Real NK Weddings: Jemma & Wes

May 22, 2023 NK Bride

If the 1960s are your favorite era, you’ll want to stick around for this post! Real NK Bride, Jemma, is a 60s superfan from her outta sight style to her cool collectibles. She married husband, Wes, wearing a vintage-inspired dress with some surprise details you’ll have to keep reading to see. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy your trip to a decade past!

Finding “The One”

Jemma’s an Aussie gal who moved to New York in 2018. She met Wes through her friend, Wes’s sister. The two kept their relationship platonic for a while, although Jemma was already crushing! Then, one day, Wes asked her on a date. Only Jemma didn’t know that! When they were sitting down to dinner, she asked the brave question, “Is this a date?” to which the answer was a resounding “Yes!” We salute your bravery, Queen!

Pre-Wes, Jemma had experienced some walking red flags when dating (Ugh, we’ve all been there!), then Wes came along to challenge her perspective. “I’d never been treated as well by anyone else. He was wonderful, and I just wanted to be around him all the time.” A true sign of falling in love! When the pandemic hit, the couple was “thrust into living together” and were enjoying their time, so they thought, why not make it permanent? And thus, the wedding bells started to ring!

The Proposal

The couple got engaged in sunny Palm Springs, one of Jemma’s favorite cities besides NYC. Wes had planned the whole thing perfectly: take an aerial tramway up to a peak and pop the question with a radiant sunset view in the background. The only problem? His unaware fiancé-to-be kept stalling! “I was like, ‘Why don’t we just go tomorrow?’ and Wes was like, ‘No! We have to go now,’” she laughed. In the end, they got there (Sans missing the sunset!). What’s a beautiful moment without a little sprinkle of chaos, anyway?

The NK Experience

The Inspiration

“I’ve always had a loose design idea in my head of what I wanted.” She went wedding dress shopping, every bride’s right of passage, but her mind was sold on getting her custom dream dress. The NK Bride site came up on her search and was exactly what Jemma was looking for down to Nathalie’s client-centric process. “I just loved it!”

Jemma is a fan of all things 1960s and has a vintage dress she envisioned her wedding dress looking like. She wears similar dresses on a regular basis and wanted her wedding look to reflect her retro style. In true 60s fashion, she pictured a short cut, just above the knee, with the surprise element of a front split. With a sweetheart neckline and floral embroidery, Jemma had the perfect design in her head.

The Process

During her initial consultation with Nathalie, Jemma brought in a sketch she drew with all of her design aspirations. “Then, Nathalie did a sketch in front of me of exactly what I described, and it was awesome to see her visually communicate what I was dreaming of.” They discussed sourcing fabrics from Paris and looked at the luxe options. “I fell in love with the lace we ended up using,” Jemma swooned. It definitely brings that flower power essence!

Working With Nathalie

“I was so happy with the dress, but it was really the whole experience that made it for me. Working with Nathalie really hooked me into exploring fashion more.” That’s the beauty of NK Bride. Not only is it a great time but a fun fashion lesson too! “She [Nathalie] and Arthur put me on to great designers and books, so I’d love going to visit them.” As Tara Seals said, “If you ain’t learning, you ain’t living!”

“It was really cool to see how things are done.” Including the bride in every step is what makes our method special. From the sketching stage to seeing the garment start out in its muslin shell and develop into its final form with each visit is incomparable. “I like Nathalie’s style, and she’s just so easy to work with. She and Arthur are awesome!” So, overall review? “It definitely came out even better than I was envisioning.” We dig that!

Gucci Galore

Below every great dress is a great pair of heels. Jemma had been eyeing these Gucci babies for a while and thought, if not for her wedding, then when? She was advised to buy a “throw-away” shoe she’d wear just for that day, but as the man himself, Aldo Gucci, would say, “Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.” You just can’t expect anyone to resist that classic horsebit design and gold-on-white combo! Plus, she bought them with her mom, who was visiting from Australia. “She couldn’t be here for the dress fittings, so this was nice.” Nothing beats a cherished memory with mom!

Jemma and Nathalie were thinking that the dress could use a little something. Vintage Gucci buttons to the rescue! The touch of gold added the perfect amount of continuity into the shoes. Now, it was perfect!

Alterations

In July, Jemma and Wes got legally married at City Hall. It may not have been the wedding, but Jemma needed a special dress for the special day! The bride-to-be took to eBay and found another groovy 60s dress fit for the occasion, but it needed to be altered fast. When she called Chasing Tailor, a familiar voice picked up and immediately recognized her…it was Nathalie answering from our affiliate business! Arthur is an expert seamster and works alongside Nathalie in the NK Bride studio. Some may call it coincidence; we call it fate. Either way, we were happy to be a part of both celebrations!

Jemma loved the back of the dress so much that she decided to wear it backward. Nathalie did her thing to make the zipper look like a front closure. You’d never guess it didn’t come that way. Both designer and model undoubtedly pulled it off!

The Venue

The couple was set on getting married in Brooklyn to honor the city that brought them together. Jemma’s never been a big, traditional wedding kind of girl. “It wouldn’t have felt like us. We love going to restaurants here, so that felt more intimate and personal.” One day, Jemma and Wes were having lunch at Juliette Restaurant, a spot they’d always wanted to go to, and everything seemed to click. They found their place.

“The interior was interesting with lots of greenery, so not much decor was needed, just our own personal touches.” Those touches included 110 random 1960s wedding photos she'd collected from eBay and pinned to mason jars, as well as carnations for table decor. They also had polaroids at guests’ disposal to capture all the fun moments. “It was relaxed, less pressure, and more enjoyable.” Want to make wedding planning less stressful? This duo cracked the code!

The Festivities

The ceremony was short and sweet with Jemma’s parents accompanying her down the aisle and Wes’s dad, who’s a pastor, officiating. The couple exchanged their own heartfelt vows, and after some lovely speeches, the party consisted of just a few things: eating, drinking, and dancing. The three essentials!

Our spontaneous couple snuck away for a minute to go take some photos at their favorite pizza joint, Joe’s Pizza. “We wanted to get a few shots just because it’s so classically New York!” Chicago pizza could never. After posing with the pie and pie guys, it was time to return to the party. “They were all like, ‘Hey, you can get behind the counter!’” she laughed. Whoever said New Yorkers are rude, clearly never went to Joe’s!

The Cake

How cute is this cake?! It really takes you back in time. Jemma found Velvet Valley Cakes on Instagram and fell in love with the style. From the contrasting colors to decorative design, this edible art put the cherry on top of the 60s theme.

As for the bride and groom topper, Jemma got them from, you guessed it, eBay! “I’m a vintage eBay addict, so I found any excuse to keep buying vintage bridal stuff,” she chuckled. A worthwhile hobby if you ask us!

The Best Part

At the end of the day, it’s the simple things that make a wedding meaningful and memorable. For Jemma, it was “the fact that we could actually hang out and dance with everyone,” things that aren’t always possible at big weddings. “It didn't feel unfamiliar. It felt like a date that all of our friends and family happened to be on,” sharing an amazing meal and dancing to Swinging 60s songs. What more could you ask for? When the night was over, the newlyweds were at ease knowing that they greeted each guest and were still able to spend lots of time together. Nothing matters more than that.

Any last words about NK Bride? “I just want to emphasize not only how much I loved the dress but just the whole experience. It felt like I got a little fashion crash course every time I came in, which made it so meaningful to me. It’s the best way to design a dress, and I think everyone should do it if they’re interested.” If you needed a sign to go custom, here it is!

Congrats to the happy couple! We wish you both nothing but the best in your life together.

<3 NK Bride

Inspired by Jemma and Wes’s wedding? Visit our Pinterest to save the photos!

The Dream Team