3 bridal boutiques, 2 days, 1 dress!

My first experience wedding dress shopping took place over Christmas break. It really made it hit home that I'm actually getting married! I tried on 5 dresses in 2 hours that day, each dress being a different style from the last. I left the store that day thinking I had found a dress that I thought could be the one, although I wanted to try on other dresses still to keep my options open. Over the holiday weekend I ventured out for another day of trying on dresses. I thought that armed with an idea of what I was looking for, the excursion would only take a few hours, and the next time I try on dresses I would be able to more easily compare my favorites. Boy was I wrong.

The first store we went to that Saturday morning didn't really seem to offer what I was looking for, but I selected a couple of dresses to start. The attendant helping me was a bit aggressive. Her whole attitude seemed to be, "If there's one thing you don't like about the dress, you don't need to wear it another second. Let's try something else." This seems fine in theory, but in practice it felt like I was being rushed and not listened to when asked for my feelings on the dress. She knew I had already tried on dresses and the style that I was looking for, yet she kept bringing dresses that had key qualities I told her I wasn't interested in. I tried on around 10 dresses, and in the end the dress I liked the best from their selection was over double my budget and I would have needed to make some custom alterations to get it to look like what I was looking for. The dress from the first store was winning.

While we took a break for lunch, I called the last store we wanted to visit, Elegant Bridals. I had called that morning to make an appointment, but I got their answering machine. I called on the way to lunch and got a "we're super busy. leave a message or call back." message. I thought that maybe it was a sign and I should go back to the first store after lunch to try on my favorite dress from there again. They finally answered the phone when I called after lunch and said they had just enough time for one more appointment that day. Joan, the attendant who helped me, was great! She talked to me, joked with us about wedding dress model poses, and actually listened to how I felt about each dress she brought for me to try. I tried on 5 dresses before I finally put on THE dress.

As soon as I slipped into it, I knew that was it. With every other dress I could immediately point out things I didn't like about it, but with this dress I just kept thinking how beautiful it is! I couldn't stop smiling! I didn't want to take it off. I wore it for about 45 minutes before I called my mom who was shopping across town so she could come see it. The store was supposed to close in 15 minutes but they stayed open so that my mom could make it. I was watching my mom out of the windows as she approached the store; as soon as she saw me, her eyes got wide and her jaw dropped, and I thought, "Yes! Mom loves it! This is definitely it!" She was speechless when she walked in, which, if you know my mom, you know is incredible! I was on cloud nine. After wearing the dress for about an hour and a half, I reluctantly slipped back into my regular clothes. A little paperwork and that was it - I had a wedding dress! It was my first wedding purchase, and one I couldn't be happier with. ♥

The picture is a collage of some of the dresses that didn't quite make the cut.