My Dress Shopping Experience
Technically, this post shouldn’t even beincluded in my wedding planning series because I bought my dresseS (yes,plural, there were two) before I even got engaged.
Hear me out – when I went dress shopping, Iwasn’t even planning on buying a dress at all. I had intended to wear mygrandmother’s wedding dress that my mom also wore on her wedding day. There wasthe teeny tiny issue of it being a couple inches too small, but I figured Icould make it work…
Going dress shopping was just an indulgencefor my mom and me, so that we could have the experience together. I knew Azimwas going to propose at some point last year (after eight years together, hewasn’t getting away with waiting any longer), so when Kleinfeld’s had their samplesale, my mom and I made an appointment and headed down to Queen Street.
We sat and flipped through bridal magazinesin the waiting room until it was our turn, and then we met our consultant andwere brought into the showroom. There were racks upon racks of gorgeous dressesin every style, in various shades of ivory, blush, and white, all organized byprice. Because this was a sample sale, many of the dresses were $500!
My mom and I actually split up, but ended up meeting in the middle when we both eyed the same gown at the same time. We both thought it was THE ONE! There was another one that I loved, but it was out of my budget. My mom insisted I try it on anyway, just for fun. We added a few more to the pile, but I was pretty set. My mom and I have that in common – we are very decisive and can make our minds up easily :)
We went into our swanky fitting room, andour consultant helped me get into the first dress, the one my mom and I bothloved. It was a huge Disney princess style gown with a long train, a lightblush tone, with a sheer collar, tuxedo band, and little jewel buttons. It wasso unconventional, so over the top, so very me.
The moment I stepped into it, my mom and Imade eye contact – this was IT. This was THE ONE! The best part? It was off the$500 rack. My consultant happily told me that the dress had originally beenfour figures, so it was a huge savings. I said yes to the dress…andthen…thought about maybe trying on the other dress I loved too. JUST IN CASE.
Uh oh. The moment I stepped into the othergown I knew that it was THE ONE too! This one was more traditional – abeautiful white lace overlay on top of the most gorgeous, ethereal crepefabric. A shorter train, but still a dramatic silhouette. It was also me, butin a more classic and timeless way.
“I could buy two dresses…one for theceremony and one for the reception,” I pondered out loud.
“You could…” my mom said warily.
The consultant’s ears perked up. She knew abig sale was coming her way. Little did she know, the world’s best bargainerwas in the room. My mom began thenegotiation, and didn’t stop until the manager was in there with us.
The manager agreed that both dresses wereTHE ONE, and something had to be done so that I could buy both. Theatrics wereinvolved, conversations about the delicacy of the crepe fabric, the uniquenessof the designs, the designer labels, etc. I wavered back and forth, and my momdeliberated with her until a deal was reached that we were all happy with (butespecially me and my mom).
And that is how I ended up with two weddinggowns! I did try one more on after I found both of the ONES, just to make extrasure, and it was no contest. The third one I tried on just sort of fell flat,even though it was just as beautiful as the other two. I guess what they say istrue – when you know, you know!
As for my grandmother’s wedding dress – asolution was reached. I still wanted to incorporate it into my wedding somehow,so I decided to wear it for my engagement photos. I wanted to take a photosimilar to my grandma’s and my mom’s, and then put all three into a triptychframe for her birthday.
The photos turned out beautifully, and Ithink this way worked out much better. My grandmother’s dress is absolutelygorgeous, but it is also a heavy fabric with long sleeves and a high neck. If Ihad worn it on my wedding day I would have been sweating buckets!
I’m so glad I have the photos to honourher. Azim also wore a double-breasted suit to try and match what my grandpa waswearing, and my mom made the gorgeous bouquet from Lily of the Valley from her garden.
I am so happy with my dresses and the experience I had! I know it’s not the typical experience, but I’ll still offer some tips that I found helpful:
1. Come prepared
You may not have your wedding shoes yet,but it’s helpful if you at least know the approximate height of the shoesyou’ll be wearing so you have an idea of what alterations are necessary.
Also, make sure you wear a nude bra, underwear, and bring your shapewear if you’re planning on wearing it! I ended up not needing a bra or shapewear because my dresses had a built in foundation. But if you’re planning on wearing a mermaid style or fitted design, the right shapewear can make all the difference in fit – more on this when I share my engagement photos!
2. Buy a dress that fits you now
I’m so glad I didn’t buy my dresses with aspirations to lose inches and squeeze into gowns I’d be uncomfortable in. I felt totally confident the day I bought them, and completely comfortable on my wedding day. I recently read this article and loved it. This is a deeper issue that I feel strongly about, but for the sake of this article I’ll just say – buy a dress that fits.
3. Have an open mind
You may have pinned a hundred images of ball gowns, only to realize that they don’t look as perfect on as you imagined. Instead, a strapless sheath might wow you, or a bell-sleeved bohemian design might blow your mind :) Narrowing your options down to one specific expectation may lead to disappointment.
I was certain that I would end up in a dress with sleeves – the closer to Kate, the better. But I ended up with shoulder-baring gowns I wouldn’t even have dreamed of – and I’m so glad I did.
4. Trust your gut
When you find THE ONE, you’ll know. It willbe the dress you don’t want to take off, and you won’t need to rely on anyone’sopinion but your own. If you’re constantly asking those around you forreassurance (I’ve seen women post photos in a forum with 10,000+ members to askfor opinions)…it’s probably not the dress for you.
If you were a bride who has had a great or even not so great experience with dress shopping, I’d love to hear about it! Please share any tips or advice in the comments below :)
As always, thank you so much for readingxox