Dream wedding

There are times in life when you have the opportunity to make a difference in someone's life.  That opportunity presented itself late last summer and the following is the result of many generous vendors who deserve all the credit and without whom this could never have happened.  So, again my friends, thank you all more than you'll ever know.

A wedding dream come trueOriginally published June 05, 2011 By Adrienne Lawrence News-Post Staff

<> Photo by Travis Pratt The wedding of Stephanie Henriquez and Dino Brown at Ceresville Mansion on Tuesday night in Frederick.   By the Numbers Several wedding professionals donated toward Stephanie and Dino Brown’s wedding. The numbers listed below are what a client would usually pay for the donated services, for a total of $25,686. $3,300 — TLC Bridal Boutique in Frederick for the dress, headpiece, veil, mother of the bride’s dress, bridesmaids’ dresses, flower girls’ dresses, flower baskets, cake knife and server, garter and flutes $8,000 — Ceresville Mansion in Frederick for the venue, food, nonalcoholic drinks, tables, chairs, table settings, linens and staff costs $1,000 — Belleza Hair and Nail Studio in Frederick for the wedding party’s hair, makeup and nails $375 — On the Town Limousines in Mount Airy, owned by Len Joseph $1,200 — 100 custom letterpress invitations, by Bea Jackson in Frederick $550 — Green Street Bakery in Middletown for a wedding cake $5,000 — A Personal Touch Photography in Frederick for two photographers, with coverage by owner Kitty Gialanella and Larry Foster, and a custom-designed wedding album by Photo Book Press, owned by Margaret Telfer $1,200 — Heartfelt Video in Taneytown, by Larry Foster, for a custom video of the wedding $1,675 — Amplified Entertainment Services in Martinsburg, W.Va., by Dave Lynch, for DJ services and sound system rental $2,000 — Design Diva in Frederick, owned by Julie Redmond, for uplighting, non-floral centerpieces around the reflecting pond and decorations on the pergola $500 — A’bloom in Walkersville, owned by Lori Himes, for the wedding party’s floral arrangements $226 — Mommy Magic Cakes in Mount Airy, by Cate DiMisa, for heart-shaped cookies that were guest favors $50 — Cynthia Fischer, with Cruise Planners in Frederick $110 — GuestbookStore.com donated a custom guestbook Terry Warfield was awarded the Life Gets Better Award by Country Meadows of Frederick, a retirement community. It included $500 for fees associated with the wedding. — Adrienne Lawrence At first glance, it looked like a typical wedding: There were two adorable flower girls, tables were set for guests and photographers buzzed around the couple.   But this was not a typical wedding. Most of the wedding services were donated to the couple, and it all began with a phone call.   High school sweethearts Stephanie Henriquez Brown, 23, and Dino Brown II, 22, were married Tuesday at their dream venue, Ceresville Mansion in Frederick, with 85 guests attending.   Stephanie's mother, Marina Henriquez, called Terry Warfield, owner of TLC Bridal Boutique in Frederick, hoping to pick out a dress for her daughter, who was getting married. Confused as to why the bride couldn't be there, Warfield asked a number of questions. Eventually, Henriquez told Warfield that Stephanie was a patient at Johns Hopkins Hospital waiting for a heart transplant.   Over four generations, several members of Henriquez's family have been diagnosed with a heart defect. Stephanie's grandfather died from it years ago, her mother has it, Stephanie had it, her brother has it, and Stephanie and Dino's daughter, Maiyah Brown, has it. An uncle and his two children have also had heart transplants. No one knew Stephanie had the heart defect until she gave birth to her daughter, who was born with blue lips.   "She was born (with) heart failure," Stephanie said. Within a week of Maiyah's birth, "she had to be admitted (to a children's hospital) for almost a month."   Maiyah is on medication and no one would know the 2-year-old, soon to be 3 years old, has a heart problem -- she is a constant whirl of activity.   "Her heart is not normal, but she is not in heart failure, thank God," Stephanie said. Since the defect is usually inherited, doctors knew Stephanie or Dino must also be tested for the defect. Stephanie's heart was in a serious condition. About 18 months after Maiyah's birth, Stephanie's heart could not effectively support her physically. "I was to the point where I was ready to pass out every day," Stephanie said. "It was really bad."   Stephanie's mother calls Warfield a guardian angel for the Browns.   The same day her mother called TLC, Stephanie learned she would get a new heart. Shortly thereafter, she was tested to make sure she and the heart were a match and, within hours, was on her way to surgery.   The family doesn't know who the heart donor was, but there's no doubt it made a difference in Stephanie's life.   "Every day was something new," Henriquez said. "She would start getting up early, for the first time ever."   Before the surgery, Stephanie used to sleep more often than not. Now she wakes early, eats breakfast and exercises -- three things she could not do before surgery. "I couldn't brush my teeth (without feeling exhausted)," Stephanie said. "Everything was just so exhausting" before the surgery. "Washing my hair (was difficult)," she said. "Sometimes I would have to sit down because it was too much (physically). Little things like that, people take for granted."   Life changed for the better after the heart transplant, Stephanie said. From that single phone call last summer, just hours before Stephanie found out she would get a new heart, the bridal boutique owner knew she wanted to see the couple get their dream wedding, at a price they could afford. But the care Stephanie and her daughter had needed left the couple with a stack of medical bills.   Planning the ultimate ceremony, celebration Warfield told Stephanie to come to the boutique and pick out a dress whenever she was ready. But she waited to tell Stephanie about the other wedding vendors who had volunteered their services, too.   Three weeks to the day after Stephanie's heart surgery, Warfield met Henriquez, Stephanie and Dino. Ceresville Mansion set up a special tasting during an open house. Warfield was nervous and excited while she waited for the others to arrive.   Dino and Stephanie's mother knew about the plan, but Stephanie did not. Warfield "is so passionate about this couple and their style," said Kate Moreland, events director at Ceresville Mansion. "Stephanie had relayed to Terry (Warfield) that this was her dream wedding venue. How can you say no to that?"   During planning, the vendors asked the couple what they would most like.   "She's a very sweet girl and so (I did her hair and makeup with a) soft and romantic (look) -- long, loose curls," said Adrian Dorsey, stylist and wedding coordinator for Belleza Hair and Nail Salon in Frederick.   The wedding colors were bold -- ivory, hot pink and black. A'bloom's flowers fit perfectly. The Walkersville florist designed ivory carnation spheres with hot-pink ribbon for the pergola at the mansion and, for the bridesmaids, bouquets with a mix of ivory and hot-pink roses wrapped with black ribbon. The bride carried a bouquet of ivory roses that complemented her Maggie Sottero Fiorella gown in alabaster.   Ceresville staff set the tables with black pintuck taffeta tablecloths, accented with hot-pink uplighting, by Design Diva, around the dining room. Table centerpieces were tall, silver branches set in clear, glass vases, with crystals vertically cascading down. Julie Redmond, owner of Design Diva in Frederick, hung hot-pink fabric, crystals and two crystal chandeliers in the pergola to accentuate the ceremony's setting.   Seeing it all come together The vendors gathered for a photo before the wedding.   "That's the fun thing about an event -- seeing it all come together," Moreland said.   Though Ceresville Mansion didn't charge the Browns a fee, the company still had costs associated with the wedding, such as staff, food and linens. The florist paid for the flowers and supplies to create the bouquets, boutonnieres, flower girls' headpieces and corsages. The graphic designer will pay for the couple's wedding album and proof book. Other vendors also had fees associated with the services they provided.   But it was worth it.   "Stephanie and Dino, for the past nine months, you have shared your life with me," Warfield said during her toast to the couple. "You have opened your home and your heart and I have come to love you all and think of you as family."   Warfield also told the couple that through them she was "able to learn about the true spirit of unquestioning faith, unconditional love and the power of prayer.   "It is with deepest love and respect that I ask you all to raise your glasses and give a toast to our beautiful bride and her very handsome husband. To Stephanie and Dino," Warfield said. "Congratulations."

The Importance of Bridal Appointments

The difference is in the details. Most brides-to-be can't wait for the first time they try on wedding gowns, and while the warehouse stores do let you walk in and willy nilly try on gowns, as the owner of a small bridal boutique I will tell you that every bridal shop will suggest appointments and most require them. 

Shopping for your wedding gown should be (in my opinion) one of the happiest bridal memories, standing in front of a mirror, everyone ahhing, telling you how beautiful you are; you should feel like a princess and there is process to get you to that point.  It all starts with scheduling an appointment.

At a reputable bridal shop, an appointment means you get one on one with a skilled, knowledgeable consultant (fancy word for sales person).  That person should know her stock and be savvy enough to help you in every way during your time with her.  You will have ideas of styles or at least an idea of likes and don't like.  It will be her job for the next hour or however long that particular shop allows, to show you gowns that you like, but also show you gowns that you may not have even considered.  She will make sure you have proper undergarments to give you some privacy, because she will be putting gowns on an off to make sure that the gown is fitting you properly before you make your entrance.  Most gowns will not be an exact fit and the consultant will clip the gowns to make them 'appear' to fit so you get the best selection in sizes.  All the time, giving you invaluable information regarding each gown and the designer.  

If appointments were not required, chaos would reign....you may not have your own fitting room and you would be left without the knowledge base of someone whose job it is to know your body type and be able to make suggestions.  How would you know the gown that you think you would love can have a different neckline or that the fabric can be changed?

I understand that there are times you just want to 'look'.  Even looking requires the attention of someone who works there.  We never want to appear as though we are not interested in a walk in, however, we must stop our appointment to walk that person through the shop or even answer questions, which then makes the appointment feel as though they have been abandoned.  We will almost always encourage a walk-in to take an peek through, but then ask them to schedule an appointment so that we can answer the questions and give them the guidance that every bride deserves.

So, do your research and schedule your appointments, your experience is guaranteed to be memorable.