Dress Shopping - Finding "the one"

I don't have an enchanting story about finding "the dress." Maybe it would be a more emotional story if my mother had been there or if my aunt and cousin started balling (I made sure that they didn't), or maybe if the dress was the most important thing on my check-off list. Even when I had a larger budget, the dress wasn't the most important thing to me––if you recall from an earlier post, I was all ready to rent my dress but FH was totally opposed. So now that my budget became even smaller, it became all about finding the one that fits everything––my budget and me.

I decided to start out with David's Bridal since they are very reasonable with their prices and I saw quite a few styles that I liked in their catalog. We were a little early for our appointment so we spent a few minutes looking at bridesmaids dresses. Then Erin greeted us, and seemed friendly enough. We sat down and I showed her the dresses that my aunt and I marked off from DB's catalog and she whisked dresses in and I began to try them on.

The first time I looked at myself in a gown I was baffled. I guess that while I daydreamed about getting married, looking stunning, the whole nine yards, I never actually saw myself in a dress or really any dress. I wear so few dresses, particularly formal ones, that I never really thought about how I would look. So when I saw myself it was a little weird, and to make it even stranger, I was wearing a strapless dress which did nothing for my figure (I looked fat! The worse!). Erin saw that I totally wasn't feeling the strapless and opted for sleeves from then on.

I also wasn't feeling the "poofy" skirt––I wanted to steer clear of too much fabric, particularly when it came to the train. I also was a HUGE fan of cap sleeves until I saw them in action (POUT!).

I loved the simplicity of this dress (see below) but it just didn't do it for me. My cousin came up with the perfect rating for the dresses, stolen from Coldstone's sizes: "Like it," "Love it," or "Gotta Have It." This was barely on the like it scale.

We did figure out that I really like the v-neck (which I always enjoy because it accentuates the right places. Then we tried mixed the cap sleeves with the regular sleeves. This was probably one of the worse ones I tried on (see below). This was definitely a hot mess.

Next up was opting for a halter top, which I was initially a HUGE fan of. But it was a bit much (too sexy) for my wedding day. Plus I didn't like the large jewels.

The next dress was the definitely almost the icing on the cake. And it was the first time I considered a longer veil (I was originally just going to do a birdcage veil). It was gorgeous!

The next dress was also a close call too, I just didn't like how the halter part of it sat so high. You can see how I added the brooch as an accent to the dress, which I really liked.

Hmmm...this off the shoulder dress looked almost identical to the dress in one of my collages. I toyed around the the prospect of this one.

My face lit up when they laced it up in the back so that it fit more snugly. Surprisingly enough I wasn't into laced backing (or whatever it's called) but it worked for me because it really gave the dress shape.

So this is the dress. I opted for the other veil so that I could incorporate color into my dress. In the pic it's red, but I ordered it in lilac.

The greatest part about it is that I met my budget of $300. The original price was $350, so I received $50 off. I did break the bank on the veil––a whopping $179. I know that it competes with the price of the dress, but it is a splurge that i didn't mind taking because it was one of the veils that I probably wouldn't be able to DIY, so I decided that it was a good investment. I did end up getting the undergarments and shoes from them as well. So my total ended up being $626.

Another pleasant surprise was that my aunt strong armed my dad to pay for everything. YAY! I will still have to pay for the alterations (mostly in the sleeves) and cleaning, so I will have to research my options (I hear DB is a bit pricey when it comes to that stuff).

What I LOVED about dress shopping was the undergarments. They felt so comfy and snug that I almost felt comfortable enough to wear them as outer wear!

The unfortunate thing about the whole day was coming home to find out that FH hit a deer :-(. I am glad he is okay. His car wasn't destroyed (thank God for older vehicles that are still made of steel). I was really sad that I didn't get him to tell him that I found the dress (is that selfish?). I was also sad because it is another expense out of his already small budget that may come out of our photog budget.

Despite the bad news, I am still relatively happy to get a major item checked off my list. Tomorrow I get to check off the venue, and hopefully the photography in a couple of weeks. YAY!

Dress Shopping - Bride & Bridesmaid

We didn't officially go dress shopping today, but simply perused the racks. My aunt wanted me to try on a couple of dresses, but I was freaked out because it was a Saturday (I read that this is the absolute WORST time to possible try on a dress because this is when most people go), because the place was swarming with people, and because––prep your self for TMI––I hadn't shaved my armpits recently (I know, gross girly move, but can't I get a break? It's winter!).

We mostly glanced around for the the sale prices and the styles that were available. I was very pleased to find that most of the prices were under $600, which was a huge relief considering my budget is only about $300 or so. It was also great to see some dresses in person––looking online and at catalogs just doesn't cut it as far as the detailing. One thing that would have been really useful while looking, would have been tags with a picture of what the dress actually looks like on a bride. Like with many clothes, it's hard to really envision the shape of a dress if it just looks like a big white blob on a hanger.

I was open to having ivory, I found that it was simply too dark. While I don't want a stark white dress, I think something in between ivory and white would be great. I also don't want a train since our ceremony is going to be so small––no need for a lot of extra unnecessary material if I am not planning a grandeur entrance.

I surprised myself by seeing a couple of dresses with tulle––yes I said tulle, the very wedding-y fabric I have been trying to avoid. I am very adamant about not getting the "typical" wedding dress, or extra ruffles, ribbons, lace, and bows that would be ultra girly-girl. I want something that is elegant and chic, not something I could have very easily worn in the 80s or in a princess-Cinderella fairy tale.

I again surprised myself by seeing a couple of all lace dresses, another fabric I was opposed to. I guess it depends on the type of lace and the style of the dress. I think I really like it when the style is more antique, something that I'd like to hint in my wedding (we are both old heads. Even his parents once called us old familiar souls).

I was also happy to see plenty of bigger sizes, though I may not have to try on as big of a size as I thought (18+), but we'll see. I hear the fitting can be tricky.

The only downside to David's Bridal is that while that have many different selections, they don't really have the old-timey dresses that I have seen. Check out this Michael Nolte Candace dress:

I LOVE the front and the back. She is actually wearing a jacket that gives it the key hole backing, hence why I am thinking that if I want a specific look, I may have to opt for the jacket. If I'm not absolutely sold on David's dresses, I will definitely look else where and may even go up to New York to some of the districts they have there.


Bridesmaid Breaking News
If you remember my collages from earlier this week, a black bridesmaid dress was a definite choice for me. After my aunt picked out almost the exact dress that I desired, I cringed. The dress was nice, but didn't "pop" like I thought it would. It looked dull and dead on the hanger. This is FABULOUS news to my maid of honor who said "you're going to have me in black––okay cuz" in a text message after I sent her the collages. The funny thing is that I would have never considered a black dress in the first place had I not seen some beautiful Knot wedding pictures with bridesmaids in black.

I thought it would be a great compliment to the guy's black tuxes, but it looks as though the teal (or "oasis" as defined by David Bridals) would be the better contrast. I am still debating or whether or not the contrast between the teal of the maid of honor and best man, will look okay with me and FH being in purple accents. I think if I stick with the deep purple, I'll be okay.

So excited about the progress that I am making. Maybe I'll be bold enough to make dress fitting on Monday evening if they have an appointment available?