When Some Great People founder Sarah Edwards and Tony Opse, an IT professional at Xcel Energy, got engaged in fall 2020, they knew right away they didn’t want a traditional wedding. “I wanted to make sure I focused more on the person and the relationship and less on the wedding,” she says. “Originally, we were going to go to the courthouse and just call it a day, but then Tony, Mr. Hates Attention, was like, No, I’d really like to have a party.”
The couple planned their perfect mix of intimate and inclusive—a tiny courthouse wedding on a Thursday last September, followed by a party at Brick x Mortar with 80 of their closest friends and family members the next day. But that doesn’t mean the wedding was an understated affair or that Edwards’s deep love for fashion didn’t shine through. She asked Rammy Mohamed, a local designer who happens to be a close friend (and who has plenty of experience designing gorgeous gowns for all occasions), to create a few designs that were far cries from off-the-rack white dresses. Let’s break down the looks.
Photographs by Nylonsaddle
walking down the aisle
The Ceremony
Edwards’s long, bell-sleeved ceremony dress was the closest she wanted to come to a conventional gown—but, of course, it had its own spin. “I went to SR Harris by myself, and when I saw this fabric, it jumped out at me, without even really knowing what it was,” she says. “I brought it to Rammy, and on the spot, she started draping it on her mannequin. And it fit perfectly.” Edwards paired the dress with a chunky Chanel belt she found at June Resale—which she later repurposed as a necklace for her third and final look.
tulle-skirt-and-corset-top gown Edwards wore
The Showstopper
The ethereal tulle-skirt-and-corset-top gown Edwards wore to (most of) their reception was painstakingly intricate to create—but well worth it in the end. “I had over 200 yards of tulle, cut most of it into credit card–size pieces, and pinched them each one by one to create this triangular shape and sewed them together,” Mohamed (far left in this photo) says of the skirt and train. “I probably made 4,000 to 5,000 of those pieces.”
short dress with cutouts, a ribbon-tie back, and dramatic puffed sleeves
The Party
“I like dancing,” Edwards says. “I wanted to dance—but I knew I wouldn’t be able to in a huge gown.” So when party time hit, she donned a short dress with cutouts, a ribbon-tie back, and dramatic puffed sleeves. Mohamed used the floral fabric to overlay boots Edwards already owned, ensuring the entire look was cohesive and fun. “I’m loving that the trend right now is encouraging brides to be who they are,” Mohamed adds. “I really connect with that. Your personality can really show on your wedding day that way.”
