This post is dedicated to what every girl dreams of since she’s a little girl: her wedding dress. I will preface this post by saying that I was 100% one of those brides who went into my appointment with an idea of what I wanted, and by the end of my process had said “yes” to a dress that was not what I had envisioned whatsoever. Before I get into my personal experience of finding my dream dress, I want to offer some advice.
First, only take people who you really care about and who will offer valuable opinions and support throughout the process. I have seen countless episodes of Say Yes to the Dress and have had nightmares of wedding gown shopping experiences with an entourage of people who are discouraging and make the process miserable. This should be one of the most exciting experiences of your life! Truly think about who you want in that room with you and who will help you shine when you find your dress. I know that it might be hard telling people “no”, they are not allowed to come to your appointment, but in the end, you have to be selfish and think about yourself!
My second piece of advice is to keep an open mind! I had an idea of exactly what I wanted when I went into my appointments. However, when I tried on what I thought I wanted, deep down I knew it wasn’t the right fit, but I tried to convince myself otherwise because it is what I had dreamed of. It wasn’t until I tried on the dress that I knew I was wrong, and even though it was not what I had dreamed of, it was okay and there are hundreds of thousands of stunning gowns out there. Be open to trying on different silhouettes, colors and styles! You truly never know what you will love until you see it on yourself. Plus, the bridal consultants are consultants for a reason, they are experts at wedding gowns! They can help you find exactly what you want and what looks best on you!
Now, onto my personal journey of finding my gown. Like I have already mentioned, I went into my appointments with an idea of what I wanted. I had seen college friends getting married and wearing these beautiful ballgowns that just seemed to flow in the breeze and seemed so light and airy. I absolutely loved this look and wanted to recreate it on my special day! However, when I tried on the original gown that I had fallen in love with online, I quickly learned that 1) gowns like this are not as light and airy as they seem (actually quite the opposite), and 2) this look personally made my tiny frame look huge. It was not flattering on me, and although I saw this and knew this, I was pressuring myself to love this dress because it was what I thought I wanted.
Luckily, my bridal consultant had me try on one of each types of styles of gowns. The more fit and flares and mermaid silhouettes that I tried, the quicker I saw that this was definitely more my style. The way these gowns hugged my hips and made me look so feminine made me feel like a gorgeous, grown-up, real life bride, and not a little girl playing dress-up.
I went to four different bridal salons to find my gown, and as it ends up, my perfect dress was at the first bridal salon that I visited. Although I will not reveal to you exactly what my gown looks like, the designer, or any of those details that might give my gown away, I will say that my gown is not what I expected to love. There are so many beautiful elements to my gown that make it so unique that I never thought of prior to my gown-search process. In the end, I am absolutely obsessed with my gown and am already so sad that I only get to wear it for one day. I would wear it every day if I could! And this is how I hope every bride feels about her gown. You deserve to feel your absolute best, most beautiful self in your gown and if you are trying on gowns that don’t give you that feeling, keep looking!
