Hello! After hearing from all of the grooms, we have the second half of our special Inspy Romance post today! The NEW RELEASE The Second Yes Crossroads Collection is all about wedding bells — and wedding dresses!
First they said yes to their guys, but now it’s time for the second yes–the dress!
Five of today’s Best-selling Christian Authors weave five unique, connected stories where wedding dresses come with unique adventures and touching “I do’s.” Click here to purchase your copy!
Today, we’re interviewing all 5 brides in the collection. There are some amazing dresses coming together in this story. Would you like to see them? We’ve created a quiz so you can see what dress woud be yours if you were in The Second Yes! Click this link to play!
Now to our brides! They were all asked the following question: What was one thing you required your dress to have/be/exhibit OR why is your dress special enough to be included in this collection?
Joining us first is Sierra Knightley of Alexa Verde’s Season of Surprises! Sierra is a small-town gal who postponed her dream of becoming a veterinarian for years because her family always needed her help. She loves animals and wants to follow her dream some day, but that day hasn’t come yet. She’s the last one (besides children and teenages) from her extended family to remain single, and she’s constantly reminded about that.
Sierra: This dress is a family heirloom that was passed through generations, and I believe God used this wedding dress to bring Edgar and me together. My aunt wanted to get married in this beautiful dress, but it needed alterations. So she sent it to a great designer whose work she loved. Then the dress was sold in error! You don’t know my aunt. To her this was a disaster! Edgar, who happened to be the best man, and I had to chase that dress, and it took us on some adventures.” Short bio. “I worked different jobs, including the one of a secretary, but I want to follow my dream to become a veterinarian.
Next we have Lara Priest from Chautona Havig’s Something Borrowed, Someone Blue. Having recently moved to New Cheltenham, Lara is the new manager of The Birches. Originally from “some town called Crosswind or Crossroads,” as one local put it, Lara loves her new life in the little planned “English” community. “All it needs is a folly somewhere! Just a fake ruined Grecian temple or even maybe part of a ‘castle’ wall and you’d swear you were somewhere in England. That’s what I love about it.”
Lara met her fiance at The Birches one evening, and their romance blossomed quickly. They may have only known each other for a few months, but both are confident they’ve found the perfect person to spend a lifetime with.
Lara: I’ve been saving ideas for my dream dress for years. I knew exactly which elements I wanted more than anything else. Call me a girlie girl, but I wanted to look and feel like a princess–something timeless. As beautiful as antique gowns are, the last thing I wanted was to date my dress. Thankfully, London knew just what I was looking for and how to make it happen for me. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to matter anymore. Why aren’t weddings ever what we plan for them to be? Still, I have to admit that when I found out the lengths that my guy went to ensure I had the dress of my dreams–even going against people he loves and respects to do it–well, that was one of the biggest confirmations that my second and even third yesses were the best for me!
Joining us next isLondon Hutchins from Amanda Tru’s The Second Yes! London is an elite fashion designer and a small town girl at heart. After spending years in the Hollywood life, she moves back to her hometown of Crossroads where she reconnects with her high school sweetheart. Everything seems to be working out as it should until her movie star ex-boyfriend shows up and she discovers that the local bridal shop owner might actually be her nemesis. With London’s entire love life immortalized in a closet full of wedding dresses, she tries to figure out who she was, who she is, and who she wants to be. And, of course, which one of the wedding dresses finally gets to take a trip down the aisle!
London: I’m a wedding dress designer, so the gown I get married in must be perfect, meaningful, and special in every way. I’ve been planning this dress since I first started designing as a teenager. My very first wedding dress was actually my own. But then I broke up with the guy I was dating. When I started dating someone else, that original wedding dress didn’t quite seem right, so I designed another. Of course, that relationship didn’t last either. Neither did the next one… Or the next.
Now I have a closet full of wedding dresses—one for every romantic relationship I’ve ever had. Yes, even the one-date-wonders earned a wedding dress. Yet I don’t have a single marriage proposal to my name. Whatever dress I wear must in some way reflect and symbolize the relationship and the man I marry. I guess that’s why I have so many unused dresses. I can’t wear a dress that I originally designed when I expected to meet a different groom at the end of the aisle!
At the moment, I’m kinda dating two guys, so I’m not sure which dress I’ll actually wear. The funny thing is, that original wedding dress might be the one that I wear in the end, but the last one in the line is pretty spectacular, too. The ones in the middle, they can definitely just keep hanging in the closet. They definitely won’t need to be used… I hope.
Our next bride is Sandy Lindgren from Alana Terry’s Sewn Together. Sandy is a pastor’s wife, mom, and grandma who lives in Massachusetts and loves to bake.
Sandy: I’m getting ready to celebrate my anniversary (don’t ask me how many years or that will give too much away)! My husband knows how much it would mean to me to be able to fit into my old wedding dress, unfortunately God (and my waistline) seem to have other plans. Still, it’s a beautiful dress, worn by my mother and her mother before her. (Don’t ask my sister how she feels about me getting it instead of her.)
Our final June bride is Traci from Hallee Bridgeman’s Black Belt, White Dress. Traci is a Cooper County Sheriff’s Deputy and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She met her fiance Travis when he taught martial arts at the police academy. She fell in love with him when he flattened her with a side kick and didn’t apologize for it. Her idea of a dream wedding was to say vows while skydiving over the Grand Canyon. However, to honor her mother’s dream, she is having a wedding with all the bells and whistles…and then some.
Traci: My mother has been designing the same wedding dress since she could put purple crayon to paper. She never got to wear it for herself, and is now facing a life-threatening illness. To honor her, and to show her how much I love and appreciate everything she’s done for me, including having me when she was just 16 and raising me to be the strong woman I am today, I wanted to have her dress designed. I sent London all of her drawings of the dress from all of her years designing it and she put together the most amazing creation I think I have ever seen. I know my mom will love it.
Don’t forget to play the quiz to see what dress woud be yours if you were in The Second Yes! Click this link to play! Let us know in the comments which dress you got! One commenter will enter to win a paperback of this collection signed by all the authors! A winner will be picked June 18th. AND — to meet all of these amazing brides and grooms, click here to purchase your copy of The Second Yes!
I am reading this collection right now and nearly done… enjoying every story so much!!
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Hallee, I got London’s dress- how fun:) I’m excited to read this series- saving it for a looong flight coming up!!
Blessings:)
Hi Hallee! I enjoyed reading the boxed set The Second Yes. What a fitting blog as I prepare to write my review and reminisce about my wedding. Sunday is my 46th wedding anniversary. I loved the quiz. I also got London Hutchin’s Dress, which is similar to my own wedding dress. My dress was more satin, then lace, but the style is the same. Therefore I saw your quiz was spot on.
That was fun to do the quiz. I got Bride #2 – Lara.
What a fun post. Such a fun quiz. I got the Sierra Knightly dress in A Season for Surprises.
I got Sandy’s dress!! I’m really looking forward to reading this set!! I have it, but haven’t had a chance to start it, yet!!
I got Sandy’s Dress So excited Thank you for the chance to win a book I love to read! Such an interesting Post!
Sandy’s dress! That’s exciting! You’ll have to see if you see yourself in her. :-)
Sandy’s dress! How fun! You’ll have to see if you see her in yourself!
Sierra – that’s fun! You’ll have to read it and see what aspects of your personality you’ll see!
I’m glad you enjoyed the quiz! Lara! How fun! You’ll have to see how you see yourself in her!
I love that there was a wedding dress similar to yours! Happy anniversary!! I can’t wait until I celebrate 46 years. I look forward to reading your review.
This is the perfect set for a long flight! I bet you’re curious to see how your personalities are similar!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the story!
Lara’s is my best dress!
Guess im old fashioned yet some flaire!
Linda Marie Finn
Faithful Acres Books & Au t hor Services
Love me some old fashioned flair! :-)
I got Sandy’s Dress. I did the quiz 2ce and left different answers and both times I got Sandy!
That’s interesting! I hope you get a chance to read it and see what personality traits you share!
I got Lara’s dress!
Love the quiz!! What a great idea!
Cool! I wonder what it is about you that picked her!
It is! Chatona Havig is who came up with the idea!
I got Traci Winston’s dress from Black Belt, White Dress.
Awww, thank you so much!
Happy anniversary, Renate! And your review was wonderful!
Thank you so much for featuring the set and the brides!
I got Sierra Knightley’s dress. But after seeing it, I definitely would not have picked it out, nor worn it. But since I got married in a dress that would look right at home in a Sunday morning church service, it’s not really surprising.