general idea of what I wanted. The dresses they had in the store were beautiful, but not one had all the elements that I was looking for. That’s when Mikaila grabbed one off the rack and the vision was created from there. Complete redesign of the bodice (front and back), changing the straps, altering the skirt: full of pins and pieces and there my dress was. We got it ordered and were planning on coming back for a full weekend of alterations right before we were going to head out of town for the wedding.
Then Covid hit. Any 2020 bride knows how disappointing and frustrating those three words are. Planning a wedding is stressful, but covid planning is another level. Our first wedding was scheduled for April 4th, and three weeks before we were set to leave for Cabo, international flying was prohibited. At the time we had to reschedule, we had little concept of what 2020 would end up resulting in. Thankfully, we picked a date in November (since we had a lot of other activities in the months following what would have been our first wedding) so we felt that was safe. We moved all my alteration appointments to follow the same plan we had initially.
But alas, come early November, disappointment of wedding planning and the fatigue of the current state of life in general was at a personal high. At this point, I wasn’t even excited for what is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. This all changed the second I stepped into the shop for my fittings.
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In a world of unknowns, businesses have had to do their best to bob and weave in order to meet the requirements mandated by the state in order to keep people healthy. I am so
impressed with everything that Marcella’s is doing to make people feel safe. It was also the first time in the better part of a year, where we got to just celebrate. Marriage is the biggest commitment you can make and finding someone that you’re willing to put up with for forever is a big deal. That’s worthy of celebration and with everything else that happened this past year, that was somewhat pushed to the back burner. So, to be able to enjoy the moments of seeing my dress come together was something so incredibly special to me.
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Congratulations Kimi and Sven! Thank you for sharing your story and your gorgeous wedding photos with us. We can not wait to watch this incredible new chapter of your life unfold!
With our amazing selection of wedding dresses and expert team of stylists, we are ready and excited to meet you and provide you with an unforgettable bridal experience!
To find your dream dress, book an appointment with us at Marcella's Bridal in Spokane, WA!