...and one at David's Bridal
Both were very different in their own way. Wedding Inspirations was set in this 100-year old house (the owner told me!) in the historic neighborhood close to Grove Park Inn. It was the cutest little shop -- white picket fence, dresses in the window, flower boxes, you get the idea! The selection was fairly limited, but they were having a trunk show that consisted of some of the latest couture designer dresses (the super expensive ones, in other words!), and other new gowns from other less expensive designers. There were probably around 4 small rooms filled with white organza, lace, satin, and chiffon just waiting for me to drool over! When I first walked in, I got to know Gwenn, the owner, and showed her my ideas I was looking for. I had done my homework well, having brought clippings of dresses I liked along with me.
She then gave me a handful of cute lavender ribbons, and told me to browse the merchandise, placing a ribbon on any that spoke to me. I wanted to put a ribbon on way more, but I made myself really look at the options and be decisive in the time I had. All in all, I picked probably around 8 or 9 to try on. And that's when Mom, Steve, and Harrison arrived!!
It was so great to see them -- I am so grateful they came to help me! I really needed it. So, after I made my selection of dresses, they took us all in a cute back room with a curtain separating the middle, and Gwenn started bringing in 3 dresses at a time. I picked out a lot of the mermaid-style dresses with very fitted, angular looks. The first I wasn't too thrilled about, to be honest. It was a little too slinky, and didn't really feel like a wedding dress that really pops.
They started to get better after that, and we finished with my favorite of the ones I had chosen -- an ivory shade, fitted satin gown that had the loveliest train. FYI: I would totally post photos on here, but I'm worried Mike would see them, and we just can't have that! But to get back to the dress, it was on the expensive side, but one that I really did like. The catch: it didn't say "bridal" to me...and I think that was what was holding me back a bit. Plus, I feel like it made me feel bigger than I actually am. It was more of an evening gown you'd wear to a really fancy party or something, not so much wedding material. But maybe that's just me -- it was definitely gorgeous nonetheless.
But I still had my appointment at David's, and we were making great timing. At 1 p.m. we stepped inside, and it was way brighter and bigger than Wedding Inspirations. A sad but true aspect with bridal boutiques -- the smaller ones are going out of business because of big ones like these. But on the plus side, I got to try on wayy more gowns, with a lot more room, and a fitted skirt and bra to go underneath all the dresses. Something they didn't provide at the smaller shop. And girls, can I just say, I needed a little bit of help on the cleavage department, so it was nice to have that!
But I digress...I must have tried on at least 15 or so gowns. They gave me their catalog upon arriving, and told me to check any dresses that I wanted to try on. It was every girl's dream to check off as many as I wanted to try on!! So cool. However, looking back, that may not have helped! By the 5th dress, I was so overwhelmed. All the gowns started blending in, and even Mom had trouble differentiating between number 4 and number 6. I hadn't yet found The One, and I was so desperate to! Mom, Harrison, and Steve were so great -- they gave wonderful advice and really helped me narrow it down. After all, I thought I was going to be able to find the perfect gown, and be done with the shopping all in one day. I didn't realize how naive that mode of thinking was...
I finally was able to narrow it down to one dress -- however it wasn't the one I had set out looking for at the beginning of the day, and that's what both frustrated and perplexed me. I really liked it, but I didn't love it. And I wanted, I needed to love my wedding dress. So, we left, 3 1/2 hours later with no dress and even more confusion than I wanted to bargain with. I figured I needed a night to think everything over, and I would go back the next day to look at the sale items and any I may have overlooked.
Oh, and just so you know, the other reason why I thought I needed to buy my dress all in one outing was because the women helping me at each store put a decent amount of pressure on me, saying I HAD to order it within a day or two to get it in time. That didn't help in alleviating any stress, let me tell you! But, I felt that if I was this unsure about the dress, then I didn't need to be buying it immediately.
So, to make this post even longer, let me tell you what happened today! After work, I venture back over to David's Bridal, with an open, more at ease mind, just to see what's on sale, and to see about some items I wanted to try on after looking at their website a bit more last night (a bit obsessively, perhaps, but whatev). It was kind of nice going in by myself to be honest, because I didn't feel like I needed to impress anyone -- just myself. I picked out about 4 dresses that I thought were a good mix of the styles I'd been trying on the day before, and into the dressing room I went!
It was the third dress that struck my attention. It was the perfect mix of styles (of which I unfortunately can't go into too much detail, for fear a certain fiance might read!), it was gorgeous, and it made me feel beautiful. For some reason, I instantly had a feeling that this was going to be the one. I had always heard that before, that when brides try on The Dress, they instantly know. I thought it was a bunch of bologna, but it is true! It just feels right.
And so, I think I may have found My Dress. It took a couple hours, some confusion, a pile of frustration, and a touch of panic, but I now have some peace of mind.
**Oh, and thank you so much for all your comments and input from the photos I sent you guys!! It had helped a ton!**
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