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Even with a remarkable ocean view, all eyes were on Kim as she walked down the aisle to marry her soulmate, Austin Bell, on July 16, 2016 at The Cliff in Laguna Beach, CA. The setting was absolutely breathtaking as was the glowing bride in her dream wedding gown.
In New York for her cousin's graduation only a week after getting engaged, Kim had no intentions of beginning her search for a wedding gown. However, at her cousin's urging, Kim decided to pay a visit to Kleinfeld Bridal while she was still in town. Even though she hadn't planned on beginning dress shopping, Kim did have an idea of how she would like to look on her special day. For Kim the gown needed to meet two criteria:
1.) It needed to have the open back that she had always loved. Kim wanted her back to be completely open, possibly with a low V-cut back.
2.) It had to be right for a beach/ocean centered ceremony. The beach was a happy place for Kim and Austin and they had always known that they would get married in California at someplace with a wonderful ocean view.
Kim's consultant pulled the gowns that met Kim's criteria and that Kim thought she would love. After trying on many beautiful gowns though, Kim had still not fallen in love with a dress yet. Camille asked if she could pull something for Kim and with the bride-to-be's blessing Camille headed into the Pnina Tornai Boutique and selected the gown that she thought would be the one. Camille picked a sheer corseted sheath gown with intricate lace embroidery and a nude slip underneath and it turns out that her instincts were right on point.
“Camille just saw my body and knew what was going to make me look the best,” Kim remembers of slipping into the stunning gown.
For Kim it was love at first sight. From head to toe, this gown blew Kim away. Kim was originally interested in having some lace on her gown but the see-through lace was something new for her. Even though the gown did not have the low cut V- back that she was originally looking for, the illusion corset helped her achieve the same effect but in a much more romantic way.
Kim recalls, “I loved the girlishness and the daintiness of the corset and the soft tulle that pulled it together. It was completely flattering to my body!”
Kim also loved the boning within the corset and structured cup since she was hoping to wear a strapless gown. The boning kept everything in place and accentuated Kim's frame in all the right places. Lastly, the nude slip underneath the gown was simply enchanting, especially since it looked so good against Kim's skin tone.
To compliment the gown and her beachy wedding vibe, Kim wore her hair in soft curls. Most of them were pulled back though so as not to detract or distract from the gorgeous neckline of the gown. A Pnina Tornai veil was added to her look during the ceremony. It had the same lace on it as the gown, creating a wonderful symmetry between the two pieces.
Kim also decided to keep it simple when it came to the jewelry. Her “something borrowed” for the wedding was her mother's diamond earrings which added just enough sparkly to Kim's wedding day ensemble. Lastly, Kim knew that she absolutely, without a doubt wanted to wear heels on her wedding day. Since walking in heels in the sand is nearly impossible, Kim loved that her venue made it feel like they were right on the beach without actually being down in the sand.
Feeling like the best version of herself, the only thing Kim had left to do was marry the love of her life and begin her happily ever after.
“I felt so truly beautiful,” Kim recalls. “I don't think that I will ever see another wedding dress that I will love as much as that one!”
Who could ask for anything more :)
Photography by: Sean Lara Photography
Written by: Jazmine Keels
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