Why I Wore a Green Wedding Dress

As the daughter of legendary Eagles radio announcer Merrill Reese, you might think that Ida Reese wore green on her wedding day as a nod to our city’s beloved (albeit sometimes beleaguered) football team. But wearing the team color was actually only a coincidence: Ida always knew she’d be a nontraditional bride.

Even as a kid, when she dreamed about her future wedding day, she never envisioned herself walking down the aisle in white—with her bubbly personality and super creative nature (she’s a graphic designer), the classic hue just never seemed like the right fit.

So when the bride-to-be began dress shopping for her May wedding to her now-husband Jon West, she went searching for another color: green. “I love green, it’s my favorite color, and while I had no idea what style dress I wanted, I knew it had to be green,” she tells us. White wasn’t even on the table.

Ida began by scouring the web, perusing page after page of green gowns until she stumbled upon an emerald number by French designer Roland Mouret. “I loved the dress instantly when I saw it online,” she says. “I felt like it had everything at once—it was sexy but not at all revealing, it had an interesting architectural element, and I loved the asymmetry. I didn’t want to do strapless so I loved the way the neckline worked with the off-the-shoulder sleeve.”

And the back! Photo by Pictures by Todd.

Despite a few roadblocks—the gown was sold out online and there was only one left  in Ida’s size (it was on sale and non-returnable) at the designer’s New York City boutique—the bride’s persistence prevailed, and she wound up with the dress she’s always dreamed of: “It was exactly what I was hoping for.”

To see more photos of Ida’s dress and her “Green is the New White” wedding (you’ll see what we mean), click here.

RELATED: In Defense of Wearing a Black Wedding Dress

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