Wedding Wednesday: Dress Shopping Extravaganza

Tonight I bring you the much anticipated play by play of the dress shopping extravaganza!  Eeeeeeeee….yessssss!  I love my dress.  So let’s start at the very beginning.  It’s a pretty good place to start.  This past weekend, my mom came down to Bangor to not only visit her favorite daughter (I’m actually her only daughter but I just like telling everyone that I’m her favorite), and go wedding dress shopping with me.  Now let’s step back a little further.  I was totally dreading shopping for wedding dresses.  We’re talking seriously dreading it.  I’m not a fancy dress girl by any means.  I was going into this shopping trip thinking it was going to be a painful process, I would hate all the dresses, and would end up going home empty handed.  I had a simple dress in mind.  In fact, I was thinking a basic JCrew bridesmaid’s dress in white that I could dye later into a more fun color.  So then I went to Henry’s Bridal in Bangor, Maine.

We went in, were greeted by their super friendly staff, and were introduced to Dominique who showed us the ropes (and ended up being amazingly helpful).  She showed us all the different dresses, which ones were where, and instructed us to paw through them to pull some dresses that I liked.  I was lost.  I pretty much hated them all.  I was thinking something plain, preferably a halter style or something with straps, but with some kind of flair or embellishment.  My mom kept pulling dresses while I kept rejecting.  Dominique came back and started offering up her advice.  She suggested to start with four distinctly different styles and try those on first.  Then once I found a style I liked (strapless, mermaid, ballgown, etc.) then I could try on a bunch of dresses in that style until I found “the one”.  So off into the dressing room with my four dresses to figure out the right style.  Now, I’m about to show you a picture of me in a dress that didn’t make the cut.  I liked it and all, it was the first dress I tried on, but it didn’t end up being the one.  I’m officially forwarning you all that if for some reason you don’t want to see me in a wedding dress, you can avert your eyes.  I debated whether or not this was appropriate but honestly, I don’t care.  And I’m not concerned if Colby sees it either.  Colby’s reasoning, “models wear wedding dresses all the time and that’s fine”.  Good point.  So here’s one of the dresses, which I repeat, is not my dress.

This, however, is my dress.  Actually, not really.  This dress is a sample dress in ivory and I chose white.

Haha!  Did I get you?  Did you really think I would show you “the dress”?  But anyway, once I figured out the dress style that I liked and the features I liked, it was cake.  While I was trying on a complete dud, my mom found this dress that another girl had discarded and said, “what about that one?”  Then I tried it on and fell completely and madly in love.  I knew it was the one, even though it was about the sixth dress I tried on.  It had bling!  How can I not love a dress that had bling?!  And it was flow-ie and pretty and girly and amazing!  Who is this girl writing this?!  I’m pretty much certain I don’t know her!  But after finding “the one” I tried on another, which paled in comparison to “the one”.  I did model it for momma bear but immediately twirled right back around and into the dressing room.  I tried on “the one” one more time, just to be certain and then called it a day.  Dominique was surprised at how easy that was.  I was too.  She took my measurements, we ordered the dress, it should arrive in March/April and we begin fittings in June.  It’s getting real…super real!  Only 205 more days to go!

Pssst…Now that I’ve said yes to the dress it’s time for the even more exciting part…shoe shopping!  You know how celebrity brides tend to do dress changes (hello…Kim Kardashian…three dresses)?  I’m thinking about having shoe changes!  Like maybe one pair for our outdoor ceremony, another pair for the reception, and a super special pair…cough…cowboy boots…cough cough for the line dancing portion of the program.  I love shoes!