SubscribeOver the years, we have saved a few of the thank you notes sent by our brides and their parents. These notes stay in Heidi’s office as a reminder of why we work so hard. Thank you to all of our sweet brides for your continues calls, emails and letters. You ladies make our day!
Heidi,
I know I told you all this when I saw you after my wedding but I really wanted to let you know again how thankful I am of you. I never could have achieved such a magical day if it hadn’t been for your love, support, guidance and of course AMAZING dress! I still look back at that day and besides marrying Jason the thing that sticks out the most is how beautiful I felt in my dress. As you remember when we first meet so very long ago I had a hard time trying to determine what dress was going to hold up to my dreams and visions and also everyone elses expectations. Being in the fashion business and loving it as much as I do, everyone knew that my dress would be far from ordinary and it would be a true work of art…And that is exactly what you accomplished! All the hours you spent with me reassuring me or trying every twist and tuck and pleat that I thought would work on the dress came together to make the most amazing dress I had ever seen. You can not imagine how lucky I felt to be the one to get to wear it! I have NEVER in my life had so many people compliment me on something as they did with that dress. I had everyone stop and want a picture not of me, but of your dress! From random people on the beach, at the condo, and even the cooks at the reception everyone came out to look at my dress! As I said before this was more than a wedding dress, this was my dream, our vision and your work of art. It was my pleasure and honor to wear a Heidi Elnora couture gown and I just want you to know that. Thank you from the bottom of my heart (and my moms!)
Love, Courtland Weed Tison
I forgot to tell you you the most important part! Everybody was so in love with my dress! I mean even men made comments about how cool and different it was. My florist has been tweeting about it and updating her facebook status about and she of course mentioned it was custom made by Heidi Elnora! She is pretty funny. She was so excited when I told her you made my dress. She is quite the fan! Anyway, I think the photographer really had fun with it and it was so fun to wear! I didn’t want to take it off after the reception. I kept it on for a good hour after Jon and I got back to our room!”
- Ann Yates Wyatt
Thank you so much for designing my dream wedding gown! You have been so sweet to me from the day I met you. I couldn’t feel any more beautiful than I do in that gown. You are incredibly talented, and I am blessed to have a heidi elnora gown.
Love, Kara Oglesby
Dear Heidi,
I am going to say thank you, but it doesn’t begin to express what I mean. Thank you, thank you, thank you! The dress was the most beautiful gown I have ever seen in my life. Thank you for making me look and feel romantically stunning on my wedding day. I owe you so much and I love you! You rock my face off!
Love, Lainee
P.S. You were right! Judson did cry when he saw me! Perfect gown. Love!
Heidi,
Ann Yates is so excited about working with you and I am pretty tickled, too. I know we are just going to love, love love the dress. Best wishes on your wedding day, too.
–Leslie Wyatt
Heidi,
The dress is beautiful, such a labor of love and friendship on your part. Thank you for making my dream of having a daughter wear my wedding gown come true!
Sincerely, Julie Aldridge
Heidi,
I want to thank you for this past weekend. You have no idea what it meant to me to be a part of the amazing events that took place. I am truly honored that you selected me and saw something in me that you wanted to represent one of your gowns. I have never seen such passion and excitement that I saw from you and Leslee. You are such a gem, and I hope I can work with you again in the future—and you’re totally designing my wedding dress!
–Caitlin Corsetti
This is long overdue, but THANK YOU! I have so many things to thank you for: my beautiful wedding dress, altering my mom’s dress, the gift card to get it preserved, and making my experience so wonderful. My wedding dress was perfect. I felt so beautiful—I didn’t want to take it off! My mom’s dress for the rehearsal dinner was perfect, too. I got so many compliments. Most importantly, my experience working with you was so happy and so incredible. I looked forward to every fitting. Your talent never ceased to amaze me (and it still doesn’t). I am so honored to have witnessed your creativity and work first hand and to have a heidi elnora gown. I was so proud to wear one of your gowns and am still so proud to show pictures to everyone. You are an amazing designer and an incredible person. I cherish all the wonderful moments I had through the process. It was my favorite part of the whole planning part. Thank you again for all of the hard work you and your staff put in. I appreciate you all so much. I can’t wait to see all of the amazing things you will do in the future! With lots of love and gratitude
-Molly Forsythe Partlow
Heidi,
Thanks so much for the beautiful wedding dress you are doing for Eden. It is so beautiful and we can’t wait to see the finished product. You are a very special young woman, and we appreciate all your kindness and great insight into this happy time for us. Look forward to seeing you soon.
Thank you, Eden’s mom
Just wanted to say thanks again for spending so much time with me creating a gorgeous wedding dress (I still think you should charge a consulting fee!) You absolutely rock—I wish you great success!
Sincerely, Elizabeth Turnipseed
The dress you made for me made this day so perfect. Thank you doesn’t do it.
- Kristyn Shayon-Miller
After a few miserable experiences at wedding dress shops in New Orleans, I was convinced I would be wearing grey sweatpants to walk down the aisle. Thanks to Google, I found Heidi, made my appointment, and headed to my home town of Birmingham to get “the dress.” From the moment my mom and I walked in, Heidi made us feel comfortable and welcome. Although I did not know exactly what I wanted, Heidi truly listened to what I had to say. My dress is a true collaboration between Heidi’s amazing talent and the vision I had in my head. What she created was better than I ever could have imagined! Rob and I were married on a gorgeous October day in New Orleans. Both the wedding and reception were at Latrobe’s on Royal, a beautifully historic building in the French Quarter, which had the rustic and romantic feel we were looking for. Before the festivities began, the two of us walked to take pictures around the Quarter with our photographer. It was so great to take some alone time together before the ceremony. Locals and tourists alike thought we were shooting pictures for a wedding magazine, and some even started to follow us around. Everything about the day was absolutely perfect from the flowers to the music and the food. I had an amazing time, and better yet, I got to marry by best friend. We were so blessed to be surrounded with so much love from our family and friends, and everyone had a great time dancing and goofing off in the photo booth at the reception. I have never felt more beautiful in my entire life than I did wearing my one-of-a-kind wedding dress made by Heidi. Being able to create my own wedding dress was such a great experience for my mom and I to share together. Heidi is not only an amazing designer, she is an incredibly warm and caring person. I am so grateful to have worked with her!
Love, Amanda
Thank you for everything you have done for my wedding. See you in July!
–Rachel
Dearest Heidi,
When I went to the Portico Bridal Show over a year ago and I saw your dresses and then I saw you, it was so incredibly obvious that your dresses topped all the others. I told my Mom I didn’t want to look anywhere else, I just wanted to set up an appointment with you. But she still made me look at all the places around Birmingham, and I’m so glad she did because it made coming to your shop seem all the more special. The dress you designed for me is the prettiest piece of clothing I’ve ever seen. I mean it. You designed a dress that was 100 times prettier than what I had imagined. Every time I came to your shop it was so much fun. You really made the whole process so special for me and all the women in my family. It’s rare for someone so artistically talented as yourself to be as easy to talk to and so pretty too. You got it all, and I know your personality and talent will take you a long way in life. I can’t wait to walk down the isle in my dress. If anyone spills anything on it, they are going down.
Love ya,
Molly McNutt
Thank you so much for everything you have done for me throughout the past year. This note is to thank you for helping me with my state costume, but you have done so much more for me than just that! You have been a loyal friend, you have listened to me and given me advice, you believed in me and graciously used me for your ads and website, you let me work with you and experience the fashion realm (every girl’s dream!). There are so many things you have done for me and I truly am thankful for it all. God blessed me when I stumbled upon your ad in Alabama Magazine two years ago. Truly, Heidi, thank you.
–Britni McMillan, Mrs. Alabama ‘08
Dearest Heidi,
We feel so blessed to have experienced the creation of Ivy’s wedding dress with you. You added much joy to the wedding planning and event of her marriage. Best wishes to you on your upcoming marriage and the development and growth of heidi elnora!
A grateful bride and her mother,
Ivy & Glenda
Heidi,
My wife, Holli Gurl Andrews, received your email and forwarded it to me. Currently she is in South Carolina undergoing training to prepare her for future service in Afghanistan, so it was a little difficult for her to do this on her own. She told me how much this meant to her, and asked me to send you copies of the enclosed picture.
Holli and I really appreciate the time and talent you invested in the dress and want to thank you for all of you hard work; it made the ceremony that much more enjoyable. I know that if you were able to send Holli a copy of the “look book” your assembling, she would really appreciate it. Sometimes I think that the dress means more to her than I do-I don’t hold it against you though.
Again, thank you so much; Holli couldn’t be happier.
Your Satisfied Customers,
Nathan & Holli Andrews
Dear Heidi,
Thank you so much for the wonderful gown presentation party. I think it was the sweetest lil’ party I have ever had! And the food was delicious! (My Mimi can’t stop talking about that bacon!) This whole experience with you has been amazing and I just can’t thank you enough for everything that you have done and everything that I got to experience because of you! And the best part is that I KNOW I have the most beautiful wedding dress in the world! I can’t wait ’til Sept. and I hope to see you there.
Love, Katie
Thanks sooo much Heidi! My dress was absolutely beautiful and it photographed lovely. You are a joy to work with and I know you will be just as successful in Atlanta as you were/are here in Birmingham.
-Mi Wu
Heidi, it was truly fabulous. I loved the dress and everybody else did too..perfect day..no rain, not even a real threat and it was great for picture taking. We had A LOT of photos taken that day. Here’s the thing-I don’t have any individual shots that I can easily forward to you…a lot of movie type formats. I want you to see my day though and THANK YOU for being such a significant part of it. We made the right choice with you is all I can say:) Thanks again, Heidi.
Mary Worthen White
I had an idea in mind for a gown, but had never seen it…anywhere. While looking through a bridal magazine in Target I spotted a dress that just enveloped everything I had pictured in my mind. I sat on the floor (right there in the aisle) and admired it, until my fiancé came. I showed him quickly, without saying a word…and he said, “You better write down the name Heidi Elnora.” I didn’t have to write it down. I think it was permanently branded into my brain. I rushed home to look up the website on the internet and saw several gowns that were more beautiful than any others I’d ever seen….only to find that Heidi’s shop was in Birmingham, Alabama. I live in Des Moines, Iowa…so I counted the option out.
I started the process of gown shopping with my mother and aunt/godmother. I felt their opinions were the most important and wanted to keep the experience, for the most part, between the three of us. After each scheduled appointment, I felt more and more discouraged. Not only because the gowns I found were not “me”, but the women in the bridal shops were not listening. They were trying to make the gowns they had “work” for me. I explained that I did not want a strapless dress, and was even laughed at because of this request in one bridal shop. After months of searching, my mother encouraged me to contact Heidi Elnora to see if it might be an option. Pessimism at it’s peak, I reluctantly emailed Heidi and gave her the news that I live in the Midwest and was not going to be able to travel to Birmingham. Heidi, of course, made it work and from day one treated me like I was the only bride she was working with…though I knew there were many many more. Due to the distance, a custom gown was not an option for me…but when Reanna Alice arrived in the mail, I knew she was the one. It was the first time I had actually been excited about my wedding gown, since prior to that the whole experience had been quite a disappointment. Heidi made the rest of the process so simple, and made alterations to Reanna through emails, photos, and phone calls. It was all I could do to not book a quick flight just to give Heidi a big hug!
The gown was a surprise for my fiancé Sam, and it was very difficult to keep it a secret from him…given I was so ecstatic about it. The look on his face (and the tears) when he saw me for the first time made the wait completely worth it. We were married on a beautiful nearly-autumn day at the Basilica of Saint John in Des Moines, IA, for a very traditional Roman Catholic celebration with a choir singing in Latin and an organ and strings to accompany. The gown and chapel-length mantilla veil that Heidi created fit the ambiance of the Basilica perfectly. The wedding day was extraordinarily captured through the lenses of Gehman Photography of Kalona, IA. The guest list included our closest friends and family, including the bride’s 62 aunts and uncles, their children and grandchildren and those who were looking down from heaven, especially my father. Each of the six bridesmaids wore a navy J.Crew dress of their choice and carried a unique bouquet of white blooms. The groom wore a three-piece navy pinstripe suit also from J.Crew.
The reception following was at Sticks, an award winning design studio nestled in a scenic wooded lot, where floor to ceiling windows provide an unrestricted view of the natural surroundings. Just after the sun set, the couple fox-trotted their way through their first dance “More” by Bobby Darin, performed by the live band The R Factor of Minneapolis, MN. The guests danced the night away to the best wedding entertainment Des Moines, IA had ever experienced!
Our deepest gratitude to Heidi Elnora for her kindness and talent in creating a dress and veil that truly reflected our love and faith in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. You are a dream.
-Michelle Danielle McDonald
First on my list was to find the perfect dress! It was an overwhelming task. I started my search in Birmingham. Then a trip to Atlanta and Dallas to try on hundreds of wedding dresses at the top bridal boutiques. Although I found many beautiful gowns, none seemed to have all of the elements I was searching for. My quest ended with my first meeting with Heidi Elnora. Just like I knew Trey was “the one”, I knew this was the answer to my dress dilemma. What could be more perfect than having my dream gown designed and created by a couture designer? My experience working with Heidi was amazing from start to finish. And, in the end, I had a gown more beautiful than I could have ever imagined! It was the perfect dress!
Thanks Heidi for making me beautiful on my wedding day!
Love you lots! Jenny Nelson Hill
Heidi,
Thank you so much for making my dream day come true. You are such a talented, amazing woman, and it was such a pleasure working with and getting to know you. I am so thankful that Mom found you. I wish Dave could have met you! My dress was absolutely gorgeous, and it all came out of our mastermind heads! The dress looked like me! I had so many compliments. I am so proud of you and your accomplishments thus far. You have the world ahead of you! I hope to keep in contact and updated on your progress.
Much love and God Bless! Alicia
Dear Ms. Elnora:
In reflecting on the nice things that happened to my family in 2007, your kindness in making a debutante dress for my daughter stands out. I know that this is not something you normally do, and I understand that the price you charged was far below your usual rate. Since we were somewhat limited on what we could spend, your gift of extra time and resources in making that dress was doubly appreciated. I wish you could have seen how beautiful Sally looked the night of the presentation, and she received many, many compliments on the dress. Needless to say, she loved the dress, and it made the night extra special. I just wanted to say thank you once again on behalf of our family and tell you how grateful we are for your kindness in making the dress for Sally.
Sincerely, T. Calvin Wells