Dream Dress Project Bride Spotlight: Meet Eileen. A Love Story Built on Grace, Grit, and a Whole Lot of Heart

At Ivory & Main, we know every love story is their own kind of extraordinary–but some stop us mid-email click, mid-coffee sip, mid-whatever else we’re doing and hit us in the feels in the best, most full-hearted of ways. Enter: Eileen & Tom’s Real-Life Love Story

Eileen was nominated by her future stepdaughter, who couldn’t wait to celebrate a woman she’s loved and admired since childhood. Their lives have been intertwined for years—neighbors, church members, family friends. Eileen and her now-fiancé met through the church choir, where their friendship grew from harmony—literally. Over years of singing duets, their voices blended long before their lives ever did.

But life, as it often does, threw curveballs. Eileen endured a painful divorce years before her now-partner did the same. When his own marriage ended in 2017, he withdrew, and his daughter—living hours away—feared he was slipping into depression. In truth, something far more serious was happening: he was dangerously ill.

The person who noticed? Eileen. Through weekly choir practice, she saw what others couldn’t. She discovered his insurance had lapsed and moved fast—getting him covered under Connecticut state insurance and driving him straight to the ER. There, he was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure and one of the worst sets of kidney values Yale’s doctors had ever seen. The months that followed were filled with appointments, treatments, and tough news—including a cancer diagnosis.

And then the world shut down.

In the middle of it all, Eileen stayed. She became his anchor through a storm that felt endless. Their pandemic bubble became the foundation of something deeper: a friendship that blossomed into love. Today, he’s in remission, his kidney function has stabilized, and they’ve purchased a home together in their hometown—a return to their roots after years of heartache and healing.

According to her stepdaughter, Eileen didn’t just show up—she saved a life.

Today, Eileen and Tom share a home in the town where it all began—a full-circle kind of love, built not on picture-perfect timing, but on patience, resilience, and choosing each other again and again. After everything she’s given—her care, her strength, her steady presence—it’s finally her turn to be celebrated.

Still, like so many plus-size and mature brides, Eileen was prepared to skip the bridal boutique altogether.

She was ready to “Buy Now” on Amazon just to avoid another round of too-small samples and not-so-subtle side glances. But that’s exactly why Ivory & Main exists: to make sure no bride ever feels like an afterthought.

Eileen, this is your solo moment. You’ve spent years lifting others up—now let us lift you. You deserve to feel seen, beautiful, and utterly at ease as you step into this next chapter.

And if life really is a song, then girl—you’ve earned your big key change.

Watch as Eileen pops the champagne at Ivory & Main in our fourth episode of the Dream Dress Project: