Victoria’s vision was to craft a veil that could represent her family, as well as the story she has forged with Nick. “As soon as I met Nick, it’s been adventure and travel. We love hiking, being in nature, and exploring new things,” she says. “Every single stitch represents a hike we’ve been on with a very specific flower.” Some of these florals include the Sticky Monkey-Flower, which symbolizes strength, resilience, and thriving in rocky, difficult places; the Calystegia Soldanella, a vine that gently wraps around what it loves; and the Camellia, a flower of longing and admiration.
To honor her father, the shape of the veil was inspired by a Victorian necklace he gave her and she included a bird of paradise to symbolize his spirit. The designer also had her mother choose a prayer, which she had woven to surround the veil. Designing the sketch alone took Victoria eight months. Once weavers completed the piece by hand in India, over 200 hours total had been put into creating the bride’s veil.
Photo: Mo Davis Photography
As her veil design was coming into place, Victoria began to picture the dress that would go with it more clearly. “I really wanted something that wasn’t overwhelming and felt like a clean palette for the veil to be seen—but I didn’t want it to be underwhelming, either,” she says. The designer also wanted to craft a dress that would embrace her body and its shape. “I’m hippy, and I didn’t want something that suppressed that,” she says. “I designed a corset and caging within the corset that actually showed it off even more. It was a tongue-in-cheek moment—this is my body and I want to celebrate it.”
