Monday, March 3, 2014

THE dress

From the time you are a little girl to the time you are all grown up, women wear hundreds (thousands?) of dresses.  That being said, there is ONE dress that simply outdoes them all..

your WEDDING DRESS of course!

Back in January I started my hunt.  I went a handful of places in the Dublin Ohio area, and each boutique/store had its pros and cons.  As a bride who has never tried on a wedding gown before, I was so unsure of what to expect and simply had no idea what I was getting myself into.  When we went the first time I specifically remember a consultant explaining the layout of the store and remember my eyes getting wider and wider.  My sister offered a needed "calm down" comment and I was able to regroup and dive in. 

Wendy's
Do you want to go somewhere with a humongous selection of popular, decently priced designers? Ok, so go to Wendy's.  Do you want to go somewhere you may end up with an evil older woman named "Sue" who will ridicule you and be obnoxious the whole time? Ok, so go to Wendy's.  I decided to go to Wendy's because in my search of salons, they by far offered the largest range of designers.  I appreciated that I could try on a gazillion styles and designers at one place. And I got to, sort of.

We walked through and pulled dresses, but Sue, my consultant, would frequently tell me that the dresses I pulled were not right for me.  That being said I definitely fell in love with a dress here.  It was hard though because the majority of dresses I tried on here, I loved.  It was overwhelming as there were way too many brides trying on at that time, and I had a consultant who cared more about figuring out why my mom wasn't there (yeah, not delicate at all to the immense sense of emptiness that not having my mom there left me with) and with figuring out if I was a "trier or a buyer".  Well, pretty sure you have to try before you buy lady.  Oh and she also may have attempted to assault my sister had she taken a picture.

Alfred Angelo
Seriously the only thing that comes to mind when I think of this store is the Disney Princess line.  And that may be something you're into, but oh hell no.  I may have loved snow white, little mermaid and belle as a child but I don't need a wedding dress inspired by them.

The nice thing about Alfred Angelo? Though it is a large chain like David's (we'll get there) their quality of material and style options were much better.  They have great bridesmaids and mother dresses too.

Ivy Bridal
Are you looking for a dark, quiet, expensive, unique bridal experience? This one is for YOU!  My sister loved the dresses here, I did not.  Well that may be too harsh.  I thought some were absolutely beautiful.  Their prices were intense and they are definitely kind of snooty when it comes to their designers.  They pride themselves on the rare designers they carry.  Which is cool, but I am just not hipster enough I guess. 

Oh and also, if you are larger than a size 4 good luck getting into their dresses.  I unfortunately am larger than a size 4 right now and some of the dresses just would not go on even enough to get the full picture.  Most of the other stores had a range of sizes or at least a size 8 to accommodate some of us gals with large gals, if you get what I'm saying. 

David's Bridal
Seriously intense.  My Sister and I went here with my Aunt and Grandma and it was a madhouse! It was hard to stay positive and in the bridal mode when there was so much going on in every direction I looked.  I was hoping to find a certain style to try on for comparison sake and they didn't have anything similar, which is fine, but all of the consultants just bombarded me telling me they would definitely find me a dress, forcing me to try on things that i hated.... it was just intense.

That being said, they have TONS of bridesmaids dresses.  They are in every states (and when your bridesmaids live in separate states that is a bonus) and very affordable.  I get very hung up on the fabric and though the bridal gowns I tried on had awful fabric quality, the bridesmaids dresses are comparable to everything else I have seen (though much more affordable). 

Also be aware that David's Bridal will sell your info to a lot of people so you will get phone calls, emails, and more from third party vendors.  David's still calls me asking me if I want to come back in for an appointment...so just be aware.

Elegant Bride
Finally! My most favorite! Well only because this is where I bought my dress :)  After being in places that have so many appointments at once and are so crowded and busy, it was refreshing to walk in and have three women all talking to me and getting a feel for my wedding, my style, and my taste.  They walked me through the store and showed me everything that they thought I would like (and more) and I got to try anything I wanted on (regardless of if they "thought" it would work for me or not).  It was literally the best experience and I loved it.

As soon as I said Yes to the Dress, though, I will admit to feeling an immediate sense of remorse.  Why? Because there are thousands of dresses out there.  What if there is one that I love even more?  That being said, I dream about this dress, think about it all of the time, and it made me feel like a bride...not just pretty, but a bride. 

What was your bridal shopping experience like? Where did you go?