The Dress Game

Satin? Lace? Princess?

This dress shopping is the pits! I have been to at least 13 different Bridal Salons and tried on 200 dresses. I want that reaction that everyone says will happen. That "Oh My God" moment where you know the dress is "the one". Why has this not happened yet?

I feel like I am loosing my mind! It doesn't help that I question every decision I make. I can commit to him better than I can commit to the dress. I know I am not alone here. I have been on endless bridal sites where quite a few women say the same thing. I know I am not alone but it is just frustrating!

The one thing I did know was I had my colors. Black/White/Silver. Perfect. Classy. Let's shop!

At first I had my theme. Old Hollywood. This had me on a mission to find the perfect dress.Trumpet style..YES!

Did you know that the trumpet style dress was really not designed for breathing or sitting? I stood in this dress admiring its simplicity and beauty at David's Bridal. While waiting for the sales associate I decided to take a seat..or NOT! I had to lean back and fall into the chair. Forget about sitting straight up either. Apparently a bride needs to lean back in her chair, not sit! That's actually me in the dress. Lovely isn't it? It retails for $ 499.00 at David's Bridal. I added the sash to complete the "look". This dress is perfect for the bride on a budget, and it really does fit that Old Hollywood Glam theme. If you plan on dancing, sitting,eating or being comfortable then this dress is NOT for you. It surely was not for me. I plan to eat at the reception...On to the next.

Wedding-ish. This is a word according to my future husband. "It is not very wedding-ish" he told me about the trumpet gown. He did not understand at all the black sash. I do not think I am the traditional bride, after all we are not a traditional couple. The search continues.

This dress above really flatters me in the chest. I love this dress all the way to the hips. What in the world is that diagonal line going down the middle of the skirt? Why is it even there? This dress is a light weight silk taffeta. It is made by Dere Kiang and retailed for about $575.00. This dress was very comfortable. I could eat in this one! Really, what is with that diagonal line in the skirt..it is really irritating me. I have a thought. What is I take this dress and make it into a trumpet gown? That just may work! I got a quote. Only $500.00. What a deal! A custom made gown for me only. It would be the perfect dress for me and my "theme". Here comes the commitment issues.

Wedding-ish. There's that word again. This is more wedding-ish than the above trumpet gown but is that what I want now? The future husband got into my head and had me thinking. Any commitment I wanted to make on a dress was now out the window. Maybe I need to find something that is more wedding-ish. Whats IS wedding-ish anyways? In my eyes this means some big poof gown full of sparkles, lace,ruffles and pick ups. Maybe I need wedding-ish. NEXT!

Pick-up skirt. I always wanted this. Always pictured myself in this.

Problem. I look awful in it. I am almost 5ft 8. I am a twig. I have no curves at all. Oh wow. Do you see this thing? It is wedding-ish all right. It looks awful on me. This thing weighed at least 30 pounds. I am one for comfort. I do not plan on weight lifting on my special day. I do not even remember what collection this dress was from. I know it was one of the first dresses I ever even tried on. There goes my dream of a pick up skirt. Maybe I need to look in another direction.. The search for the perfect dress continues.

Here is another David's Bridal dress. Now I stayed in this dress for like 45 minutes. A sign it just may be the one. Is it?

This is from the Galina Signature Collection. It retails for $ 750.00. I really liked how unique this dress was. As the sales person said "This is like a wicked witch dress" That alone just about sold me on it. Then I was stupid and decided to ask people their opinion on the dress. My daughter who is 13 hated it. A friend of mine did not understand the "collar thing".

Sigh. Why does what everyone else think so important to me? It just does. I will give this dress a thumbs up for comfort and unique style. It was very flattering on my figure. The dress looked awful on the web site.

In person it was beautiful. Just goes to show that what you see isn't always what you get when looking at dresses online.

While researching Brides Maid dresses I found a local vendor who has a Bridal Salon out of her house. Wonderful. I need to go to another salon. Then this happened....

WHAT IS THIS!! This was not what I wanted!! How did I even end up IN this dress. I have a theme..or do I? This dress went against everything I ever wanted in a gown. This to me is pretty wedding-ish. It is just plain pretty. I felt like a little princess in her beautiful flowing gown. I pictured myself dying the crinoline pink and wearing pink open toed shoes. Ok wait a minute.. PINK? Where the HELL did pink come from? I wanted black/white/silver. I never had pink set in my mind. What did I just do? This may have changed everything. In my quest to fit my "theme" I shut out a million other possibilities. I think I just made myself start over. I stood there in that dress thinking of all the things I could change in my wedding to accommodate THIS dress. It felt very Sara Jessica Parker to me. It made me happy..really happy. The $899.00 price tag did not. Add in alterations...ugh. I think about this dress often. I come back a few times a day just to look at it. I had a dream about it too. That's a sign right? It just may be. The owner of this salon had a dress similar to this one but her sample was gone. She ordered me a new sample, it will be in next week. May as well try on more gowns. It is safe to say now my "theme" of Old Hollywood, Birdcage veils and feathers is out the window. I just took a turn.

Wedding-ish here I come!!