Samantha visited nearly twenty bridal shops and pulled on dresses that cost a fortune yet hid synthetic fabrics inside.

“I hated the experience,” she said. “I wasn’t seeing the quality and construction that I wanted.”

Then she discovered NK Bride on Reddit, where the brides sounded genuinely happy. They discussed real artistry and real fabrics.

Her first call with Nathalie confirmed it. Even though Samantha was already late in the timeline, Nathalie was direct and unfazed. For Samantha, Nathalie’s steady, grounded confidence was transformative. For the first time in the dress process, she felt herself exhale.

“I remember feeling such a sense of relief,” she said,

The Custom NK Bride Gown

Samantha arrived with a vivid bridal gown vision: a corseted bodice inspired by Vivienne Westwood and an A-line skirt. Lace was high on the priority list. She’d fallen in love with a photo of an extravagant gown, and its lace lingered in her mind.

Nathalie understood that instantly. She went fabric hunting and sent Samantha about 12 different options. One stood out: a sculptural, rose-patterned lace unlike anything Samantha had ever seen. She took a swatch home, crowd-tested with friends, and once they unanimously approved, she knew it was the one.

For the next nine months, she collaborated with Nathalie and watched the gown come to life. She tried on the muslin, then the first lace draft, then the refined versions. With every fitting, her trust in Nathalie deepened.

“It felt like we were on this journey together,” she said. “She has a calming presence about her.”

Even when the dress no longer fit mid-process, Samantha never panicked.

“I knew Nathalie had my back. It felt like we were a team. We bonded through the process.”

When the final gown was finished, Nathalie’s joy matched her own.

The end result was a soft, rounded neckline corset top with over-the-shoulder straps, a low back, and a dropped basque waist. The fine off-white lace featured roses that grew larger toward the hem, and a subtle train completed the silhouette. Small bridal buttons and an internal corset ensured both structure and romance.

Samantha brought Nathalie a manila veil from the 70s worn by her mother-in-law, who just celebrated a 50-year anniversary. They considered adding lace from the gown but chose to keep it as is. Wearing it was “sort of a game day decision” and it paired beautifully with the gown.

Samantha & Danny’s Love Story

Samantha met Danny on Tinder in January 2020.

“I sort of immediately knew,” she said. “I had this really strong connection and I felt so comfortable with him.”

Pandemic walks along the West Village’s 4th Street Pier became the backdrop of their early love. Danny proposed there with a fake outing, a disguised plan, and a perfect punchline. Samantha arrived expecting to meet a friend. Instead, she saw Danny in a suit. He got down on one knee, and he said, “please don’t drop this, we’re on a pier.”

She was genuinely surprised, nearly impossible for a psychoanalyst who is always reading people.

“He got me good,” she laughed. They celebrated afterward at the restaurant where they’d had their first date, at the same table, with champagne waiting.

Maximalist Magic in Atlanta

Samantha and Danny chose Atlanta as a destination wedding, easily accessible for both their families. They married at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, a Tudor-style mansion once owned by a Coca-Cola founder. As they organized their wedding, they would joke about the theme of it, citing everything from prom to Italian grandmother. Ultimately, Samantha says maximalist is the best description.

“There was just color everywhere,” she said.

Bamboo chairs, sculptural ceramics, towering florals, a tiki bar in one room, a sequin-seafood motif in another. It was an immersive, playful dream, with a bit of Hollywood Regency aesthetic.

Samantha walked down the aisle to a live performance of Come and Get Your Love. Even that cinematic entrance came with a burst of Samantha’s signature humor. When the caterers started making noise behind a curtain mid-ceremony, she simply poked her head through and whispered, “Guys, we’re gonna do something like that. Can you keep it down?”

The recessional was “Too Late to Turn Back Now.”

For the wedding’s welcome party, Samantha found a vintage gown in Cleveland during her brother-in-law’s parents’ 50th anniversary celebration. Nathalie recut, restructured, and reimagined the gown while preserving its soul. She kept giving Samantha the option to remove the sleeves, but Samantha ultimately kept them.

“It felt like it was vintage, but it also mine,” she said. “It just felt so customized to my body.”

That dress had a detachable vintage train.

“When else are you gonna have an opportunity?” Samantha exclaimed.

Samantha wore the gown, along with a dramatic sixties hairdo to her welcome party at the Clermont hotel in Atlanta — and then, famously, to the Cleemont Lounge strip club.

Some DIY Shine

Samantha’s afterparty look was entirely DIY, a full-sequin dress she built herself. The dress was inspired by a vintage photograph she found of a sixties woman with big blonde hair.

“The dress didn’t exist, so I had to make it.”

She bought a white dress on Poshmark, dyed it, and then sewed on every sequin. The dress form lived in her living room for six months. Days before the wedding, her friends helped her get to the finish line.

Samantha, a big crafter who loves Gorilla Glue and liquid concrete, created dozens of hats and headbands: oysters, shrimp and crabs, even a Jaws-themed top hat.

By the end of the night, everybody was out on the dance floor wearing the creative headbands.

Samantha appreciated that Nathalie gave her extra fabric from her gown.

“She’s so thoughtful,” she said. “She knows I enjoy crafting.”