On September 23, 2016, at the Saint Kilian Roman Catholic Church in Farmingdale, N.Y., Pnina Bride Kate Benvenuto walked down the aisle feeling like the most beautiful bride ready to marry her soulmate, Brian Benvenuto. Kate was wearing a gown that was completely different from what she had always envisioned yet was everything she could have wanted and more.

Kate made the trip to Kleinfeld Bridal with her mother, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law in search of her ideal wedding gown. Kate entered the famous bridal salon thinking she was looking for a mermaid gown that included some lace, had straps, and no bling. After trying on a number of gowns, Kate had whittled her selection down to two Pnina Tornai gowns. Both gowns had a similar fitted top, but one gown had a voluminous ruffled train while the other had a very elegant and simplistic tapered train. Unable to decide between the two, Kate left Kleinfeld that day with two gowns on her mind.

Two weeks later, Kate came back again with her mother and mother-in-law ready to make a decision on her wedding gown. Kate slipped into a strapless mermaid gown with floral lace and crystal embellishments all over. 

“I put it on and I was like 'oh my gosh’ this is me and not me at the same time,” Kate recalls. 

Overcome with the beauty of the gown and how she felt in it, Kate began crying tears of joy right there in the dressing room! It was almost a complete departure from what she thought she wanted, but how she felt in the gown could not be denied. Kate walked out her dressing room in the gown and everyone began to cry, solidifying that this was indeed “the one.”

This unlikely gown that had won Kate's heart may not have been what she was looking for, but Kate had fallen in love with every component of this striking gown. As a person who believes less is more, Kate loved the sleek and flattering silhouette of her chosen gown. Although it was a mermaid gown, it had a very tame and tapered train, which Kate adored. The gown was also covered in exquisitely romantic lace, which was something Kate had wanted from the beginning. To top if off, there was the illusion corset bodice that Kate couldn't imagine the gown without.