*I’m going to preface this post by saying don’t worry Mom! I won’t give anything away about the final dress! I’m only going to talk about my experiences leading up to finding the dress.
I remember being a young girl around 11 or 12 years old. We were living in London, England and my mom and I were shopping at one of the department stores downtown. We wandered past the bridal department. They had bright white shiny dresses on the mannequins. I really did not like those bright white shiny dresses. I knew that whenever I did get married….several years later…..that I would be staying away from shiny and bright white!
Once Mr. Gazelle and I began to talk about getting married I figured it was time to add a new television show to the list of PVR recordings. Say Yes to the Dress. Ah yes, the show that allows women to shop vicariously for wedding dresses, gasp at the catty comments from friends and family on television and to shake our head in disapproval when a woman brings too many friends or her fiancé into the shop to help her make a decision.
It gives us a chance to see what women will buy with an unlimited budget. As I watched the show I began to wonder whether my dress existed inside a traditional bridal salon. The consultants proclaim to have a difficult time with a budget of $2000 and I knew I wanted to pay less than that. I also had a hard time envisioning myself in a fit and flare gown in white satin with rhinestones on it. Surely lovely dresses, but most definitely not me, and the kind that I saw women buying most often.
I began looking online at the simpler styles, like the Erica at J. Crew.
While the dresses were pretty and budget friendly they were simple. Would I be cheating myself out of that experience of finding a unique wedding dress? Was there a dress out there that would fit my style and my budget?
How did you start to define your style as a bride? Did you have a clear idea of the dress you wanted from the beginning?
4 comments:
I lovvved wedding dress shopping! I didn't have much of an idea in mind, but as they say... I knew when I found the one!
Have you set a date, btw? I may have missed it if you mentioned it already.
I can't wait to see your big day come together!
I told you, I am addicted to weddings! :P
I HATED wedding dress shopping. Almost every minute of it was stressful for me. I felt like sales people were pushy, and my idea was actually crushed. I wish I stood up for myself more.
I really wanted a tea-length dress, with wicked shoes :D I ended up with something more traditional after not being able to find one I liked. In hindsight, I should have found a seamstress to make me what I wanted. I'm okay with the dress I got, but it wasn't my dream dress.
So, I never had that "a-ha" moment. Some parts were fun, some were hilarious, but mostly I felt this crazy pressure to find some perfect dress. I do way better with shoes :P
For what it's worth, I had fun shopping with friends, but was better able to make a decision on my own. Friends are very well intentioned, but sometimes say things that can make things tough.
So be strong! Don't listen to pushy sales ladies. And go with your gut! :)
Can't help responding to all these wedding questions! Loved dress shopping and since we knew we were heading off to Las Vegas to get married in the dessert, I knew I wanted something simple and without a train. It really helped limit the options and I still LOVE the dress I picked. It's fun to imagine wearing a crazy, blinged out dress, but I think mine suited us perfectly. Hope you found some winners!
my question about dresses is how come, in almost all of the weddings i've attended in the last 20 years, the brides are essentially wearing the exact same dress? strapless, with the same cut?
there have been a few friends to break the mould and go for coloured dresses that were more evening gowns and they looked fab!
whatever you choose you will look amazing in it! whether it's traditional or 'dare to be different'.
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