Saying No to the Dress

I had a different wedding dress shopping experience than probably most other girls, or at least the ones they show on TV.  I’ve probably seen every single episode of Say Yes to the Dress and in every single episode, each girl comes in with a small army to help them decide on the dress.   I, on the other hand, went by myself (with the exception of the one trip with Mom to confirm that I was picking the right dress - I guess I still want Mom's approval.)   By the end of my dress shopping, I had tried on 20 dresses and visited 3 bridal salons - Erin Cole, which was my favorite, Mon Amie, and David’s Bridal (I had to know what the difference was between a $500 vs. a $5000+ dress).  All in all, I ended up with dress number one, but that’s the extent that I’ll talk about “the one.”  After all this post, is about the one’s I said “no” to.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel trying on wedding dresses.  Wedding dresses are inherently special so almost every single one that I tried on gave me that excited, giddy feeling!  Here’s a rundown of the most notable selections: 

 

1.     Monique Lhuillier – This dress was everything and more and worthy of its namesake the “Magical.”  The top was beaded and sexy, and from the moment I put just one leg into the skirt, it was like butter.  Unfortunately, the amount of customizing I’d have to do this dress to make it fit by body would’ve close to doubled its price, and I wasn’t going to have the chance to see how it would look on me until it came in.  That was way more uncertainty than I could handle so I passed.

 2.      Oscar de la Renta – This dress was an absolute work of art.  It’s beautifully constructed, and made me feel like a princess.  Fortunately for my wallet, I wasn’t looking for the ballgown look.  Besides, this dress makes everyone who isn’t a twig look like a whale, including me.

3.   Vera Wang – Oh how I loved this dress!  It’s made of mikado satin that just sucks you in and gives you the most incredible silhouette.  But what I didn’t love was that I had to keep referring to it as the “Khloe Kardashian wedding dress,” which was almost enough for me to pass on it.  I think this dress might also be the most popular dress of 2011.  I read probably 4 style blogs a day, and have probably seen this dress on no less than 20 featured brides.  And I absolutely understand why – it feels like you’re wearing yoga pants but makes you look like you’re wearing a lace up corset.  I know my dress isn't one of a kind, but there's a part of me that's glad that I have yet to see it on any other featured bride.  

 

4.    Lazaro – This was the only beaded number that I tried on.  It was incredibly flattering and I loved all the beading, but it just didn’t feel the love.

 

5.    Rivini  – This was the only lace dress that I tried on.  I think lace can be so beautiful and romantic, but I just didn’t think it suits me.  I knew I had to try one on just to know.  But again, I just didn’t feel the love. 

It felt so amazing to try on so many gorgeous gowns and it’s something that I’ve looked forward to my whole life.  And surprisingly, I really loved going at it all alone.  It gave me the chance to hear myself think and know when it was truly “the one.”