I said yes to the dress. When my mom and I went back to purchase it and say yes, tears ensued. Let's recap the experience.
Long before there was my sparkling ring on my left hand, I searched high and low on pinterest for potential dresses.
I went to a bridal show a few months ago and won $50 off a dress, so I made my first appointment at Alfred Angelo.
My maids (the ones who were in town) and my future MIL went in the middle of December. I think I had "The ONE" and I tried it on. It was okay, but wasn't it. It was very sparkly in person, but I was told that wouldn't translate well to pictures. The top part was very structured (think vertical lines) and did not flatter my hour glass shape. It's pretty...but it's not for me. That was a little difficult to let go of the idea of that one, considering how many times I'd pinned it to my board and showed my maids. There were a few I liked and made a second appointment for the middle of January when my mom was coming up for the weekend.
We also popped into David's Bridal because it was literally right around the corner. The sales woman stopped her previous appointment to greet us, which I didn't think was fair to the customers she was working with. Since we came in with a large party, she must have saw dollar signs for her potential commission check. She was incredibly pushy and insisted that I needed to try on and order a dress that day...for a wedding that was 11 months away. I refused and said the walk in was to look at bridesmaid dresses. She then argued with me that I needed to narrow down my fabric choices because giving my maids the option of mesh or chiffon would be devastating and ruin my wedding. Some of the dresses my maids picked were discontinued and not able to be ordered, a simple fact that should have been disclosed before they zipped those dresses up.
Alas, I gave David's Bridal another shot by making an appointment in Arizona. The second chance was also ruined. The new consultant told me, over and over again, for an hour, that I was too curvy and dresses I liked (A line gowns) weren't available in my size. Their locations service women size 0-30 and I'm right in the middle. I was in tears, my maids got the managers involved, and I switched consultants. The second consultant was better, but it's difficult to feel gorgeous and want to spend money on this once in a life time moment when you've heard, for an hour, that you're too large for what you like.
Her lack of tact has been incredibly motivating for work's biggest loser weight loss challenge!
(These appointments were awful enough to warrant my first ever {Yelp Review}).
Flash forward a few weeks. My mom came up to visit and we had two appointments, one at Alfred Angelo (again) and a second at Celebrations, which came highly recommended.
I went into Alfred Angelo with eight styles in mind and ended up falling in love with a brand new one that was on the mannequin. It wasn't on my list and was a little out of my budget, but that didn't matter. I wanted a headpiece (instead of a tiara or a veil, because those reminded me of itchy mosquito nets) and because I bought an accessory, my dress was $400 off (SCORE!). I tried on a few before I came to THE ONE. I tried it on in white, but my amazing consultant pried the ivory one off the mannequin for me to try and that was it. All seven of my maids, myself, my mom, and my future MIL agreed that it was it. When ten women agree, that must mean something!
I said I'd think about it because I had a second appointment later that day and wanted to be sure. They were gracious and completely understanding.
(Second {Yelp Review} of the day regarding Alfred Angelo)
After running a few errands, I went to the second appointment. The store was crowded and had lots of girls trying on prom dresses. I had my entourage (my mom, my officiant/bridesmaid, and my future MIL) in the chairs and I had to wait for other girls to get off the podium so my party could see the wedding dresses. Sorry teens, but wedding trumps prom. There were also random customers who kept giving their feedback on my dress choices which was awkward and not appreciated. I tried on a few that were quite similar to THE ONE, but were several hundred dollars more and did not fit as well. I know alterations would occur, but one appeared to have a seam running horizontally across the middle of the dress, making it appear to be a top and a skirt. For a two thousand dollar dress, that was a terrible decision. The consultant was nice at the second appointment and I said I'd think about it, but I could tell from my entourage's faces that none of the dresses were it.
They kept asking how I felt and I said we'd talk about it at dinner because I didn't want to hurt the consultant's feelings. The dresses were nice...but they didn't compare to THE ONE.
We had a lovely dinner at my friend Gina's parents' {restaurant} (and it was amazing, as always. I very much enjoyed a cheat day filled with garlic knots, cannoli, pasta Susan, salad, and a slice of cheese pizza.) From there, my mom and I went back and purchased the dress. Tears ensued and it was a very special mother-daughter moment.
Naturally, I'm giving B a hard time regarding the dress. I've told him it has feathers, sequins, puffy sleeves, a corset, and a hoop skirt. None of this is true, but I'm enjoying teasing him.
I shared pictures with my hair stylist so she can start brainstorming ideas for the headpiece and how to compliment the dress's neckline (strapless, sweetheart). I showed my aunts and my best friend's mom (because her parents graciously gave me money toward the dress as my wedding gift, which was another tear-inducing moment). I showed a few close friends and am going to do my best to refrain from showing anyone else because I want it to be a surprise.
Next up? Wedding shoes and bridesmaid jewelry...
One task at a time!
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