Piper and Sam

​Piper and Sam’s story begins in the most Rockwellian, meet-cute fashion. Just picture a windswept summer day on the coast of Maine. Girl finds prime spot on the beach, umbrella set, book in hand, waves and happy children’s laughter setting the soothing background tones, when a strong, gust of wind first dislodges her umbrella and then absconds with her bright blue, wide-brimmed sun hat. So there she goes, galloping down the beach after her hat. The hat she bought on a trip to visit her sister in Paris. THE hat. She will not lose this hat the first day she wears it – and certainly not to the icy clutches of the Atlantic Ocean. So she runs. She runs while hoping her umbrella hasn’t tumbled down the beach, stabbing sunbathers in the eye. And in her momentary reverie, she realizes she doesn’t see the hat anymore. She continues to run down the water line, but no blue hat in sight. She looks out across the bright, sparkling sea. Nothing. But as she turns around, defeat glistening in the tears welling up in her eyes, she smacks right into Sam. Holding her hat. Smiling.
“Is this yours?” he asks.
“Oh my gosh, yes!” she cries. (Literally.) “Thank you! I thought it was… well… gone.”
“It landed right on top of my book and as soon as I looked up, I saw you running down the beach, so I figured it might belong to you. Glad to help,” he said.
“Oh,” she said. “What are you reading?”
And that’s how their whirlwind romance began. One beach-going, book lover meeting another. After one month, they met parents and after two months, they took their first vacation – to Paris where she bought another hat. After six months, Sam was down on one knee, at that very same beach in Maine, asking for her hand in marriage. She got down on her knee with him and said, “Wherever you go, so do I.”

​The wedding planning was a pure joy. In keeping with their desire to keep everything low-stress, they decided to have a small, intimate wedding with just their closest friends and family. The decorations were set – rustic chic, with a twist of literary. 

​The flowers were picked – fresh from a local field of wildflowers.

And the menu was delicious, with desserts by her sister, a Parisian pastry chef.

​But Piper still hadn’t quite found the right dress for the occasion. She wanted something that made her feel like she wanted to dance all night long. She wanted something that made her feel like she was attending a ball, but she also wanted to be comfy and feel herself. All the gowns she tried on were too constricting, itchy or cumbersome, until she found SJ Couture.
She met with the designer and was invited into her studio to try on all the gowns she offered in her collection, and what she noticed stood out among these gowns was that they were so comfortable. She felt like herself in them. Then she tried on THE one. The dress. A smooth, cashmere tank shell coupled with a silk, princess skirt. Two pieces that fit her style and comfort, but also made her feel like she was attending a ball. Check and check.
When the big day came, and Sam stood at the top of the aisle, she knew this was forever. When she met him in front of the officiant and grasped his hands, he whispered to her, “You’re my girl in the blue hat. I thank god everyday for that hat. It brought me to my future. To you.”
Tears welled up in both their eyes and as the ceremony went on, there wasn’t a dry eye in the audience.