Hi all, my name is Kristin. I am 30 years old and I currently work for VPI Pet Insurance. I have been a fan of David Tutera ever since I saw the spectacular wedding he put together for Star Jones in 2004.
I am one of those girls who has been planning her wedding since childhood. I had the flowers picked, the color scheme, the dress, the location; but never the groom. It was more of a “Insert Groom Here” type thing.
After I suffered a stroke, Leo and I both realized how precious life really is. We took it upon ourselves to get healthy and lose weight. Leo and I have since lost a combined 196 lbs. With health and happiness in our future, unexpectedly, Leo popped the question.
My mom and I went dress shopping and found THE dress. Of course, “Mom is always right” and purchased the most gorgeous dress I have ever seen. When I put it on, I felt so beautiful. Up until that day, every time I looked in the mirror, I would still see that 271 lb. girl. But with that dress on, everything changed.
It’s funny because the wedding I had planned all along, went out the window when Leo proposed. All of a sudden I didn’t need or want the extravagant “bling bling.” I was just blessed enough to be alive, and marry the man of my dreams. In addition, our budget was super limited. After some budget brainstorming, we thought, why not a luau? So I started shopping around for anything Hawaiian and luau’y for the backyard wedding and reception we would have at our home.
On a whim, I went to WEtv.com to see if My Fair Wedding was casting. And to my pleasant surprise, they were! I asked my fiance if I could apply, and of course he said yes. Only later did I find out that he said yes because he never thought we would ever get casted. Joke was on him!
The more and more I started looking at our plans, the more and more I realized we weren’t having a wedding, we were having a BBQ! I had so many cheap, kitchy things that looked tacky and un-wedding like, I was embarrassed to show David.
30 days before our big day, it was David Tutera to the rescue! David and the film crew were such a pleasant surprise. Big shout out the Marc C., you are phenomenal! Meeting David was a dream. And throughout filming, my dream was becoming reality. David and the film crew made everything so easy for me. I am already an easy-going person, but the whole process was a breeze.
Everything I threw to the wayside not thinking it was that important, David made me realize those things were. I was going to send my girls down my backyard aisle, barefoot, flowerless and in Hawaiian dresses. While I was going to be wearing the dress of my dreams. How was that fair?
Every single moment spent with David I will forever cherish. From trying on reception dresses, to picking out bridesmaid dresses, to making my very own perfume. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention singing in the car with Marc C. while waiting to film! I will never EVER forget!
David may not know it, but I feel I have found a true forever friend. He holds a huge chunk of my heart and means the world to me! I love David Tutera, not just the wedding planner, but the person that he is, and will forever be!
