The Dress

Not unlike all aspects of my life…my wedding dress hunt was not without drama. I went dress shopping for the first time about a month after I got engaged. A dress I loved was on super duper sale and I just had to try it on. I ended up trying on four dresses before I tried on a Kate Middelton lookalike dress that they had. I meant to try it on as a total joke to the people with me, but when I walked out everyone started to cry. I started to cry, my mom cried, my sister cried and my cousin cried. The women working told me how beautiful I looked. I figured if this dress got that kind of reaction it must be it. So I  pulled the trigger and bought it! I didn’t even try on the dress we went there for. Well long story short, I got the dress and realized that I hated it. I no longer had wedding dress rose colored glasses on and the dress had lost its shimmer. I ended up exchanging it for another dress.

Well the devil known as Pinterest (just kidding pin pin, I will always love you) struck. I kept seeing these gorgeous gowns online and my heart sunk more and more. The second dress I got simply was not it. After many stressed filled nights thinking I was stuck with a dress I hated,  a Godsend came into my life. A good friend of my Aunt’s is a dressmaker and I was able to contact her and commission her to create my dream dress. I wanted something form fitting with lace and sparkle with a touch of fairy princess. The final result was amazing. It was everything I could want in a wedding dress. It was comfortable, it fit me to a tee, and was plain old stunning.

Even though my dress story has a happy ending, I still have some tips for future brides for when you go dress shopping. Each bride is different so these tips won’t apply to everyone, but they’re tips that I wish I had followed.

• Wait a bit before you go shopping. Don’t jump out the moment you get engaged and go shopping. You’ll be on engagement high and every dress will seem to be “the dress”. Just enjoy being engaged for a while! 
• Do not buy the first dress you try on. Or in my case, the fourth. Even if the first dress you put on ends up being the dress for you, make sure you sleep on it. Odds are it will still be there the next day, week, or month and if you still love it after you are able to think about it, then go back and scoop it up!
• Make appointments at multiple stores. I went to the most generic bridal shop and I still regret that. I didn’t get the star treatment that you may get at other salons. I didn’t feel like a bride who was shopping for her wedding dress, but just another customer they wanted to make a sale on.
• Do not let Pinterest work on your mind! Seeing fellow brides pin pictures of stunning dresses kept me doubting my own dress. Even after I had my dream one made, I was still longing for a different dress.

Your wedding dress is supposed to be the most important dress you will ever wear. You’ll be in it all day, sitting, walking, and dancing so you want to make sure it’s something you’ll love to wear for 8+ hours!