Weddingbee Blog

Thanks to everyone who contributed to my eczema and dress preparedness posts. I thought I’d come back after the expedition for a little follow up!

Firstly, due to circumstances beyond my control, my FMIL wasn’t able to make it to the dress shopping. This, while not how I had pictured it, ended up working out to my delight. It gave my mom and I a chance to be alone and get some bonding time. I honestly can’t remember the last time I was actually alone with my mom - this is because neither one of us drives (I’ve never driven, she just decided it wasn’t necessary). So, because Mr. Kiwi was at a game, we ended up taking the bus to the salon.

Once we arrived at Image Bridal, I was very pleased to see that it was a small shop with one person scheduled at a time. I was asked about all the details - wedding date, usual dress size (damn bridal sizes), and what kinds of things I was looking for in a dress. A bridal attendant then picked out a few dresses she thought I’d want to try, including an incredibly ugly one.

It just so happened that I tried on the ugly dress first, which really helped me tell her exactly what I didn’t want in a dress. So, judging from what I said about the first dress, she chose more options for me. Now, since apparently I am a plus sized lady in bridal sizes (yes, it killed me to hear that), I didn’t actually get any dresses to zip or button all the way up, but I could see what they looked like when the attendant would pull the backs together.

I ended up wearing a pair of bike shorts and a strapless bra under a sweater and a long skirt. I brought along a pair of long striped socks to cover up the eczema on my legs, but they weren’t needed - I only had her come in when I was trapped in dresses, and I had a petticoat (crinoline?) that covered my ribcage to my ankles. Most of the humiliation was from the dresses having to be squeezed tight by someone else.

Still, I was able to put on and model as many dresses as possible, and my modesty pretty much went out the window by dress four. The more I tried on, the easier it was for me to get them on and off which made it easier to keep the rhythm going. After a few dresses - I tried one on and went, “Huh, I think I really like this one.” Then for the next few dresses after that, I compared them all to that one dress. And then I realized, that was MY dress.

So, I am now the proud owner of a Casablanca Bridal wedding dress. In a huge size, but it’s nice to have a dress that fits me. And it will look even better on me once it’s a size that actually fits. More on the actual dress later.

Thanks again for all your tips! I’ll be back with why I chose my dress. Unfortunately, pictures were not able to be taken, I’m sorry!