EEEEEEEK! Here it is, ladies and gents. The post we’ve all been waiting for (I mean, come on, let’s be honest…what’s the best part of wedding planning? The dress shopping!). Dr. Dave, now is your cue to stop reading (that is, if you ever read the blog!). I’m going to tell you the story of my dress, and how our relationship came to be. Be prepared to scroll: this post will keep you in suspense! ;)
It all started here. My first stop: David’s Bridal. I was never someone who seriously thought about what kind of dress I would actually want when (if!) I got married. You see, I had reached a point where I was comfortable being single: I had a routine, a great apartment, a job, a cat…everything I thought I’d ever need. Then along came Dr. Dave, and he changed everything. Once Dr. Dave proposed, I dove headfirst into the dress search. My first trip went against all advice my friends had ever given me: I went to David’s, and I went all alone. I wanted a clear view of what styles I liked and didn’t like on myself before I started the serious search.
And so it began. This was the first wedding dress I ever tried on. I loved it but felt that the halter top was a bit too overwhelming for me (and my chest!).
This one was very nice…but a bit too beaded. I am anti-beading. Also, when I turned to the side, the ruching made it look like I had just eaten a huge Chipotle (see below)… which, yeah, I had, but I don’t want it to show, after all!
I really dug the clean lines of this one, the sweetheart neckline, and the detailing at the top. However, didn’t like the bubble hem. I thought it was too trendy and would date the dress–and it’s kinda my dream to have my future daughter wear my dress! So from there, decided to nix the latest trends in wedding dresses in my search.
So I set out for Colorado, to go dress shopping with my mom with a more narrowed-down vision of what I was looking for: a slight A-line, non-poofy, non-beaded, lace gown with a sweetheart neckline.
Enter: Maggie Sottero’s “Anastasia.”
We really, truly thought this was the one. I flew back to SoCal convinced that I’d found my baby.
(This one was a strong contender because i LOVED the row of little beads down the back…but had issues again with the ruching in the front).
So I flew back to California. We hadn’t put in the order for the dress yet–in fact, my mom was planning to do it with the first sales associate we’d had at the bridal shop so that she’d see the commission. A couple weeks passed by…
And I continued to try on dresses in boutiques in SoCal. There was this one, which I generally liked, but again it wasn’t really a classic-looking gown.
Plus the train was just too long for such a rustic wedding!
This one made me feel a bit…matronly. Though it was very, very pretty. (I wish I remember who the designers were…I think the first was a Sottero?)
And then. THEN.
Dr. dave had a test coming up on Monday; and I’d happened to be looking at a website that featured big sales in Los Angeles. Posted on it was a sample sale at R-Mine Couture. A friend and I jumped in the car and headed to Studio City that weekend, totally expecting to just get out of the house and out of dr. dave’s hair, and have some fun. Little did I know that I would be introduced to the love of my wedding dress life: Pronovias’ “Desert.”
Here’s what she looked like when she came home. It was 2 sizes too big, 5 inches too long, and had some rather obnoxious sleeves (just trust me–they were super poofy when the dress wasn’t on a hanger). But I had a vision. I took the dress to a great tailor in Huntington Beach (let me know if you need her info!), who worked her magic: and I picked it up today! I left the tailor, feeling like the happiest of happies. Here’s the final product…
Love!
lovelovelove!
Close-up of the detailing on the hem:
The dress fits in perfectly with our rustic-y, homespun, Colorado wedding. It’s funny how I had such a methodical, planned version of how I would find my wedding dress–only to end up purchasing it basically on a whim.
How did you find your dress? Was it a methodical search or a random, unexpected event?
We’ll be married in 13 days!
Much love,
-B