With her powerful gymnast body and petite stature, gold medal Olympian Shawn Johnson was not looking forward to shopping for a dress for her April 16 wedding to beau Andrew East.
“I was kind of terrified,” Johnson tells PEOPLE. “I’ve been a hard fit my entire life — I’m so short and curvy and muscular and big busted, it’s always been awkward to find something that’s flattering.”
Lindsey Grace Whiddon/Wild Native Co
So when the gymnast met Nashville designer Olia Zavozina, she came with a list of “don’ts” in hand: “I was a thousand percent against strapless, I didn’t picture myself having a huge train or veil and I didn’t want lace,” says Johnson, 24.
But to her surprise, “I ended up going with a skin-tight mermaid gown!” she says. “I loved it so much. I felt comfortable and girlie in it. Olia is a magician!”
The gown, made of silk duchess satin with a trumpet silhouette, features a geometrical lace bodice with matching lace trim along the hem. Johnson opted to keep the look simple, eschewing beading or jewels, except for a line of pearls down the back. “I didn’t want the flash,” says Johnson, who, as a former Dancing with the Stars champ, knows a little something about glitz. “I feel like every wedding dress I ever saw was so over the top, and having done Dancing and worn rhinestones head to toe, I didn’t know you could get anything that looks simple that wasn’t just a plain gown. To me this dress is classy but different.”
RELATED VIDEO: 5 Ways to Make Your Eyes Look Bigger and Brighter
Johnson was so in love with the custom design, which features a silk satin organza cathedral train and which she paired with a custom headpiece and jewelry by Elena Zavozina, that she choose to wear the gown all night rather than switching to a separate reception dress for the party (which featured a seven-tier cake and a surprise serenade!).
“There was a little change because the train comes off, but I always felt like if you find that dream dress you should wear it the whole night,” she says.
RELATED PHOTOS: The most unconventional celebrity wedding gowns!
Walking down the aisle to meet NFL player East “felt amazing,” Johnson says. “It was the greatest feeling ever.”
East, a long snapper for the Oakland Raiders, agreed.
“Seeing her there in that beautiful white dress with a big smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye, it couldn’t have been any more perfect,” he says. “She looked immaculate.”
Do you love the dress?
–Eileen Finan
- Comment
