modest wedding dress · vancouver temple ·Aug 31, 2017

Vancouver Temple | Berkeley Gown | LDS Bride Blog

Well, as the saying goes, there's a first time for everything! Today on LDS Bride Blog we've got TWO firsts... a beautiful Canadian bride and a real life "Tinder" love story with a funny twist. Not only did it end well, the two lovebirds ended up getting married in the Vancouver Temple, located in British Columbia, Canada.

Vancouver Temple | Berkeley Gown

I received this email from gorgeous Larissa about her experience with LatterDayBride recently: "I was so happy to have found my dress at Gateway Bridal! I traveled all the way to SLC from southern Alberta, Canada to find the perfect dress to marry the man of my dreams in my hometown of Vancouver! I bought my dress at the beginning of December and got married May 6. I was so impressed with whoever helped me with finding my dress, she was so helpful and patient while FaceTiming all the family that couldn't be there to say yes to the dress with me, I'm sorry I can't remember her name! We got married on the most perfect day and in the most perfect place, the Vancouver temple. I have received so many compliments on my dress that I can't even count. I have also referred several of my engaged friends to Gateway Bridal because it seems impossible to find modest wedding dresses in Canada that don't break the bank or that are somewhat modest and still need a million alterations. It was still cheaper to get my dress in the states even with the exchange! You guys were just so amazing and helpful that I wanted to send you some photos of me in my dress. Thanks for everything and playing a part in my happily ever after."

Ugh... don't make us cry, Larissa! ;) Seriously so sweet and so amazing that she came all this way just to visit our store. Warms my heart! I was so excited to hear that someone would come so far, from a different COUNTRY to find her dream dress that I just had to know more, so I asked how she and her hubby met. Ya'll ready for this??

"I decided to move to southern Alberta after completing the dental assisting program back home in Vancouver. I could make more money in Alberta and the YSA community was extremely small in Vancouver. I wanted to move somewhere with more members and especially men to choose from. My now husband had no idea who I was for almost 6 months before we met and we were in the same ward that entire time. How I met my husband (Carter) is kind of a funny story. I had recently broken up with a guy and my roommate convinced me to try out Tinder. I wasn't too keen on it but I did it anyways. I ended up matching with both Carter and his roommate/best friend Bryan who in the future would be the best man in our wedding. The day after I matched with them I hadn't received any messages from them and I actually ended up deleting Tinder entirely because I thought it was dumb and didn't need an app to meet people. The day after that was Sunday and both of them sat in the pew behind me for sacrament meeting knowing then who I was. I felt the most awkward I ever had in my entire life and bolted out of the chapel and went home immediately following sacrament meeting. The next day was family home evening and my roommate had to drag me because i really didn't want to go and apparently neither did Carter but his Bryan convinced him to go as well. We all ended up talking at the end of the night and it was really nice to actually talk to them. I was thankful that neither one of them brought up the whole Tinder thing....or so I thought. We ended up leaving at the same time as the guys and as I was walking to my car with my roommate, Bryan yelled out at me and said "Hey, we have a bone to pick with you about Tinder!" So I yelled back "Then do something about it!" I quickly got in my car and drove off. Apparently after my comment when Carter and Bryan got into the car, Carter called dibs. I thought they were super nice guys so I sent them out a games night invite for the next night to get to know them and a few other people better. I had made a dessert and everything, Carter was the only one who showed up to the games night even after other people had confirmed coming. Needless to say we got to know each other really well that night and found out we had so much in common! The rest was history. We decided to date through the seasons to make sure that getting married was something that we both wanted. We got engaged after a year of dating and got married 6 months later in May. It was honestly the best decision that I could have ever made! To be married and better yet sealed to Carter has been the greatest blessing of my life. It's crazy to think but every day I swear I love him a little bit more. He's the most considerate, funny, and loving man I could have ever found. The joy and love that I felt on our wedding day was inexplainable. My favourite part was putting on my dress and walking down the grand staircase in the Vancouver temple to meet my sweet husband at the bottom. His expression on seeing me in my dress was priceless. The tears in his eyes proved how beautiful I was to him. I could not have found my dress if it wasn't for you guys at Gateway Bridal. As I have said in my previous email to you you guys are amazing. It's so hard to find modest wedding dresses nowadays, especially for my tiny size! Thanks again for helping me find my dress. I have never felt more beautiful in my whole life than I did on my wedding day. My dress was everything I had dreamed of and was so perfect for me! You completed my happily ever after! I'm so incredibly proud to be a Shimbashi forever."

Well there you have it, folks. Such a funny, sweet, and unique love story! We're honored that she chose one of our dresses, and a SUPER gorgeous one that she totally rocked. The Berkeley gown is a lacy mermaid masterpiece with gorgeous detail at the neckline and sleeves, a flowing skirt, and subtle sequin details among the lace appliques. Excellent choice!