Real Brides: Jenna

In May 2020, I moved to my new city of Toledo, Ohio to start my residency in Emergency Medicine. I was now 500 miles away from my family and lived in a brand new city and knew no one! Not to mention it was the height of COVID, so meeting people was nearly impossible since restaurants and bars were locked down! So, what is a single girl to do? I downloaded Bumble, and Matthew was one of my first matches. We talked back and forth on the app for a while, and when the lockdowns were lifted, we finally met in-person at a restaurant patio. You could say that the rest is history! 

Matthew and I were engaged on Valentine's Day 2022. We started wedding planning soon after we were engaged, and we chose to have our wedding in Toledo, where we fell in love. I turned to Instagram to gain inspiration for wedding planning. During my countless hours of scrolling and saving posts, I kept coming across an advertisement with the most beautiful wedding dress I had ever seen. Once I tracked down the designer, I learned it was the Soprano dress by Val Stefani. And I had to try on this dress!! 

Since Matthew and I chose to have our wedding in Toledo, I decided to pay tribute to my home region when it came to wedding dress shopping. I searched for multiple wedding gown shops in the Maryland/Washington, D.C./Virginia region that not only carried Val Stefani but also had the Soprano dress available for try-on. After many phone calls and Google searches, I finally came across White Swan Bridal in Vienna, Virginia, who confirmed they had the Soprano. I booked a flight home to Maryland to go dress shopping! 

My mom, my maid of honor, and I arrive at White Swan and immediately I find the Soprano dress. It was even more perfect in person. It was the first dress I tried on, and as soon as I felt it and saw it on me, I knew it was the dress. I tried on a few other dresses, but none of them came close to the Soprano. At the end of the bridal appointment, I ordered the dress of my dreams!

Photo Credits: Lindsay & Co. Photography

Bridal Store: White Swan Bridal