Alexis Chernoff always knew her person was out there. However, while dating in New York City, she never could find her right fit. The vice president at Magrino PR decided to take a pause on the apps for a moment and went off with friends on her 33rd birthday to put out wishes under a full moon in Tulum—and the moment she went back on the apps, she connected with Scott Kralstein, a director of partnerships and analytics at Peacock. As the two say, it was “beshert.”
Since the start of their relationship, Alexis and Scott would constantly write each other love letters and little notes. “We bonded over words and communication,” says Alexis. So when the pair began planning their vintage-inspired nuptials at the bride’s childhood home in the Catskills, Alexis decided to collect all their love letters and place them in a very special place: her wedding dress.
After trying on gowns at more traditional bridal salons in New York, Alexis found herself at a loss. “I didn’t feel special in them,” she says. “I didn’t have that moment.” She decided to look into some smaller designers and remembered learning about ready-to-wear and bridal brand Tanner Fletcher from conversations with PR teams around fashion week. She made an appointment to meet with the designers Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kassel and was immediately drawn to their Lucille Love Letter Gown. The spaghetti strap, tea-length dress from their first bridal collection features patchworked love letters on a mix of cream and ivory fabric with layers of tulle underneath. “I was obsessed with it,” shares Alexis. “But my first thought was, ‘Could this be my wedding dress?’” She initially thought it might be appropriate for their Friday night welcome dinner at Urban Cowboy Lodge, but knew this special investment piece could have an even more substantial moment.
When talking with Richie and Kassel, they noted it would be possible to customize the design. Not only would they drop the waist to give her a perfect fit, but they would personalize the dress with actual love letters written by the couple. Alexis realized this would be the perfect surprise for Scott on their wedding day. “We both save all our notes, so I was able to pull letters by going through our drawers and side tables,” she says. “We also got legally married a little earlier at the courthouse so I was able to put our vows from that on it.” For an extra sentimental touch, she pulled handwriting from her father and a note Scott s sister had from their mother, who had passed from cancer. “The dress itself felt like so much more than a dress,” she shares.
Since she discovered the dress a year and a half before the wedding, the bride and the designers had some time to collaborate on the dress together. The creation of the special garment involved doing a muslin to alter the silhouette of the dress and deciding on placement and color for the various notes. Alexis loved the entire process. “Tanner and Fletcher are just so sweet and down to earth and thoughtful,” she says. “They kind of felt like the whole energy of the wedding itself, which was just so personal and intimate.” The designers also made a custom veil for the bride, along with a kippah and pocket square for Scott to wear that included the note from his mother.
The bride recalls that when she headed down the aisle in the dress, it was definitely the star of the show. “It was a work of art,” shares Alexis. Since her guests only saw the overall look of the dress from afar, she revealed in her vows how all the handwriting on the dress came from their letters. “I wove in a line that said, ‘I vow to never stop showing you how much I love you with the little things we do, like writing love notes—like those that are hand woven into the fabric of my dress,’” she says.
After the ceremony, guests made sure to get a close look at the words on her gown—and there were many tears as guests read the notes in the fabric. “People who saw it in advance, and then everyone who saw at the wedding were like, ‘This is the most you dress we’ve ever seen,’” says Alexis.
“It just really pulled together the whole theme and feeling of the day,” she continues. “I think all the little things coming together were right. Everyone described the wedding exactly like what we envisioned. It felt so personal. It felt so full of love. It felt so much like us—and I think that’s all you can really hope for.”
