Wedding Dress Journey
Every Bride has their own experience with finding the perfect wedding dress. After years of watching Say Yes to the Dress, I couldn't wait for my "Say yes to the Dress" moment. I didn't expect it to be the first bridal shop and the very first Dress I tried! I'm a very picky person about everything in life! I am terrible about making decisions typically; I do all my research before making any moves, like cost comparison and making a list of pros and cons. That didn't happen at all! When the Dress was handed to me, I had an "Oh wow" in awe. I had never held such a beautiful dress before; the details were perfect. I felt so beautiful trying it on, which excited me for the rest of the dresses, especially since I had a two-hour appointment. Who doesn't love feeling beautiful and looking like a princess?
I tried several dresses, but none compared to the first one. The next Dress was a strapless pearl beaded dress; it was beautiful but made me look broad and not confident. What I liked was the fabric, how it sparkles, and the plunge in the front but not for my wedding, maybe a ballet or a gala. The following style was a fitted mermaid dress with off-the-shoulder straps. I wasn't a fan of how I looked, we tried adding an overskirt, but it was too old fashion style for me. It gave me Marilyn Monro vibes. Thankfully we went away from that style, and my stylist started understanding my body shape better. The fourth Dress could be strapless or have sleeves with a heart-shaped neckline. It was a perfect mix between the first two dresses, then adding the sleeves; I loved it, but it didn't give me the wow factor. The next Dress was the same as the first but not as detailed. I tried more dresses with sleeves; I almost went with one of the sliced dresses but then remembered I'm getting married in April. I probably won't want sleeves in this Texas weather! Nothing gave me the I'm a bride feeling; after an hour, I decided to try the first Dress again and just knew it was the one. It was everything I wanted, and I had no idea that was what I was looking for. Word of advice, trust your stylist. They understand what your looking for even if you don't.
At first, I felt like I deprived myself of the joy of shopping for wedding dresses because I went with my first choice, which is 100% unlike me. Well, that was until my dresses arrived, and I got to try them on!
It's wild the feeling you get closer to the wedding, especially the serial feeling when everything starts to arrive, be finalized, and fall into place. The day is just right around the corner. No more planning and dreaming. It's happened. Well, at least that is what it felt like walking into the dress shop to pick up my Dress. When picking up your Dress, it's always recommended to try it on, ensure nothing got needed in transit, and get an idea of what alterations you might need. I even brought my ceremony shoes to see if they matched my Dress.
Of course, my Dress needs alterations, but I made the right decision and am so excited to wear it on my wedding day! For the most part, I needed my straps taken in. Even with my shoes, it was still a tad long, so we'll need to hem the Dress, and we'll have to add the bustle.
The bridal shop I ordered my Dress from doesn't have an on-site alterations person, but they do have someone they recommended. With a wedding dress in hand and a list of preferred wedding dress alterations list and we went on our way. I contacted the two local shops I could visit, and what they quoted gave me panic attacks. One thing I've learned about myself during this wedding process is that I suffer from money guilt. I was already feeling bad about falling in love with a dress at the top of my budget, but when I got the emails saying anywhere between $750 to $1.250, and it's due before the first fitting, well, that's a second dress, no way I could afford that! I only budgeted $500. After the weekend of calling around and not getting any answers, I was just about ready to sell my Dress. Most alterations want 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding, we'll have four weeks till the marriage, and that's part of the reason it costs so much.
I called my mother, who reminded me I was just being dramatic and that it was not as big of a deal as I thought. After maybe 20 minutes, my mom found someone in our budget willing to look at my Dress and see if they could alter it. Key things to remember when you go for your dress fitting make sure you are wearing your wedding shoes, probably the ones you're going to do your first dance to. They alter your Dress to match your shoes; I'll wear my heels for the ceremony, pictures, and first dance. Once sunset pictures are over, I'm putting on my wedding Crocs to be comfortable and dance the night away!
Thankfully a family friend alternated my Dress, and she is a fantastic designer! My straps were too long, but she said that was an easy fix. The hard part was figuring out where to Hem it. She had me walk around the house in the Dress to see where it was caught. I was thrilled that the satin layer was captured and not the tool. The very top layer is long, but I didn't want to have the Dress reconstructed when it seems to flare out when I walk, and I'm not tripping over it; no reason to take apart the bottom of the Dress. The bustle was also fun to figure out. Instead of the most common bustle, my train was way too long, and we added a wrist strap. I'm not lying when I say I have never felt more like a diva in my entire life!
It took two weeks, and I'm back in my wedding dress. The straps fit perfectly, and I didn't trip when I walked around in my wedding shoes. I can't lie; I did not want to remove my dress. I fell in love with it all over again, and my wedding excitement continued growing!
Before I knew it, it was the day of the wedding! Getting ready with my family and friend was so fun and memorable. I can't express enough gratitude to everyone who made it so special. Not only did I have the perfect dress but the accessories made all the difference in the world. I was going to use a headpiece from my best friend's wedding, but we all forgot to grab it! Thankfully I bought two flower girl crowns and ended up just wearing that. My niece loved that we matched, and I was so grateful. The second would be my neckless. I developed a pearl obsession during my planning process, so my mom let me wear her great-grandmother's pearls ( they are over 100 years old). They matched the color of my dress perfectly, and my older sister wore them at her wedding. That wasn't the only piece of her wedding day I incorporated; I also used her veil, which was used in my cousin's wedding. With all the positive marriages before mine, I knew it held nothing but good energy and made the wedding day even more meaningful.
My dress was so big that I had to ride in a golf cart to the ceremony spot. Walking down the aisle, I thought I would be nervous, but I was excited to see Grant. He looked terrific, and so did the wedding party. We made it through pictures before I gave up on the heels and ended up doing the first dance barefoot! Then I put my Crocs on after we eat. Dancing in the dress was easier without shoes, and I felt like a princess the whole night. I'm so glad I got a second I wore it as long as possible! After the Wedding, I cleaned my dress professionally and ordered a preserver kit from Amazon. For now, its safety is tucked away until our first anniversary when well get dressed up again, have an adventure/anniversary photo shoot, and go out to dinner. Who says it's only meant to be worn once?
Finding the perfect wedding dress is a personal and transformative experience. My adventure led me to unexpectedly choose the first dress I tried on, defying my usual indecisiveness. This process taught me to trust my stylist's insights and embrace the path of self-discovery. As the wedding day approached, the anticipation grew, and the alterations process became a bridge to connect with family and tradition. Wearing the dress on the big day, accompanied by meaningful heirlooms, was a dream come true. The dress effortlessly adapted to each moment, from the ceremony to dancing the night away. Now preserved for the future, my wedding dress symbolizes love and promises to come. Just as every Bride has a unique dress story, mine reminds me to embrace the journey, cherish the unexpected, and trust the path that leads to unforgettable moments. So, what's your Dress Story?
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