Dress Shopping

Saturday Morning, I went Wedding Dress Shopping! I was a bit afraid I would look like this in all those big white gowns--



but no! Quite the contrary, I felt beautiful in every gown I tried on. Even the form fitting ones seemed to love my figure. I attribute this completely to putting on gowns of such exquisite construction. I was at a Vera Wang salon in my hometown. The dresses had form and structure of the most luxurious fabrics, it was a dream come true to my backside! These are a couple of the dresses that I seriously loved wearing:




Sorry about the tiny picture, but the Vera Wang website is a pain! source

This dress was seriously breathtaking. The movement of the skirt was heavenly. However, as much as I first loved it, when I tried it on again, I felt it overwhelmed my frame. As amazing as it looks on this model, when I stepped off the 2-foot stool I felt like a little girl in a BIG dress. I tried it with simple sashes and while the effect was better for me, I then thought the bodice of the dress looked like too many other dresses I've seen on brides. Not my perfect dress! Moving on!

Of all the dresses I tried on, this one was the winner of the day:





My apologies to this lovely model, but --gasp-- I think this baby actually looked better on me! I have curves and the dress complemented them perfectly. It was soft and the skirt was very full with the most airy tulle pleats. The pleats are vertical and just fall to the ground incredibly. I tried it with a few different sashes and loved it even more. Of course the sash I liked best is $450.00! Let's not talk about the price of the dress!! At least it was *right* at my budget price. The problem with the dress? It looks so boring in the photo!!! The image doesn't do it justice at all, but I want a dress that translates well in pictures. A wedding dress is worn once, yet wedding pictures are enjoyed for a lifetime.

At first I thought this dress was a strong Maybe, now I think it is a Maybe Not. I am hoping that I will find "the one" this coming weekend. Unfortunately, we have to drive almost 2 hours to get to the bridal salon that carries the brands I want to see. This store has not only Vera Wang, but also Monique Lhullier (oh Monique, why are you so dang expensive??), Christos (my favorites online!), Pronovias, Rivini, Reem Acra, Anne Barge, Amsale and OTHERS! Basically a ton of amazing designers for me to play dress up in!!

Hopefully this time I will be able to take pictures of me in the gowns, and more importantly, hopefully I will find MY DRESS.

Right Hand Ring

This guy is stuck with me. Forever and Ever. I love him more than I ever thought possible. I just don't think there is another soul on this big wide planet Earth who understands me the way he does. So he's got no choice in the matter--He's stuck.



...but I'm pretty sure he likes it that way.

And in other news, I thought I'd share a lil gem I acquired a few weeks ago. I'm not going to post all my wedding day accessories--I want at least a few surprises!! This one is just too good not to share though! A jewelry store here in town was going out of business, so we (my mom and I--partners in crime!!) got this at a steal. A white gold Aquamarine/Diamond ring for my right hand:


And that amazing man I mentioned above? His reaction was, "Why do you need a ring for the other hand?? You are already getting TWO new rings!!" Pooey! I didn't realize my fiance had been taking lessons from my DAD!!

Making My Veil

I have narrowed down my wedding dress to a few choices (the final one will remain top secret!!--but I will post pics when I try on the runner-ups) and I think I know which one will be MY dress. However, I had been at a loss as to what to do for a veil. The dresses I like are pretty expensive and I just don't want to spend that much more on my veil. I know for sure I want a cathedral-length veil, but unless I go for a used veil or the David's Bridal route, they can get pretty pricey. I'm just not willing to add 3-digit $$$ to an already 4-digit $$$$ dress. It's just too much! And then I had the best idea--I will make my own! Or my mom will anyway...

As I mentioned before, my mom made her own wedding dress. She also made her veil! She's a master seamstress and years ago she actually used to help a good friend of hers who owned a custom wedding dress business. Why didn't I think of this before???


Her veil was a lovely finger-tip length trimmed in lace. Not exactly what I'm aiming for but I showed her what I want and she said it would be really easy. Now I am very excited for my custom veil! I think I might draw inspiration from this GAWGEOUS veil Cheree Berry had made for herself:



I love the POUF!! I absolutely still want a cathedral length though, but her veil is stunning! Her whole wedding was amazing; I've seen it on just about every wedding blog, like Style Me Pretty and it was featured on Martha Stewart Weddings. Very inspiring!