From "I Said Yes to the Dress" to "I Do" | A Miss Ruby Bride's Full Journey
There are moments at Miss Ruby Bridal that make our why as stylists incredibly clear. They happen fast, in the blink of an eye, usually before our brides even have a chance to fully look at themselves in the mirror. Our real Miss Ruby bride Tatum had that moment in June of 2024. Last month, her sister Tori had one of her own, in that very same viewing area, surrounded by that very same circle of people. What started with Tatum in 2024 quietly found its way back around when Tori walked into that same shop looking for a wedding dress of her very own.
Where It Started: Tatum's Appointment
Tatum and I got paired up as bride and stylist in June of 2024 with a clear sense of the bride she wanted to be on her wedding day. She was drawn to something lightweight and romantic, a gown that felt like her rather than like she was playing dress up. We landed on a customized Loulette gown. Loulette is one of our most beloved designers by our team - it’s an easy partnership because our core values line up so perfectly. Their gowns are soft, a little unexpected, and made for brides who want their dress to feel like an extension of themselves.
When Tatum put that gown on, there was no working up to the reaction - it was completely instant. Happy tears, the kind that catch a bride off guard, and a joy that seemed to fill the whole room before she even stepped out from behind the curtain. Her group felt it with her. A moment like that is the kind I build every appointment around, and Tatum's was one for the books.
A year later, in the summer of 2025, Tatum said her vows at Providence Vineyard in that same custom Loulette gown. Lightweight, romantic, entirely hers, exactly as she envisioned herself when I asked her during her appointment at Miss Ruby.
*Photo from Tatum's wedding in 2025 by Mo Schultz Photography
Full Circle: Tori's Turn
Last month, Tatum’s sister Tori walked through our doors for her own bridal appointment. And she did not walk in alone. Mom was there. Tatum was there. So were a handful of the same close family and friends who had been present with Tatum back in 2024. The whole crew was thrilled to learn I would be Tori's stylist too, and honestly, so was I.
Tori told me early on that she was carrying a little pressure into the appointment. Her sister's reaction had set a high bar, and she wasn't sure she would have that same moment. I hear this more than people might expect. Sisters, best friends, mothers and daughters who watched someone they love find the one and quietly wonder if lightning strikes twice.
I can tell you it does. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The instant I zipped Tori into her gown, I knew. She knew. There was no waiting for the curtain to open to figure out how she felt. By the time I pulled it back, she was already in tears, and her family and friends were right there with her, celebrating her exactly the way they had celebrated Tatum.
Tori put it best in the five-star review she left us after her appointment. As she wrote:
"I had Abby as my stylist and she could not have been better. She is such a genuine, sweet person! My sister had her as well two years ago when she got her dress and was so excited to be able to have her for mine. We were both lucky to have gotten our dresses at Miss Ruby's and could not thank Abby enough. She was very attentive to how I was feeling in each dress and would easily adapt to picking out styles she thinks I would like. I had a lot of family members with me and she was able to help control the opinions and comments by asking me first how I felt about the dress, in the dress, likes and dislikes before others voiced. If you ever go to Miss Ruby I could not suggest a better person than Abby."
Then came the moment none of us could have planned for. We still had the sample of Tatunm’s wedding dress, still in our store on our racks, and she slipped into it one more time. For a few minutes, two sisters stood in our shop as brides together, seeing themselves in their gowns side by side. Past bride and future bride, sharing the same kind of joy in the same space, with the same special people. I got to stand there and watch it unfold - a moment they’ll never forget.
Tori's wedding is set for the summer of 2027, so I’m sworn to Stylist secrecy and keeping the details of her dress a mystery for now. Some things are worth the wait, and I think her guests deserve to see it for the first time on her wedding day when Tori is exactly how she pictured herself.
Why This Story Is the Whole Point
I talk a lot about the Miss Ruby Bridal Experience, and this is what I mean by it. It’s not just about finding a gown. It’s about the people who show up in the room with their bride, the ones who remember the last time they stood in that exact spot, and the way our mother-daughter owned shop in the Third Ward can hold two of the most important moments in a family's life.
Tatum's Providence Vineyard wedding gave me a real-wedding moment I still think about, you can see how much joy that day brought. Tori's appointment gave me proof that that feeling, that moment is not a fluke. It’s what happens when a bride finds a dress that feels like them but in a way that exceeds every expectation they ever had about finding their wedding gown.
-XOXO, Abby <3
Ready to start your own journey? Book a bridal appointment at Miss Ruby Bridal in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward and let's find out what your moment looks like.