Katlynn & Steven
May 11th 2024
Photographer: Jackie Kalch
Gown: Silene by Alena Leena
Every March, to celebrate B&R’s birthday, we host a giveaway for one amazing bride to win their dress and this year, that winner was Katlynn. We could not be more honoured to have Katlynn as one of our brides. She is beautiful, passionate, and has such an amazing energy about her! You can read all about her and her wedding journey below.
Congratulations love, you deserve this!
Finding The Dress
I actually had a wedding dress already purchased and altered when I came to B&R a month before our wedding. I bought it 15 months prior and loved it at the time.. but so much changed in a year it just didn't feel like me anymore. I was honestly kind of embarrassed walking into B&R because I was alone with a tiny budget and 6 weeks until wedding day. CLEARLY no need for that. Kat was my bridal stylist and therapist for the day. I gave her the details, my size, my budget and my timeline, asking 'do you have anything that could work?' and she brought me not one, not three, but FIVE options that would have been fantastic. Luckily, one was absolutely perfect. She let me spill my guts out to her while in each dress for an obnoxious amount of time and took every picture and video I could have possibly needed to help make up my mind..
Which I didn't need.
The second dress she brought me (which she said was the first one she thought of and knew it would be the one) was PERFECT. It is honestly like she read my mind. I never wanted to take it off, and not once did I feel pressured or rushed to make up my mind or try something else.
I went to almost every bridal store in the city. Absolutely nothing compares to the care, attention and compassion that B&R puts into their brides. I would regret going anywhere else, but all those bad decisions lead me to this, so... no regrets!
Wedding Day Highlights
We were really lucky because we celebrated our wedding for entire weekend, which was incredible. Our venue was the Norland Historic Estate in Lethbridge (where we got to stay 2 nights) and waking up Saturday morning after the welcome party surrounded by my best friends was something I'll never forget. We were all buzzing and vibrating because the weather was perfect and the ballroom was already set up- we had 5 hours to just sit around getting our makeup done and soak up each other friendship. It was so special.
At one point in the morning, I got to give my mom a mothers day gift (we got married the day before mothers day). Her and her mom were very close, and unfortunately my grandma passed away years ago and didn't get to be a part of our wedding, so I had custom artwork made of my grandmother, my mother and myself in our wedding dresses together. I got to give it to my mom while we were all getting ready together and I will never forget it. She loved the picture so much that she made my brother and dad go to like 4 places around Lethbridge to find a stand for it so it could be displayed while our guests walked in. My mom and I had a few tiffs while planning the wedding together so having a moment where we took a second and remembered who we are to each other, and where we came from, was very grounding and wonderful.
We have this traditional photo in our family of the bride with her parents, looking at the wedding dress hanging in anticipation of the ceremony. It's usually very serene and emotional... but I just couldn't stop smiling. It's really supposed to be a thoughtful and deep moment but we were all so excited and happy about the day that we just kept giggling and cracking jokes. I've always wanted one of those peaceful pictures but I got an even better one: pure joy.
I mentioned this before when I first won your contest, but we lost my husbands mother suddenly about a month before the wedding. We were really unsure about how the wedding was going to feel without her. As soon as I got down the aisle and our officiant (our good friend) started the ceremony, we looked at each other and our family and friends and realized.. we really weren't without her. She was there in all of the love we were surrounded by, she was there in cool breeze on the warm day, she was there in the hearts of all of us. Of course we wanted her there physically, but her presence was absolutely there every second of that day.
I know it seems like I'm just writing out every single moment of the wedding but I promise this is the last thing! Instead of clinking glasses for a kiss, Steven really wanted to do something to honour his mom, so he set up a little box of donations to the Canadian Cancer Society. I know this is seen as tacky by some people but we know SO many people affected by cancer as well as losing Stevens mom, it just felt like something nice we could do. Well. The second the MC mentioned that we would kiss with a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society, about 30 people stood up and walked over, formed a line, and started dropping cash into the box. It was absolutely incredible. I have never seen anything like it, so many people just instantly get up and support instantly. We were a puddle. Stevens brothers and friends and I just all came together for a group hug because we could not stop crying. It felt so amazing to have so many people care. We were a mess for a WHILE, but that moment will forever be ingrained in my heart.
The Best Part of the B&R Experience
My Stylist Kat. And the Champagne.
(While I stand by both, I also just love how special you make the experience. So many places rush you and make you feel like you're just 'regular every day shopping'. B&R really made me feel like you knew and you cared that was buying the most important dress of my entire life. The whole experience feels exciting and HUGE from the second I walked through the door to the end of the appointment. It doesn't feel like 'another bridal shop', it feels like THE place I've been dreaming of shopping at when I was a little girl thinking about picking out a wedding dress.)
Obviously the ceremony was a highlight, because I got to marry the best person I've ever met in my entire life. But ALSO, because while all the bridesmaids were standing upstairs waiting to walk down the isle, we started hearing a bunch of cheering? We were so confused because every 10 seconds or so we would hear a ton of clapping and woops from outside. Turns out, it was one of our friends first time at a wedding and when she saw my husband walking down the isle she got so excited she just started clapping and cheering and everybody joined in! Whenever a new bridal party member started down the isle, everyone would start a new round of cheering. It was the sweetest thing i've ever heard, honestly. It felt very 'us', too. There was just SO much happiness that day.
It was also really really fun! My husband, Steven, his old friend from his band days played our favourite songs on the keyboard, both of our vows were pretty friggin funny (if I do say so myself) and people were really involved, laughing and yelling at appropriate times. We also did a witness roulette which I LOVED. Instead of getting our best man/MOH to sign the marriage certificate, we put all of our guests names Stevens mom's old cookie jar and we each picked a name out to come to the front and help us sign! It was really cute. (Stevens old friend who moved away 10 years ago won, as well as my dad, which was so nice!).
What Did Winning Your Dress Mean To You?
I can't type this part without crying.
Here's the thing about my mother in law. She friggin LOVED a deal. She was the lady keeping every coupon to give to us when we visited, she sent my husband real estate listings of houses she thought were a steal, and that lady made SURE that when Bay Days were on, we were using her credit card for an extra 20% off.
The most used 'Mum quote' by my husband and his brothers would be: "what, free??" in her thick scottish accent, because she loved her free stuff.
The day she passed was truly awful. I don't want to go into detail but it was sudden and unexpected and incredibly sad. A few hours after, I was going through my phone trying to distract myself when I got your email. I don't know what I believe in, but I do believe in a free wedding dress being 1000% my mother in laws doing. The contest is so generous and kind. But this was a 'Don't worry, I'll still be there that day' from Elizabeth Mansfield, and it really meant.. everything.
So thank you so much.
