I had no idea what I was getting into when I began the process of finding my wedding dress. Everything I knew about wedding dresses came primarily from a couple of months of research in the form of watching every episode of Season 4: Say Yes to the Dress (great show by the way!).
Shopping for a wedding dress is on a completely different level from any other type of shopping I have ever done - for clothing or otherwise. I guess it would be safe to liken this type of shopping to shopping for a car - with all of the appointments, consultant/salespeople, contracts, looking for bargains or sales, etc. First off, what the heck! I had no idea white dresses could come in so many different styles with so many different embellishments. Sillouette is important - did you know that? Basically, I got to choose whether I wanted to look like a fish (mermaid), an instrument (trumpet), a princess (ballgown), a greek goddess (sheath), or a letter in the English alphabet (a-line). (See below for examples.) Don't even get me started on fabrics.... I seriously had the hardest time trying NOT to think about tablecloths and doilies.
After a while, these dresses began looking more like frosting on a wedding cake, mummy wrappings and even crumpled white bed sheets - none were the desired effect I wanted if I had to walk down a church aisle in front of 150 people.
(I'm a fish!)
(unhappy princess)
(bedsheets)
Despite all of these things, the entire experience was memorable and fun! Most importantly, I got to share the bridal shop experience with the women that I love - my mom, my aunt, my cousins, and some babies (oh yeah, including one baby boy and my dad)! And there is a happy ending! :) I found a dress that I love (thank you family!) and that I can imagine getting married in. Now I hope that mr. fiance loves it too....
Tips: I have no tips to offer other than to enjoy the experience... it only comes once in a lifetime for most of us. Maybe twice if I can convince the future mr. that we should have a vow renewal ceremony :)
Budget you ask? Following the dress purchase, mr. fiance said we needed to sit down and talk about our "real" budget. I love him :)
I can't wait to see the dress again in another 6 months!
