In an exquisite French lace sheath gown with the illustrious Rosecliff Mansion as her backdrop, Clara Allen sad yes to marrying the love of her life, Jason Allen, on August 22, 2014 in Newport, Rhode Island. On that day, Clara truly had it all: the man, the gown and the wedding of her dreams come to life.
For Clara, shopping for her dream dress was a rather exciting experience. Having tried on gowns at other salons first, Clara had decided on wanting to wear a fitted gown for her special day when she finally made the trip to Kleinfeld Bridal. Accompanied by her mom, sister, and father, Clara was ready to find her wedding gown. After trying on quite a few gowns, Clara tried on a lovely lace mermaid gown designed by Pnina Tornai.
“I tried it on and I loved it,” Clara explains!
Wanting everyone to see her in this gown, Clara called her family over so they too could see the dress. Upon seeing Clara in the gown, the whole family agreed in unison that this was the gown for her. Having loved nude lining in other gowns that she had tried on previously, Clara inquired if the gown could be made with nude lining instead of white. Clara was told that this was indeed possible and the rest is history! Clara had fallen in love with an enchanting French lace gown with a low back and soon to have a nude underlining.
Fun fact: Clara's husband had actually told Clara that if there was one thing he would love to see her wear on their wedding day, it would be a low back gown! Got to love when things work out perfectly!
This gown was exactly what Clara was looking for to wear to the elegant affair that she had planned. The French lace was absolutely captivating and very romantic. The low back added the alluring sexiness that Clara wanted on her wedding day. All that was left was the nude lining that was to replace the original white lining in the gown. Once that was taken care of, Clara's dream gown had come to life and it was better than she could have imagined.
“When the gown came in and I went to my fitting I went 'oh gosh this is perfect,” Clara recalls, “It was exactly what I had pictured.”
Keeping everything very clean and polished, Clara opted for simple accessories to let her and her gown truly shine. On her special day, Clara decided to wear her mother's earrings and bracelet to compliment her gown. Since her father had given her mother that jewelry, it was especially meaningful to Clara to wear these romantic pieces on her own wedding day. To carry on the romantic vibes, Clara wore her hair in gorgeously cascading waves. They looked beautiful flowing down her open back and complimenting the low back of her gown so perfectly.
Even though Clara and her soon-to-be husband did a first look, Clara did want there to be a little bit of surprise when he saw her walk down the aisle. The final touch to Clara's look was a breathtaking cathedral length veil that flawlessly matched the lace on her gown. Clara had not worn the veil during the first look, so it was a lovely additional surprise for Jason who thought he had seen her whole wedding day look.
With Clara's wedding day ensemble coming together even better than she could have ever imagined, Clara was ready to say her “I do's.” Loving how she felt in the gown and knowing how much Jason would love her in the gown as well, Clara walked down the aisle feeling beautifully confident. It was exactly how all women want to feel on their wedding day. Years later, Clara still knows she made the right decision.
“This gown is still the best wedding dress I have ever seen,” Clara says fondly reminiscing. “For me this is still my dream dress!”
Looking at the smile on Clara's face it is easy to see why!
Written by: Jazmine Keels
Photography by: Bénédicte Verley Photography