Weddingbee

*** Mr. Cookie step away from the computer and no one will get hurt ;)***

My Matron of Honor has been my best friend since we were five, and I was her Maid of Honor at her wedding. She has always been there for me — through thick and thin — even though we live thousands of miles away from one another. When I told her that I had made appointments at several bridal salons, she booked a flight from Boston to go dressing shopping with my mom, my FMIL, and myself. It was a fun weekend filled with wedding dress shopping and a season 1 “How I Met Your Mother” marathon.

For about a month I looked online and in bridal magazine for wedding dresses. I am a curvy girl, and I wanted a dress to show off my curves. Also, I am not a strapless dress kinda cookie, but I like how a v-neck looks on me. Just to give you an idea of my ideal bride look, I am going for a modern, old Hollywood style — simple, yet very elegant.My first appointment was at a very frou-frou bridal salon in Denver that I had only made an appointment at because they had a designer I really liked. Ok, you know the scene in “Pretty Woman” where Julia Roberts goes shopping on Rodeo drive and the snotty salesperson runs her out of the store because of how she is dressed? Well, I totally had that experience shopping at this store.

From the moment we stepped foot in the door, the owner took one look at our party and blatantly started explaining what dresses in the store I could afford. We probably should have left, but I wanted to try at least a few dress. The owner was very rude during the entire appointment, and made me feel like I wasn’t worthy of the dresses. On top of that, she tried to sell me a sample that was really dirty for over $2,000. Needless to say, I didn’t buy my dress from this salon. I like to call this my “Pretty Woman” experience. There are times that I would like to get in my dress, walk over to the store and say, “Big mistake!” (I am not naming the salon just because I don’t feel like giving them any business.)

The next place we went to was Schaffer’s Bridal. On Saturday the place was packed with brides literally fighting for dressing rooms — Schaffer’s doesn’t take appointments. After waiting for a little while, I finally was able to get a dressing room. Meg, the saleswoman helping me, was in her late fifties and had this deep, raspy voice and great personality. I later learned that she had been working at the salon for over 30 years. The dresses at Schaffer’s had a lot of bead work and embroidery, which isn’t me, but I did find this dress from Casablanca Bridal Style #1831 that I really liked. (I apologize but the photo of me in it got accidentally deleted.) At $500 this dress was definitely worth the price! Although I really liked the dress, I had one last bridal appointment.

The last bridal salon we visited was Anna Bé. Located in the Highlands area of Denver, it’s a modern boutique that feels like all your girlfriends work there. Stacy, the lovely salesperson helping me, suggested I not only try on V-necks but sweetheart necklines, as well. Below is the first dress I tried on. (I am so sorry I don’t remember the designer of this and a few other dresses as I tried these on back in January. If you happen to know, please comment below.) I was suprised by how much I like the sweetheart neckline, but I didn’t like the look of the A-line on me.

Dress #2 was stunning. Again, I don’t remember the designer. Even though it was champagne colored and had embroidery, I LOVED this dress. I felt like I was on the red carpet in it. Also, I really liked the mermaid skirt look.

Dress #3 was from Nicole Miller . Again, this dress felt like I was on the red carpet. Even though it was beautiful, it showed every little tiny flaw and felt a little too revealing for my personal taste.

The next two dresses are from Augusta Jones. My MOH purchased an Augusta Jones dress for her wedding, and she looked amazing in it. I tried this V-neck dress and didn’t like it at all. It had a funny train with embroidered branches on it. This dress would be great for a winter wedding, but not for the fall.

I really liked the next Augusta Jones dress. I don’t know if you can see it very well in the photo, but the dress had a very light pleated tulle with a beautiful full train. Even though I really liked the dress, it just didn’t feel like mine.

When I slipped into this dress by Marisa, I knew it was the one! It’s a V-neck, like I had orginally wanted, with a mermaid skirt and the middle is cut on the bias. I feel very sexy in this dress, and I am hoping that I will take Mr. Cookie’s breath away. Without further ado, I give you my dress.

What do you think?

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