It occurred to me the other day that I should really be documenting some of the stuff we're doing to prepare for the wedding.
So far:
1. We've chosen the date.
2. We've chosen the ceremony venue -- our church
3. I've chosen a dress.
As soon as we had the date chosen, I knew I had better get on it.
I started looking online to see the various styles and silhouettes, but I knew I wanted to try on gowns to see what looked best on me. Although I thought an A line was a good thing for me, I figured I should try on a variety and see what actually was most flattering off the hanger and on me.
It was a fun process for me. I really didn't expect it to be fun. I like shopping for clothes, but in recent years I've not enjoyed it as much as I once did. I guess it goes along with getting older, having a ton of things to do, and what looks good is sometimes just not practical for me.
But back to the fun part.
One of my friends who volunteers at the school, Gwen, was in the office one day and I told her I was going for a scheduled wedding dress appointment at a local dress shop called, "The Wedding Bell." She offered to come along.
So the two of us went and I tried on about 10-12 dresses. The girl who was helping me there was super nice and listened as I told her what I thought I liked. She pulled the dresses, brought them into a huge dressing room and hung them on the rack, and then helped me in and out of each dress.
I would walk out to where Gwen was seated, in front of gigantic mirrors, and both the sales girl and Gwen listened as I dissed each gown for different reasons. There was the "too princessy" dress, and the "looks like a cake topper," dress, and the "trying to be a Hollywood star," dress. I was picky about the material, and I didn't want to look like an old lady trying to wear her daughter's dress. Don't get me wrong. Each one of these was absolutely beautiful. There really was not one ugly dress in the place. They just weren't THE dress.
My next appointment was at David's Bridal a week or so later. Gwen wanted to accompany me again, and I invited another friend, Shane to come along with us. This appointment was shorter. I didn't try on as many gowns, and the dressing room was small. The lady who was helping me was awesome. She put me in the right underpinnings, helped me in and out of the dresses, and helped me narrow down exactly what I was looking for. Once again, I would get into a gown, come out into the viewing room where Gwen and Shane were seated, and get their opinion. And once again, not an ugly dress in the place. Wedding gowns are just beautiful.
I left David's Bridal thinking I really liked the final gown I tried on. But I still wanted to go to one more place.
I made a date to visit "Something Blue," and this time Kristina joined us.
It was the same drill there, except I was left on my own to get in and out of the gowns, and there were no underpinnings offered like there were at the other two shops.
My entourage gave great feedback on each gown as I came out to the viewing area where they were seated, and there were two that I had the sales lady put on my account as my favorites. But I was getting worn out from trying on dresses, and with each one, I kept thinking of the gown at David's Bridal. Once that appointment was finished and we walked out to the sidewalk, I told them I really just kept thinking of the Vera Wang dress at David's Bridal. They all agreed that I should go back and try it on again, and they all offered to go right then and be with me while I did it.
Without an appointment, we walked into David's Bridal and a sweet girl there helped me into the dress and stayed with us to help me make the decision. She brought veils and other head pieces out for me to try on, and she was just great. Especially considering she was not my original sales gal, and I assume they work on commission.
I made my decision right then that the Vera Wang gown was my dress. I placed the hold on it and it has now been ordered and should arrive in April. I would post a photo here now, but I really want that traditional wedding day. I don't want Chuck to see the dress until that day, so I'll post a photo after the wedding.
Next post: The veil
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