You don't have to wear a ball gown on your wedding day to feel like a queen – just ask Pnina Bride Samantha D'Onofrio. She felt and looked like absolute royalty as she walked down the aisle to marry her love, Jerry D'Onofrio on June 24, 2017 at St. Bernadette's church in Booklyn, New York.
Samantha knew that Kleinfeld Bridal would be the place that she found her dream wedding dress. However, wanting the experience of shopping around, Samantha visited two other boutiques before visiting the famous bridal salon. Having found nothing at the other salons, Samantha finally made her trip to Kleinfeld. Samantha started off the visit by trying on a ball gown for her shopping entourage. Knowing that this was not the route she wanted to go, Samantha shifted focus and began trying on mermaid gowns, which were more her style.
A few gowns in, Samantha slipped into a lovely Pnina Tornai lace mermaid gown with a deep V-neckline, cap sleeves, and a low back. Samantha walked out to her friends and family who had a wonderful reaction to the gown. Samantha felt that this solidified the gown as one of her top choices but feeling overwhelmed by the whole experience, Samantha left the salon that day empty handed. Luckily, Samantha's cousin had taken photos of her in the gown so that she could look at them later when things felt more calm and relaxed.
“I couldn't stop looking at photos of me in this dress and zooming in on the details,” Samantha remembers.
Samantha still needed a little bit of a push before making this special and important purchase. In the end, it was her grandma that gave her the advice she needed, letting Samantha know that if her late mother was still around that would have been the gown she would have picked for Samantha. With everyone's approval and blessing, Samantha said yes to her dream dress.
If you want to feel like royalty then you have to dress like royalty and in this gown Samantha definitely looked like royalty. Even though Samantha was not wearing a traditional ball gown, Samantha's mermaid gown made a statement all its own. The extravagant train alone on the gown was enough to garner plenty of “oohs” and “ahhs”. Then there was the intricate lace detailing on the gown. Lastly, Pnina Tornai wanted to do something special for Samantha, so she added some custom beading to the corset of the gown. Looking so exquisite and beautiful, it was impossible to not be mesmerized upon seeing Samantha in her dream dress.
Samantha fondly explains, “As I turned you could see the shimmer effect and it made the gown really special for me.”
The surprises kept coming for Samantha who was gifted a Pnina Tornai veil by her future in-laws to complete her wedding day look. Loving the way that the veil matched so perfectly with the gown, Samantha called Pnina's boutique manager to purchase the veil. It was then that she found out about the amazing gift her in-laws had given her. The cathedral length veil proved to be just what Samantha needed to take her bridal look to the next level.
Feeling sexy, classy and elegant all at the same time, Samantha was ready to marry the love of her life in the gown of her dreams. With absolutely no regrets, Samantha was confident in her choice of gown and her choice in love.
Photography by: Ronnie Scavetta for Ricky Restiano Photography
Written by: Jazmine Keels