Finding the Dress

I thought it would be fun to show you guys a few of the dresses I tried on when going to find my wedding dress. Originally, I thought I would need to go to Portland with my mom to dress shop at several different places.

Eugene is fairly small in that respect and I didn't want to go to David's Bridal. Instead, I invited friends Lindsey and Stefanie and my mom to go down to a small, quaint dress shop south of Eugene for my first time trying on dresses.

While I didn't find any dresses there I particularly liked, it did help me realize what I didn't want. Going into the process, I thought I would want something simple, yet interesting, NOT strapless (because I thought it might make me look like a football player) and without too much bling.

Turns out, I found a dress quite the opposite! But first, the dresses that that I didn't say YES to.



Liked the floral one strap aspect of this one...


I liked the fit and champagne color of this one, but I felt like Belle in Beauty and the Beast.


This dress was simple and light and much more like what I originally thought I would like. I don't look too thrilled about it...


Thanks to these lovely ladies, it was a fun day. Wedding dress shopping is pretty exhausting and after a while you stop knowing what you like and don't like. I think I tried on 20+ dresses that day.


The next time I went dress shopping, I decided to go alone, on a week day to Blush Bridal in Eugene. Blush Bridal was much more my style with dresses in my size, contemporary looks, big ball gowns, lacy vintagey styles, fit and flare, etc.


It was fun just walking around the store pulling out dresses I wanted to try on, even if they might not work (ball gowns and fitted lace dresses). And the customer service at Blush was great as I had one person helping me the entire time.

While I'd intended to just be looking, I found THE dress that day. When I put it on, it just made me really happy. But I didn't bite the bullet until my mom was able to come down and see it on me first.


This just proves you don't always know what you're looking for until you find it. My dress was strapless, blingy, and a bit dramatic with the flower thing going on at the bottom, BUT I loved it. Even better, the dress came in under the budget I'd set for myself, even after alterations!


Morning after our wedding - wishing I could wear it to breakfast

I ordered the dress at the end of December and it didn't arrive until mid May. So when people tell you to start shopping early, it's so true!

Wedding dress shopping totally changed my perspective on finding the perfect dress for your wedding. I could have kept looking and driven to Portland to try on another 50 or so beautiful dresses, but I knew that the more dresses I fell in love with, the harder it would be to just pick one. As long as you feel beautiful and confident in the dress, it doesn't have to be perfect. 

If you've gotten married, was it tough to find the right dress? Was it what you had expected to pick?

Comments

missris said…
I knew exactly what I wanted, so I went to one store, found it, tried it on, and bought it in about the span of an hour. It was exactly what I expected to pick! I tried on a few other dresses, just in case, but they were so not me.
J said…
I tried on so many dresses before I found mine and sometimes I think I settled a little even tho i loved my dress. Sometimes I wish I went with a more form fitting dress that showed off my body more. I had a fitted bodice but then an a-line skirt. Doesn't really matter tho - it was the best day of my life.
Jen Feeny said…
I tried on a ton of dresses too, at least 20, but the first one was the one I ended up buying and with each dress that I tried on my family would say to me, "it's pretty/ok/beautiful but it's NOT the first dress."

I absolutely loved your dress!
Tasha Malcolm said…
I really loved the dress that you picked out. It was beautiful and absolutely perfect for you. I had a designer in mind that I had to have. There was only one shop in Spokane that carried the specific designer I wanted. The dress I ended up getting was the first dress I saw in the store, but it was like the second I tried on. It literally made me cry in the store I loved it so much. You just know when it is the "one".
I love the dress that you picked out! I think it's great that you were open to trying on something that you thought you wouldn't like because it ended up looking STUNNING on you!

I am not sure what to expect when/if I get married. I have had friends tell me that dress shopping isn't as fun as they thought it would be, so I have kind of lower expectations. I think I will end up with something with lace, maybe cap sleeves depending on the time of year, and not much of a train. But who knows! Oh, but if it could have pockets, that would be AWESOME. ;)
Amber said…
I think the dress you picked looked AMAZING on you. It was perfect! The dress I ended up with also wasn't really anything like what I thought I wanted but I just remember thinking "I could see myself walking down the aisle in this" when she laced it up and that was kind of the clincher for me!

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