I really did. And I will tell you how that went...
I was dreading it. So much. One, I don't like to go shopping. Two, I don't like to change in changing rooms (oh, if I only knew...). And three, I don't like the whole wedding business.
I initially didn't even want to wear white, but J. made a thoughtful remark one day: "Maybe you will regret not having worn white on your wedding day."
He may be right, I thought. It's a once-in-a-lifetime event. Let's get a white wedding dress. Let's do this the "right" way. Grr.
Where to go look for a dress though?
Luckily, I have a great support group, my crew. My maid of honor, J.'s mother and his sister. The trio was wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better wedding dress shopping support group, really. It began with them giving me suggestions for stores.
David's Bridal is everywhere, even in Ohio, so it was only natural to give it a shot. I looked through their dresses online beforehand to have an idea of what I absolutely don't want and what I might like. That turned out to be a good strategy.
I have always disliked the strapless/heart shaped dresses, the ones that seem to be very popular, because no matter how skinny you are, there always seems to be some 'fat' or excess skin hanging over the top. I don't like it. Straps, sleeves, boatneck, or halter for me, please.
Since our wedding is going to be held in a garden on a lake in August, chances are fairly high that it's going to be hot and humid. That means no opulent ball gowns or tight mermaid/trumpet bottoms for me. In fact, I wanted as few fabric as possible as to not to be sweaty and uncomfortable, especially since our wedding is less a ceremony than it is a get together with our friends.
Bearing all these things in mind, we met up at one of the David's Bridal stores in the area. My very first time in a bridal store! Even though I did not set up an appointment with a stylist, they had one available. But before the stylist could join us, we were sent off alone into the forest of dresses on racks to pick dresses we like, or rather, I like because I am the most important person here, right?! After we figured out my US size (measurement units, temperature, clothing, shoes, all different!), my crew and I discussed what I would like the dress to look like, and embarked on a journey through the forest. Each of the dresses is trapped in a plastic cover, which makes it really hard to see what it would look like out in the wild.
However, by the time 'my' stylist joined us, we had picked some dresses. The stylist asked me about my preferences (and my budget, around $800) and picked out a few more, and then we went off to the dressing rooms. The outside of the dressing rooms is all mirror and the dressing rooms themselves are on a stage like podest, with your company sitting on chairs on the level ground. So this really is going to be all about me. Yay! Not. To make things much more fun, I got my own dressing room, marked with my name and the wedding date.
My stylist opened the door, asking if I was ready to try on the dresses. "Never!" I was shoved inside and closely followed by the stylist. Wait, what? She is going to be in there while I undress? Totally. And even though I tried to tell myself she's probably seen it all, it didn't help. If I only knew, lol. She handed me a corsage and some tight underskirt, and once I had them on, she draped the first dress over her arms so I could dive arms first into it. Seriously, it is diving... and it took me a couple of dresses until I was able to do it in an non-awkward way.
My stylist then closed the dress and opened the door (there are no mirrors inside of the dressing rooms for some reason so nothing prepares you!). The first thing I saw were the smiles of my crew. Only when I turned around was I able to see myself. It was... weird. One, I never wear white. Two, I never wear dresses that formal. Three, I am usually not in the spotlight. As soon as you step out there, all eyes are on you.
The dress I wore was okay, but definitely not what I wanted. My crew fully supported me (eventually, my face was their indicator mostly). And so, after my future mother-in-law took pictures for my mum because she couldn't be there, I went back in and had myself peeled out of the dress by my stylist. She was very nice, by the way. I started feeling comfortable undressing and dressing with her after a while.
I don't know how many dresses I have tried on. Let me just say I didn't find 'the one', but I was reassured in what I want and what I don't want, respectively what works with my body (and personality), and what doesn't. So I considered this first bridal store visit a success.
The night wasn't over yet though. We saw another bridal store, Evaline's Bridal, and decided to give it a shot, since we, or I, were already in the mood. Yay!
We went in there and I went to the desk to talk to the girl there. She was friendly and said she had time for me even though I did not set up an appointment with them. Apparently, bridal stores really like it when you set up appointments beforehand, but if you don't go during busy times, you should be fine without an appointment, like my unprepared self. When she asked me about my budget, and I told her $800, but the lower the price, the better, her answer was: "Oh, well, our dresses start at a 1000." I almost laughed out loud. And then I sighed. Alright. Since we're here, let's see what they have.
...
Yes, I felt very experienced in diving into the dress.
No, I didn't find a dress I liked.
And I was close to getting 'hangry' so we called it a night and went for dinner.
In conclusion, it was a great first try out of the wedding dress stuff, even though 'the dress' was not the outcome. I wasn't traumatized and my crew proved to be truly awesome. It was so drama free, it was perfect. A little like reality tv, with the whole setting and the fuss that is made about you, the bride, but way more boring in terms of drama, I guess.
Fast forward a few weeks later. We had heard about this huge bridal store, Catan Fashions, that was closing down by the end of the year due to the owner's retirement. 50 percent and more off dresses and shoes. Off we went!
When we arrived at the location, there was an almost empty parking lot and an enormous building. We all had an eerie vibe. We went inside and it was even more eerie. A hall like entry room filled with stacked chairs and rows of empty racks, a runway that shone with some past glory. Not a soul around.
After standing around looking lost for a bit, we decided to head left (or east, as you would have needed a compass in there). The next room was filled with formal dresses in all colors, but clearly 'leftovers'. We entered the next room, and almost jumped to the ceiling when we met another human. There really was a lady working there. She told us that they were closed and everything that was still here was it. Since I have spent some time going through the dresses they had on the website and making a list of the ones I liked, I was kind of disappointed to learn that there was barely anything left. She still suggested I go look through her computer and see if there was anything left that I had on the list. There was one, but it turned out I didn't like it at all. By that time, I knew I didn't want anything heavy or with too much fabric (which turned out to be very difficult to even find in wedding dresses!). That dress was very heavy.
The lady apologized for our inconvenience. And agreed, they should have made it more clear on the website that there were really only leftovers there. However, she suggested us trying out the local David's Bridal. And since we had driven for almost an hour to get to Catan's, we agreed. It could't hurt to look, right?
At David's Bridal, I got assigned another lovely stylist and there I went again, diving, walking out of the dressing room, and showing off. We went through so many dresses, yet again. Some I liked, but all of them had bottoms that were way too heavy and had way too many layers of fabric. How was I supposed to feel comfortable in such a dress in hot and humid August air when I already broke a sweat inside of a store with A/C?
And then the stylist had an idea. How about I try on this one formal dress that matched my needs, and, conveniently enough, came in ivory?
I tried it on, not in ivory but in a color with the fancy name 'Biscotti', and boom.
I had found my dress.
Not a -designated- wedding dress, but a perfect -bridesmaid- dress. Light, with only one layer of fabric, and $170. Perfect.
The stylist at David's Bridal asked me if I was saying yes to the dress ("I guess, kind of... Don't make me do this...") and if I wanted to ring the bell ("No, thank you.").
So, all in all, it took me two evenings to find a dress, I am happy with it, and I didn't pay a fortune. There was no drama, no tears, no trauma.
Now for some reason it takes forever to order your dress. I will see it in ivory, in January, hopefully.
And if you want to see it, join us August 12 next year.
See you then!
Love, Jen
And just for the fun of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRRTvqUjccU
PS: You can follow me on Facebook and on Instagram (@swiss.in.ohio)
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