NC Wedding Story Writer Creates Wedding Books for Dancing with the Stars Couple
Written by Meg Hale Brunton
In the ever-evolving world of wedding vendors, founder and creative director of Wedding Story Writer Michelle McMurray de Luces has managed the near-impossible feat of creating a niche business that is almost entirely untapped. Wedding Story Writer creates completely unique books commemorating the entirety of your special day, as well as the one-of-a-kind love story that brought you to that date.
When she was three, Michelle’s mother showed her the dress from her own wedding and after that, Michelle was hooked. “It’s probably my first memory: I remember her pulling the dress out and I fell in love with it,” she recalls. “I fell in love with weddings after that. I became obsessed, kind of.” Michelle goes on to say that her mother made her a mini bridal gown that she wore every Halloween (as well as most afternoons after school) for the next few years. Growing up, she designed wedding gowns in her sketchbooks and even planned a wedding for a school project. It only made sense for Michelle to, one day, go into the wedding industry.
In 2011, Michelle created Wedding Story Writer out of her home in Cary, North Carolina. She had formed the company, in the first place, as part of a final project for a class while earning her Master’s degree in Operation Management. After making wedding story books for her brother and his wife for their wedding day, then another one for her mother when she got remarried, Michelle decided to start creating the books professionally. “I wish I would have written my love story, but I didn’t and now, I don’t remember a lot of it,” she admits. “It blows my mind; on the most important day of your life, no one remembers anything.”
Wedding Story Writer offers craft custom wedding story books, vow books, invitation folios, toasting booklets for the best man and maid of honor, and the officiant’s book, as well as craft keepsake boxes for the books. When designing their books, the couples get to choose from a captivating collection of colors, fabrics and customization options, styling their books to symbolize their enduring love. The vow books are also designed to be used again, handed down to future generations so that they have the chance to cherish the same sentiments as their relatives. “Ours are designed to be heirlooms; so they’re reusable,” she says of her vow books. “They get passed along in the family- that’s my hope, at least.”
When beginning her creative process, Michelle meets with the couple to begin learning the details of how they met, dated, and fell in love. Michelle also offers research into the couples’ genealogy, as well as custom illustrations by professional artists. From there, she interviews friends and family members of the bride and groom, gathering stories for the book. Often, she will even attend bridal showers and bachelorette parties for content. On the day of the wedding, Michelle remains with the couple all day, using multiple recording devices to capture all the sights, sounds, smells, and other senses of the wedding itself. “I really get the scoop. They really get a true wedding story,” she says of her clients. Once the wedding is over, Michelle points out that there are very few wedding details that the couple take with them into their new lives together. She hopes that her pieces will remain with them forever.
An international success and leader in the luxury wedding vow book market, Wedding Story Writer has now been patronized by celebrity couples as well. Last year, the business designed and created custom vow books, toast books, and other items for the wedding of Dancing with the Stars couple Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert. On a tight deadline, Michelle and her husband even flew out to California to personally deliver their creations to the couple at their home in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. “They opened all of their items right there at the kitchen counter. They were super nice and happy,” she says of her meeting with the couple, acknowledging that people don’t always realize the hard work, time, and craftsmanship that goes into every piece she creates. “We don’t send anything out unless it’s perfect.”
Today, Michelle travels worldwide, memorializing the once-in-a-lifetime romance of each of her clients for all eternity with her handcrafted books. Her favorite aspects of her job are getting to be creative, and hearing the stories of the couples she works with. “I think it helps people to strengthen that bond. It makes them remember why they’re getting married. It’s very sweet when I start seeing that look of love in their eyes,” she says, of listening to them tell their love story. “I love making the actual item they’re going to have with them on their wedding day. It’s like I’m with them in spirit.”
For more information on Wedding Story Writer, check out their website: https://weddingstorywriter.com/
