Real Brides Katie and Curly’s New Year’s Eve Wedding and Giveaway

A beautiful LGBTQ+ love story and a giveaway? We’re obsessed. Katie and Curly Grimes are real brides here to share all about their stunning non-traditional 2023 New Year’s Eve wedding. Read on to hear about their relationship, dress shopping experience, wedding day, and more! To celebrate their love, enter our giveaway to win a Maggie Sottero dress of your own! Follow @maggiesotterodesigns and @katiegrimes_ on TikTok, tag three friends in the comments on Katie’s TikTok video, and enter a valid email below. Hurry! The giveaway closes on December 17th!

Meet Katie and Curly: A New Year’s Eve Wedding Love Story

We were able to sit down and talk to Katie and Curly about their love story and bridal experience. We just can’t get enough of their story, and we know you can’t either. So, we got both perspectives!

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

Tell us your love story! How did you meet, fall in love, propose?

Katie: “I was best friends with Curly’s sister Kenzie. I was always around the family and suddenly realized that I was starting to gain feelings for Curly. I made a move one night after the bars and the rest is history. 

We started to date and fall in love in March 2020. That was right before the pandemic and the whole world shut down. So that made our dating life pretty interesting because there was nothing to do and nowhere to go. All we had was each other and the space of either our parents’ home or the apartment Curley lived in. 

I like to say that Covid years equal dog years because of how well you get to know someone. There’s nothing on your schedule, nowhere to go, and no plans. We got to deep dive into one another. After that, we moved in with each other pretty quickly and decided to just go all in on this relationship. 

If we could survive Covid together, we could probably survive anything that comes our way in life. The rest is history.”

Can you both share your favorite moment from your New Year’s Eve wedding?

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Katie: “It’s so hard to choose just one, but one of my favorites was walking to the ceremony together. Seeing all the guests sitting there and hearing the song the girl was playing. An acoustic version of the song Kiss. 

It is a moment that I can replay in my head that feels like a fairy tale. It was like time stopped as we were walking there. All the build-up and planning was about to happen, and the beginning of a new life together.”

Curly: “It’s so hard to choose what my favorite moment is from the wedding because we had an aerialist, we had a laser light show, and a drag queen. It was the absolute New Year’s Eve wedding. 

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

Even with all that went on, the one moment that made me feel so surreal was seeing Katie walk down the aisle. I know that’s so typical of an answer, but that moment right there made everything in my world stop. 

I could see her smiling, and see her parents walking down that aisle. It’s just a moment I can replay forever.”

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

How did you both go about selecting your wedding attire and accessories? What made them feel right for you?

Katie: “It was really interesting to plan wedding attire. Truthfully, that was one of the only things that mattered to me. How I looked and felt and that I was with curly. Everything else was just kind of a bonus. 

I was obsessed with Say Yes to the Dress since I was a child. I didn’t know what I wanted, so trying to figure that out was just simply trying on the different dresses. 

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

At first, I thought I wanted something extremely over-the-top, like feathers or something that’s never been seen before. I ended up going with a lilac-colored dress that had a timeless element to it. It wasn’t too crazy and won’t I won’t look back and regret it, but it still has some unique shape to it.”

Curly: “I am really big on family and traditions, and my grandmother passed away earlier that year. It was really important for me to connect with her during these moments. I ended up choosing jewelry that she had worn and had given to me before she passed specifically for the wedding day. It was very special to me to be able to have that same look that she once wore on that day. It just connected her with me on that day.”

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

Can you describe the feeling of being surrounded by loved ones who support your love and your marriage on your special day?

Katie & Curly: “The people that came to our wedding are truly amazing. We got married in Palm Springs, California. Not one person lives in or near Palm Springs, so it was a mini-destination wedding. It felt even more meaningful that people were choosing to spend their New Year’s Eve with us, celebrating our love.”

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

Can you share some of the fun non-traditional elements you included in your New Year’s Eve wedding celebration?

Katie & Curly: “Where do we begin? We like to think that our whole New Year’s Eve wedding was nontraditional. We had our officiant do an opening cleansing breath and a mini grounding meditation with the guests before the ceremony started. My grandma and uncle played live music as we walked down the aisle to Seasons of Love and This is Me.

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

There was a ring-warming ceremony where our rings were passed around the isles and each person got to send their love and their intention into our rings. We also had ceremony facilitators sage and cleanse the space with incense and also help the ring ceremony happen. 

We had Curly’s uncle speak and read Justice Kennedy’s ruling on gay marriage. About it becoming legal, how it’s a constitutional right, and how we honored all of the LGBTQ-plus community that came before us. 

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We had an Arielist, a Lady Gaga drag queen, McDonald’s, and we changed into tracksuits. 

It was my niece’s fifth birthday so we all sang her happy birthday and gave her a cake instead of a wedding cake. 

We had mariachi to honor Curly’s grandparents who had passed away that year. 

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

We also had a laser light show and confetti cannons that went off at midnight to celebrate the new year.”

How has your relationship evolved as a result of becoming married, and how do you see your love story continuing to unfold?

Curly: “One of the main words that describes Katie and I’s relationship is the word growth. We have been evolving with each other since we started our relationship. 

Covid forced us to dig deep and figure out who we are as individuals. That helped us evolve in a relationship as two people who truly want the best for one another. 

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

Going into our first year of marriage, we had a great foundation set up for us on how to communicate, how we trust each other, and how we learn from one another. This first year has been quite the test too. 

I got an opportunity to get a new job, which would require us to move. No one talks about how difficult those decisions are. Having someone you can trust and lean on to make these decisions with is so important. Katie and I have made the best decision to move to a new city with new jobs. We’re creating a life that is unique to us and our partnership.”

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

Now that a year has passed, can you give any advice to newlyweds?

Katie: “Change is inevitable, and we are always evolving. The most important thing to do as you navigate this shift is to get clear on your needs and communicate those to your partner because you are a team. You’re not alone in anything you’re experiencing. Both wants and needs are important and should be heard and respected. 

When I switched my last name from Neary to Grimes, I felt a bit of an identity crisis. Not necessarily a crisis, but an opportunity to step into a new identity of who I wanna be. Who Katie Grimes is versus who I was prior, and I think that’s not talked about a lot. 

I dyed my hair red after being blonde my whole life, and it helped solidify this new version of myself in my life and this partnership. Maybe you don’t need to dye your hair, but intentionally doing little things that will help you connect to this new identity is important because it’s really weird to introduce yourself with a new last name.”

Do you have any advice for those planning a New Year’s Eve wedding?

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Katie & Curly: “Don’t hold back. Go all out and make the ceremony deeply special, intimate, and intentional. You know the party after/reception will be super fun and a celebration for the whole night since it’s New Year’s Eve. We made the ceremony super intentional and then let loose the rest of the night.”

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

What have you learned about yourself since being married, and what have you learned about your partner since being married?

Katie: “This year, I have learned how to trust myself more. Being married helps that because it’s this built-in support system that allows me to explore the depths of myself. I can try things without the risk of abandonment or of feeling alone. 

Something I learned about my partner Curly this year was how she navigates change. We have lived in the same place with the same people, really close to our family the entire time we’ve been together. 

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

This year, when we decided to move to a new city, we were relearning each other and how we navigate big shifts in our lives. It was really special and fun to get to know each other on a new deeper level.”

Curly: “This past year, I have learned that I am stronger than I think and that I can persevere through anything. Through an injury, move, and job change. Change can be tough sometimes, but having a partner like Katie by my side makes me the luckiest human alive. 

I have learned that Katie is here to truly help me expand. She challenges me in the best ways and everything she has ever encouraged me to do has worked out in our favor. Her ideas and aspirations have forced us to expand every aspect of our lives and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

Questions For Curly on Her New Year’s Eve Wedding Dress

Curly is our gorgeous Maggie bride, who wore Tristyn by Maggie Sottero, to her New Year’s Eve wedding celebration. Tristyn is an ultra-romantic black lace ball gown wedding dress for the unconventionally chic bride. So of course, we had to get a few extra details from her.

Can you tell us about the Maggie Sottero retailer you visited? 

“My mom, my best friend, my little sister, and I went to Hanna’s Bridal in Diamond Bar, California. This was the cutest little boutique. It had the most amazing women who helped me feel beautiful on my wedding day and find the right dress.”

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

Why did you choose to go to a trunk show?

Curly: “My mom and I were invested in finding a designer that was size-inclusive, but still elegant and beautiful. I wanted to feel absolutely gorgeous on my wedding day. 

I chose Maggie Sottero because the brand checked all those boxes for me. When we searched for places to try on Maggie Sottero dresses, we found a trunk show at a boutique in Diamond Bar. We made an appointment and signed up immediately to get in and try these dresses on.”

What was the trunk show experience like for you?

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Curly: “I had all the nerves leading up to the appointment. What if the dress doesn’t fit? What if they don’t have my size? As I walked in, I felt immediately at ease. 

There were some dresses there that had the pop of color that I was looking for. I didn’t want that same old same old white or ivory wedding dress. I wanted something different and I wanted to still look awesome in it but beautiful. 

During the experience, we went over and looked at some of the dresses. I chose the ones I wanted to try on and immediately got the help I needed to get into every one of them. I have never felt more beautiful than when I was walking out of the dressing room in those dresses. 

It was a whole new experience, but the very first wedding dress I tried on happened to be the one I chose. As soon as I put it on, it just felt like me. I almost didn’t want to try on any other wedding dresses, but I knew I had to give a few other gowns the same opportunity for my New Year’s Eve wedding.”

PC: Stefani Walsh Photography

What stood out to you the most about Maggie Sottero’s brand?

Curly: “The first thing that caught my eye was the fact that there were wedding gowns with different colors, especially the all-black or the black-and-white wedding gowns. Then I found out they were size-inclusive, and that just made my heart happy and excited.”

We’re so happy for our stunning brides. To share the love, we want to make dreams come true for another bride, and so would Katie and Curly! To enter our giveaway to win a Maggie Sottero dress of your own, follow @maggiesotterodesigns and @katiegrimes_ on TikTok, tag three friends in the comments on Katie’s TikTok video, and enter a valid email above. Hurry! The giveaway closes on December 17th!

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