Real Bride

#EnzoaniRealBride: Mia & Clarence

Love Comes Back Around: College Sweethearts That Found a Second Chance at Romance

You could say that Mia and Clarence were destined for one another. On one of their first days at college in Pennsylvania, the two became friends, and the rest, as they say, was history. Or was it? Over the next few years, Mia and Clarence would fall in love and eventually break up during their last year of college. For the next four years afterward, they remained on good terms as friends who ran into each another once in a blue moon...until a fateful winter night brought them back together again. Their love was reignited, and their love story is now one for the books. Read more below about how Mia and Clarence found love again, how she found 'The One' in her Enzoani Justice wedding dress, and what advice she would offer any bride for her own special wedding day.

THE DRESS

"I went to L&H Bridal in Philadelphia and one of my bridesmaids pointed out a dress which appeared overwhelming on the hanger since the bottom had a lot of material. The consultants told me that the dress had just arrived at the store, and since I was the last client, they cheered for me to put in on to see how it looked on someone."

"Once I had the dress on and it was pinned to my size, I was shocked at how perfect the dress was for me - the delicacy, intricate details, and elegant yet sexy style was everything I could have asked for in a wedding dress. When I walked out of the dressing room, everyone was just in shock and one of the consultants yelled, “That is your dress,” and she was right. I felt overwhelmed with joy and couldn’t imagine myself wearing anything but Justice to my wedding."

THE LOVE STORY

"I met Clarence at Penn State in 2005. We were both scholarship recipients and required to attend common orientation events together throughout our freshman year. Our first conversation took place when we were placed in the same group for an ice breaker activity during our first orientation. You can say we "hit it off" from the start, as we quickly became friends and a couple by our sophomore year. I would love to say that our relationship was perfect until we got married, but it was not. We broke up our senior year and spent four years separated. Throughout the four years, we ran into each other occasionally due to mutual friends, but really just pursued other relationships. We would usually catch up and talk about our families, and though I knew that our history would probably never allow us to be friends, I always missed him as a friend. Most, if not all, of our friends really felt that we were “meant to be” and I just figured that the four years apart was evidence against that belief."

"During the winter of 2013, we reconnected due to a snow storm in which we both lost power since we lived in the same neighborhood (literally four blocks from each other), and we ended up at a friend’s apartment which had a generator. We kept in touch after that and a couple months later, we slowly fell in love with each other again. The more time we spent together, the more we realized it was right. On July 19th 2014, Clarence proposed to me inside of an art studio in downtown Philadelphia with all my family and friends present. Our journey was never perfect and full of surprises, since I would have never imagined that my knight in shining armor would be my old college love. But at the end, love conquered all and brought us back together, creating the best love story. I was blessed with the chance to get to re-know Clarence again and fall in love with him even more than I ever did before. And of course…I said yes!"

THE WEDDING DAY

"The entire day to me was like a fairy tale. I almost couldn’t believe that it was real and it felt so much like a dream. One of the moments that stood out to me was when I was sitting in the limo before walking into the church and realizing that everything I had worked on for so long was starting at that very moment. There was no better feeling than walking down the aisle and seeing my love waiting for me with such joy in his eyes. And I remember taking the time to just soak it in as I walked, and I felt so grateful for the moment, for all the love that was shown, and support that we had received."

MY ADVICE...

"Spend more time investing in your relationship than in your wedding day. So often, the wedding day is such an event that it becomes the main focus of the year instead of the love between two people. Most importantly, make sure to enjoy your wedding day! It doesn't matter if small things go wrong. As soon as you wake up the morning of your wedding, make a decision that it's going to be the best day of your life."