Every facet of my dress has meaning, and every step in the process gave it the personality it so beautifully displayed. The personality of my dress rubbed off on me, and I felt more beautiful and worthy than I could have ever expected to feel.

Carole, I was honored to work with you, and to be one of your subjects. You are an amazing talent and I pray that my children will benefit from the same life-altering experience I did in creating this dress. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

With love and gratitude,
Anna-Maria Riggsby

 

THE WEDDING DAY
Glorious in her gown and beaming, the Bride and her Groom...

Dear Carole:
This long overdue note is to thank you for your amazing grace and talent in designing my wedding gown. I could not have ever imagined the process being such a magical experience. From the moment I met you I knew I would be going through one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

The most interesting phenomenon was that our meetings transformed me through every year of my life. At our first meeting I felt like a 5 year old with visions of grandeur for my wedding. I remember being 5 and dreaming of being a "princess bride". I truly believe it was those 5 year old visions that manifested themselves into your thoughts and eventually my dress. Every meeting thereafter, I seemed to age.

At every fitting I was a bit older and more mature. Being a bodice for 6 weeks was frustrating, just like my pre-teenage years. When we added the skirt, I felt like I was at my senior prom. The interesting thing is that I never attended my prom, so you gave me more than just a wedding dress when you gave me your talents. By the time we worked on the veil, I felt like I was mature enough to be married, and the day I had my final fitting, I knew that I was, in fact, ready for the rest of my life to begin.