Wedding Dress Shopping: Finding “The One” on Day One

I’m not a big shopper. I like to buy things for myself every once in awhile, but I’ve never enjoyed all day shopping sprees or browsing around the mall. Wedding dress shopping was a little different story. I was SOOOO excited to go!

I made an appointment at our local bridal shop, The Wedding Bell. They book in two hour appointments and you get to bring four people. I brought my mom, my soon-to-be-mother-in-law, best friend since 2nd grade, and a college friend. Thera, my bridal consultant, was excellent.

First, Thera had me try on four dresses to know what style I liked. Tip: wear a strapless bra and full coverage underwear (like boy shorts) because you’ll be changing in to many dresses. Originally, I wanted a fit-and-flare, but I learned there were multiple cuts of fit-and-flare. My favorite wedding dress was an A-line fit-and-flare. I have always loved lace and vintage styles. And I hate ball gowns. It was fun to try one on, but I felt ridiculous. With each dress I tried, Thera asked me what I liked and didn’t like in order to find a better match in the next dress.

I tried the fifth wedding dress on in the fitting room and fell in love. I was looking at each dress with a critical eye and logical mind. My mothers and friends though, were more emotional. I walked out of the fitting room, stood on the pedestal, and admired the dress. Then, I heard some sniffling and turned around to see everyone crying! I didn’t expect to see that! Not going to lie, it was a great feeling seeing my closet women so involved and excited about it. That’s when I knew I found the right dress. I loved it and the four women confirmed it.

After about 2 hours of shopping, four of us went to lunch and I thought about the dress. We talked about it and discussed other things, but the whole time I kept thinking how badly I wanted that dress. My mother-in-law surprised us by purchasing mimosas to celebrate the occasion. We walked back to the shop after lunch and I bought it. I couldn’t have been happier! The price was right in my budget. Actually, she didn’t have me try on anything that wasn’t in my budget, which was great.

Some women shop at multiple places to ensure the right decision. For me, I felt like I knew it was the perfect dress. I’m sure if I shopped other places I would have found other dresses I liked, but I doubt they’d be that much better than this one and still be in my budget. I think with more shopping, I’d actually be more overwhelmed.

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