Mrs. Corn, Newport, RI
Age and Occupation in '07: 31, HR for public accounting firm
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Consultant for public accounting firm
Engagement Date: October 7, 2006
Wedding Date: September, 2007
Blogging Since: June 1, 2007
Venue: North Lawn of Fort Adams State Park
About Me: I am a lazy scrapbooker who loves the instant gratification of making cards and I am very easily distracted by all things shiny. In honor of my childhood nights spent hibachi BBQing on the beach with my family, we are hosting a traditional New England Clambake for our reception.
The Most Beautiful Dress Ever…
June 6th, 2007 @ 6:10 pm by Mrs. Corn
…is unfortunately not my dress.
Lately, I have been worrying that I don’t really like my wedding dress. The last time I saw it in person was December and I am starting to doubt if I really liked it. Yes, I jumped up and down and giggled when I tried it on, but for some reason I keep telling myself that maybe I only did that because I had already tried on 52 other gowns and I was just trying to get out of there.
On my original list of things I wanted for my dress I listed portrait neckline, box pleats, SLEEVES, and minimal crusty stuff. Instead, the dress I am getting is strapless, with crusty stuff, and no pleats.
For a while, I was torturing myself by looking at other gowns online and seeing if they were available on eBay. But, I stopped that madness a while ago…until yesterday, when I went to the bridal-store website to get the phone number to call and see if my dress was in yet. On the site, they had a list of designers of gowns that they sell and I was reminded that the reason I chose that store in the first place because they sold Maggie Sottero dresses which I really liked.
Before I knew what I was doing, I had clicked on the link to the Maggie Sottero website and was looking at the new dresses in the line. That’s when I saw this one. It is gorgeous. It has everything I was looking for in a dress and most importantly SLEEVES!!
I know I will look wonderful in my dress, and I know I will love it once I get to try it on in my size without my underwear hanging out the back (I seriously think bridal stores totally miss the mark by not stocking dresses in big girl sizes). But in the meantime, I find myself mourning what could have been.
Have any of you ever experienced this: second thoughts about your dress until you get to try it on again? Or do you think I am losing my marbles?
27 Responses to “The Most Beautiful Dress Ever…”
I don’t have a dress yet, so I can’t speak to that. But I have had second thoughts on every wedding decision I’ve made thus far. Did I choose the right venue? Did I choose the right photographer? And I would torture myself by continuing to look at websites of other venues and other photographers and wondering if I made a mistake.
Finally, I told myself that there is no “right” decision. All you can do is make the decision you feel most comfortable about with the information you have. I don’t know how helpful that is regarding your dress, but it’s made me feel better about decision-making in general.
Okay, so I tried to post this the other day, but my postings were not registering… so, I’ll say it again: MAGGIE SOTTERO has a dress for every bride… and they are simply perfect. My dress is the Capri Lynette–and once you take away the beautifully tanned model, it’s still a wonderful dress. It was #29/30 that I tried on in this little bridal shop in Montana… (yes, Montana! Who knew it had that kind of class?!) and I never got to #30. I love my dress. And, I think you should too, Miss Corn. Try on your dress when it comes in, I am sure you’ll be just as tickled when you see it in your size. *BTW, I second the bigger sizes in bridal shops comment. How hard is it to visualize yourself (a size 12/14) in a dress that does not come over your rump because it’s a 2 or 4?!
I thought about what I wanted in a dress, and then only tried on dresses that fit those criteria. That way at least I wouldn’t second-guess myself as far as wishing I’d gotten what I originally wanted. I’ve seen other pretty dresses, but I mentally turned off the ‘it’s possible for me to have that’ switch once I paid for mine.
I think the dress you posted almost has too much going on with the top, and the sleeves look itchy, if that makes you feel any better. 
Oh, and there are stores out there that stock big girl sizes. If more people refused to buy from stores that didn’t then others probably would as well. 
It’s got to be a concerted effort. Then again, maybe they’re more common in the south. As the shop owner told me, “We eat down here…there’s not much point in having a size 6 sample.”
Yes. I bought, repeat BOUGHT a new dress. The first one while lovely, and white, and strapless, and beady, and all that was very traditional and well, frankly, I couldn’t breathe in it. I couldn’t breathe in it at my fitting when I was as tiny as I can go - 5′10″, 145. It was *supposedly* the only one in the whole wide world - they totally preyed on us like car salesmen. Anyway. I tried. I tried to like it but it is SO not me. I am not that bride. So after angst and sighs I finally went to Nicole Miller forker out another of my own 600 bucks for a rather boring but lovely, I wear the dress it doesn’t wear me, NEW dress. Regardless at 2 dresses for $1100 it could have been much worse - it could have been half of ONE dress. But yes, I feel your pain. I bought a new dress. I am SO SO happy I did. PS the other one is quite lovely if someone wants it…
My recommendation - don’t buy on impulse, don’t try to lose weight to get into a dress, and smile a lot.
You are so not alone! I liked my dress and then I didnt think it was the one. But I didnt want a lot of beading but I wanted a full skirt so and my friends and family all loved it so…I got it. Then when it came in I still wasnt thilled by it. So I sat down and really thought about what I loved and didnt love about it. I came up with a great solution. I am having the back altered to dip down and now I love it! I mean really really love it!
I have the luxury of having the dress available to me at all times, in a box, in the bathtub of the guest bedroom (hey, it’s out of the way!), and whenever I see another dress that makes me doubt the first one, I can just throw it on. It’s only happened twice, and never very seriously, but it’s still nice to be able to put the thing on at my whim and say, “Yeah, this is totally my dress.”
If you can afford it, buy it and where the strapless one as your reception dress! Or try selling it online. You should wear what you will feel most beautiful in.
for the past few months, i have been feeling lukewarm about the wedding dress i ordered. i kept looking at the photo of the model. i even photoshopped my head onto the photo (which is absurd because the model is probably 6 inches taller and 15 lbs lighter than me). but i gotta tell you… i picked up my dress the other day, i tried it on, and i absolutely LOOOVE it. i LOVE LOVE LOVE it. like you said, it makes such a difference to have the dress in your size, without clips taking in folds of loose fabric or holding the back zipper together. wait until your dress comes in before you do anything crazy! =P
I changed my mind. 2nd dress cost 10x as much, but I did love it, and it was more appropriate to the season & venue we ended up with.
Bought the first in a rush very early in the wedding planning, because it was on sale and mom was looking over my shoulder. Sometimes it’s better to shop alone so you can take your time and be sure without anyone else getting impatient, and so you can remember exactly how you yourself felt w/o others’ opinions.
Our wedding is going to be a casual affair on a beach in the Caribbean, so I knew I wanted my mom to make me a sundress. I very quickly picked the pattern — I *knew* it was the one.
And yet I have asked myself 1000 times if I want to give up my one chance to wear a traditional froufrou wedding dress. Why am I doing that to myself?
Don’t even get me started on rings…we haven’t bought an engagement ring and now I am 95% sure I don’t want one. But that 5%…
I’m with you miss corn. I bought one early one and am feeling iffy about it now. but, i’m just sucking it up because i think it’s silly to spend money on something i’m only going to wear once let alone buy two somethings i’m only going to wear once! Like you, I wanted sleeves but couldn’t find them and could only try on dresses that were much too small for me. I ended up with a very plain, strapless dress and bought a little silk jacket/ throw from Ann Taylor’s Celebrations line. I feel much more comfortable in it and i’m planning on wearing it during the ceremony and the reception. We’re also having and outdoor celebration so I figure I’ll be changind into something comfortable before the night is over no matter what my dress looks like. GOOD LUCK!
Hello Miss Corn! If you will be near NYC next week, this studio is clearing out their in store samples of Maggie Dresses, I think I saw this one (I only remember the top) at their store. Anyway, they are selling the samples at 99-299 at the sale. There’s coupon here… http://www.highlightbridalfashions.com
Hi Miss Corn!!
I’m not exactly proud of it, but I did end up being a two-dress bride because the first one ended up looking much different in my size than it had when I tried on the sample… it was just not as flattering in terms of shape. It took me a little while to take the plunge and order the second one, but once I did I felt so much better — the style was just much closer to what I really wanted and the fit was much better; I could tell that even with the sample dress. I say, go try to find that dress in a store and try it on, at least. If it really is the perfect dress, then you’ll know and I think you should get it if at all possible… and if not, then you won’t have to think about it anymore!
Wow! Thank you, candiecorn. I will not be anywhere near NY this weekend, but I greatly appreciate the tip. Quick question…if could go, do sample sales have samples in lots of sizes? I have always wondered…
eh? I’ve been to a few sample sales… it really depends on the selection left. I have seem most of the sizes at the size 8 and up. At highlights, they do have smaller sizes. the Vera Wang is the most famous.. it was actually the first place that i went to to try on gowns.. so i didn’t want to buy the first one… and they had limited small sizes… mostly the size 10+ left. I thinking the running of the brides has lots of dresses — but that’s if you are up for the event. It’s a literal running of the Bulls/Brides event and would need a team of ppl going with you. They also have the running on a weekend.. it’s crazy how teams of ppl can take off work. But if you find something, it’s worth it, i guess
whoops, i meant the filene’s running of the brides is on a weekDAY! and edit, highlights offers petite sizes, and they are now ordering dresses in larger sizes to have both petite and non petite samples in the store.
Hehe.. also don’t worry… i’ve purchased some safety gowns myself. Yes gown(s)! I have to sell one of them now… i need my closet space back! Would it be a violation if I list some pix somewhere on weddingbee?
Don’t forget you can buy sleeves too - I know, ick, David’s Bridal has them, but any good seamstress should be able to make sleeve for you. I have detachable cap sleeve - didn’t come with the dress at all but I loved the thought - and this way if I change my mind the day of, so what!?!
Just a thought…
I’m sorry you’re going through this, too, Miss Corn. After trying on at least 50 “nice” dresses, I finally bought one. The day after I ordered the dress I looked it up on the designer’s website, only to find that I hate how it looks on the model. If it doesn’t look good on a tall, perfectly proportioned model, how will it look good on me? Unfortunately, I’ve also seen THE PERFECT DRESS, and it’s $2500 out of my price range. Good luck to you. I’m sure you’ll look amazing regardless.
The second time I tried on my dress, I hated it. When my mom and Grandma left I cried for half hour and called my FI in a panic. But the third time I tried it on (a day later), I realized that it was a great dress that looked great on me — it just need some alterations to fit a little better.
I have my second fitting this Saturday, and I really hope that it fits better and still looks good. But it’s a great dress and regardless of whether it’s “perfect,” my FI will still think I’m the most beautiful he’s ever seen me. That’s good enough for me.
YOu can also get a bolero. I wanted sleeves and ended up strapless with a lace bolero over the top for the church.
I was the same way for a long time, that long time being the time that I couldn’t look at my dress each day. I purchased my dress just weeks after getting engaged and it has since been at my parents’ house while I was still 2 hours away at college. However, I have been back home for almost a month now and have been able to see my dress each day and am reminded how much I love it and wouldn’t want another dress. I get this stupid giddy grin on my face each time I look at it and can’t wait to wear it NEXT WEEK!!!
I so feel for you Miss Corn. I fell in love with a very expensive dress from the start, and knew that I couldn’t afford it… Just to make dress shopping even funner, my mom decided quite adamantly that she wanted to purchase my dress (Let the games begin!!!)
#1, she wanted to spend under $500 (WHAT?)
#2, she did not want to pay for some of my dress with that $500, She wanted to buy the dress!
#3 She wanted to choose the dress, and was not happy with the styles I selected on e-bay
After a very exhausting search I finally found $1500 dress for $750 that my mom loved and I could live with. It is not my dream dress by far, but it is simple and beautiful and the fiasco is over…
I definitely know what you mean about seeing other dresses after it’s too late, but I’m happy with my reluctant choice, and I LOVE the shop that I bought it at. You wanted sleeves, and I wanted a super low cut back. Perhaps in another life the dress of our dreams will effortlessly float into our hands
Yes! I understand this!
I bought a dress 10 years ago that I fell in love with! Off the shoulder - organza skirt! I LOVED IT! I wondered if it looked dated….but it doesn’t….it actually looks very similar to the one you posted…but with short sleeves!
But….
I want to dance and I can’t lift my arms up in it….so I bought a different dress for the reception! I can lift my arms in a strapless for dancing! I just didn’t want to be one of 1 million brides wearing strapless for the wedding!
Problem solved!
I love BOTH dresses (and only spent $1000 for both). It pays to buy 10 years before you get married! ; )
Yes, this is a beautiful dress! Can you post a picture of the dress you already bought, Miss Corn? Thanks.
I thought you might enjoy this new MICHAEL W. SMITH video. The song is featured on his new album STAND with lyrics written by AMY GRANT. Enjoy and please pass on to any who might be interested. Thank you.
Jumping off from what Candiecorn posted — I think weddingbee should sponsor a monthly sale listing where everyone gets to list and sell their new or used wedding paraphenalia. I know, I know, too much liability - but I think it would be a good exchange and just good fun…..like a craigslist posting but just once a month. whadd’ya think?
