Abby Wambach is a former professional soccer player who has represented the US at the Olympics and in FIFA World Cups, and is regarded as one of the greatest female football players of all time.
Glennon Doyle Melton is self-described Christian mummy blogger, the author of books such as Love Warrior and Carry on, Warrior and the creator of online religious parenting community Momastery.
In May, the pair were married.
On Saturday, Glennon has detailed the love story behind her wedding dress on Instagram after looking and looking, and not finding “the right dress”.
“The gowns I tried on made me look less like a grown-up bride and more like a tooth-fairy. I resigned myself to wearing a sundress from my closet,” she wrote.
“Then three weeks before the wedding, [my] sister sent me a website and said, ‘This is how I imagine you on your wedding day.’ I clicked over and my heart stopped. The dresses were elegant, light, romantic and ethereal. They were also handmade by an outrageously talented Israeli designer named Liz Martinez & had to be ordered months in advance.'”
Doyle Melton wrote she had resigned herself to one day wearing the gown – perhaps at the couple’s five year anniversary – but not on her wedding day. They were “magical dresses”, but the wedding was in three weeks. They simply wouldn’t have time.
“Two days later [my] sister called and said, ‘I emailed the designer. I told her all about you, how hard you’ve fought for this day… how badly I want you to be able to walk toward your bride in one of her gowns. A woman named Melissa wrote back from Israel immediately.
“She said she had just finished reading Love Warrior for the second time and the book was giving her hope and strength; that Love Warrior was loving her to life. She wants their art to love you back. Her team wants to make you a gown. They want you to walk toward Abby and your new life carrying with you all of their gratitude and love.’