Wedding Blog

Hi, my name is Miss Peony and I hate shopping. I hate the crowds, the dressing rooms, the queue, the crying babies….the list goes on and on. I once broke out in hives while Christmas-shopping at a crowded mall.

So it comes to no surprise that wedding dress shopping has not been the most pleasant part of the wedding planning process. Counting the appointment that I will attend later today, I will have been to eight different bridal salons. Averaging 6 gowns per store, that comes to about 48 heavy, constricting, wiggling to get my ass through, sweating like a pig while trying on and taking off every dress, moments.

Boy am I glad to say that it will be over soon.

But what is a decision without rankings? So here they are, for your viewing pleasure….

*drumroll*

Third runner up: Capri by Maggie Sottero, $699:

I actually haven’t tried on this dress. I tried on its sister, the Capri Marie, at Highlight Studio in Chinatown:

The only difference between the two is the neckline. The Capri has a sweetheart neckline, which suits me better, and the bridal consultant there agreed with me. She said she could easily order the Capri in a petite size since I’m only 5’1″ and I wouldn’t have to alter it much at all. This dress was Mr. Peony and his parents’ favorite on me (yes, I went dress-shopping with my fiance and my future in-laws that day) - my FMIL’s eyes lit up when I walked out of the dressing room. However, although it looked gorgeous on me, it just didn’t feel like….me. It seemed too elegant and too sophisticated - and I’m a geeky klutz.

The second runner up: Tuscana Vidal by Maggie Sottero, $799:

This was very similar to my favorite dress at David’s Bridal. But you can clearly see the superior quality of the materials compared to DB, and the subtle crystals, beads, and sequins made it shimmer whenever I moved. Although Mr. Peony and his parents liked the other Maggie Sottero gown better, this one felt more me and it was a lot lighter and more comfortable than the first.

First Runner Up: GR-121 from Demetrios’ Sensualle Collection, $1,035:

This gown is my serendipitous find from Macy’s Bridal in Herald Square. Imagine it all in white with no flowers - I loved it! This was the first dress that I loved as opposed to really liked. It was different and it looked fantastic on me. However, I had two small concerns about the dress. The first was that it’s a zippered back, not a corset. I love the look of corset backs (plus you can take off an inch or two from your waist!) and was naturally a bit disappointed. Second, while the dress looked fabulous on me, it didn’t feel like a wedding dress. Maybe something I would wear to a black and white ball (if I ever get invited to one) or some other glamorous party. But a wedding? Only maybe. I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off.

I had written about my fabulous experience at Bijou Bridal in my last post. And that’s where I found THE DRESS.

*drumroll* (again)

The Winner: Y2712 Skye by Sophia Tolli, $1,000:

Imagine this in pure white. Even though Sophia Tolli doesn’t carry petite sizes, the regular size sample gown hit me in all the right places. My waist looked tiny, I actually looked like I have hips, and I just couldn’t stop smiling while wearing it. The quality of the materials and construction were superb, and it was definitely one of the lightest dresses I tried on.

I will be returning to Bijou Bridal shortly to put down my 50% deposit for this dress. And you can’t beat NJ’s no sales tax. I can’t wait!