Saying YES to the Dress

A few weeks ago I posted ten tips on what to do before you go wedding dress shopping. Today for #WeddingWednesday I am sharing about my experience that led to saying “YES!” to the dress aka the second biggest yes in this whole wedding planning process. You know, after saying yes to the proposal.

Because our wedding is going to be small and intimate given that it’s in Italy, I didn’t want to bring a ton of girlfriends with me to go dress shopping. I didn’t want a huge majority of the people who will be at our wedding to see my dress before the big day. I thought it would be special to have a ‘first look’ with my girlfriends when I put on my dress on my wedding day, so I’m not sharing it with them before, despite some of their begging again and again (which I love them for). Therefore, when it came time to go dress shopping, I decided to stick to the closest family. Charles’s sister and my mom live in Dallas, so that was an easy choice. I knew his mom would be in town around the time that I would start shopping, so I wanted her to be able to come if she wanted to as well! I personally think it is best to try and include both sides of the family if possible!

Charles’s mom and sister had Adele concert tickets one week night that his mom was coming in town for, so I got an appointment for the night before the concert, which turned out to be Halloween. I left straight from work, we all met up, and headed to Lewisville (a suburb Northwest of Dallas) to the Bridal Boutique of Lewisville. We were running a little behind due to some traffic, but made it to the store just around my appointment time.

Here is where I learned a few of the tips I shared with you all to help you before dress shopping. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, they say! We discussed a little bit about what I wanted on the way up, but I had not fully discussed what I pictured for my wedding dress prior to going in, which led to a lot of questions while trying on dresses. Questions such as “Are you going to wear your hair up?” or “Are you going to wear pearls?” or “Don’t you want something like..” I’ll note now that I typically shop alone and then ask for opinions if needed once I’ve narrowed it down to one or two final choices. When I make up my mind on something, that is that, regardless of others’ opinions. I felt a little flustered going in after a long day of work and driving in traffic, so the questions sort of added to that. They all came from a sweet place of wondering and just wanting to know, which I would too, but it sort of led me to feel a little overwhelmed in the moment. Mostly because I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted for my ‘look’ on the day of our wedding. I was trying to remain open minded and try on some dresses that might not have fit in what I thought I wanted, because sometimes, you just never know. I’ve heard of a ton of girls say they ended up getting a dress that they didn’t think they would love until they tried it on. I ultimately didn’t find THE dress after my first appointment.

This is where a big lesson comes in to play, not just in dress shopping or wedding planning, but in life. When we get a picture of how something should or will go in our head, we are running a big risk of setting ourselves up for disappointment. I think this was sort of my case. I knew what I wanted, so I thought I’d try on a few styles, and ultimately find the one, celebrate with champagne, and feel completely at ease. I’ve had a ton of friends who bought the second dress they tried on, so I was hoping to do the same. In my head, wedding dress shopping would be this relaxing, fun, easy experience. I had to take a step back and remind myself that it’s no biggie to not find it the first time, and that it doesn’t have to be some sort of big experience. I just needed to find a dress! Truth be told, a lot of things in life are worth the wait and sometimes its a process to find what’s best for you. That’s the process with finding the one to marry, right? or the right job or house. I think this is great to remember throughout the wedding process. What is everything ultimately for? If every detail doesn’t come out perfectly as planned or if something didn’t go how you might have hoped, it doesn’t matter as long as you marry the one you love.

My consultant at BB Lewisville, Carrie, let me know that they could order any dress made by the designers they carry. She encouraged me to look around and see if I found a dress or a brand that I loved and then to let her know. I went to another store or two on my own, and had one dear friend meet me there. I ended up finding a designer I loved who had a few options in their line that looked like they could be THE one, so I let Carrie know. Luckily, this designer was having a trunk show at BB Lewisville a week or two later. I made an appointment and went up by myself one day. I decided on a material, but wanted to try on another style. I ended up finding the dress and had Carrie order it for me. She helped me come up with ideas to customize it to be exactly what I wanted, so we ordered additional fabric to make that happen, too.

I can’t recommend Carrie or the team at BB Lewisville enough. When I went back for my second appointment, Carrie asked if it was just me or if anyone was meeting me. When I told her it was just me that day and I preferred to shop alone, she made me feel great and said she was the same way! She was patient, helpful, and listened without trying to convince me when I said that something just wasn’t it. They were so willing to order anything I needed and ultimately helped me have a great experience and find my dress. The have an insane selection of designers and dresses in store. It’s awesome how willing they are to work with you, order whatever you might like, and even customize dresses. Plus, isn’t the store gorgeous?!

I was able to share images of me in the dress with the most important people after I decided on it: my mom, Charles’s mom, and his sister. That way, they’ve seen it before the big day, but it will still be a surprise for everyone else. Plus, its sort of fun that they haven’t actually seen it on me yet.

I just had my first fitting two weeks ago and go back in about a month for another! They are working on bustling my dress and my customization until I go back next time and they can see how much it needs to be taken in. Next up, I need a veil. I can’t wait to pick it out with my mom when we go back for my next fitting. We’ve talked about what I have in mind for a veil, have a Saturday appointment to avoid traffic, and are going to work on finding her a dress at their store, Beside the Bride that day, too! Live and learn, folks.

I shared my ‘not so picture perfect’ experience, because 1) #realtalk and 2) I think it may be helpful for other brides-to-be. My family is great and was so sweet and in to helping me find my dress, which I loved. Plus, it was great spending time all together just the girls. However, I ultimately like shopping alone, so in the end that was the best plan to find the right dress for me. At the end of the day it’s your wedding dress and you have to get what you feel best in!

I can’t waiiiit to share my dress. I’ll ultimately leave you with this little teaser: my dress is the perfect combination of my style, with touches of Italian romance, and that suits the setting of our wedding. Stay tuned! XO