Miss Avocado, Seattle
Age and Occupation: 23, Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Consultant
Engagement Date: July 27, 2008
Wedding Date: October, 2008
Blogging Since: June 30, 2008
Venue: LDS Seattle Temple & Hotel 1000
About Me: Somehow this little farm girl found herself a genuine Pole to fall in love and eventually move away to Poland with. I am an LDS bride attempting to plan a private religious ceremony, ring ceremony, seated reception for 100, and an open house while coordinating for guests flying in from across the United States and as far away as Poland. I try to avoid fads, excess waste, and saturated fat. I strongly endorse photography, DDR, calorie counting, rss feeds, cooking, and utilizing your resources.
First Things First: The Dress 1.5
July 3rd, 2008 @ 4:07 pm by Miss Avocado
Before we get into the second part of my shopping experience and the pictures found therein, I need to explain something before I look like a most hypocritical little avocado.
I mentioned before that I will be making some promises that deal with modesty. I will not wear anything sleeveless, plunging (front or back), off-the shoulder, or above the knee. This does not just mean dressing like this on my wedding day or for the ceremony, I will be following these guidelines every day for every outfit that I wear for the rest of my life (before you get the wrong idea, I can wear a normal swimsuit to the beach, but I do try be demure in my choice of attire).
As with all belief systems, this can be interpreted in different ways by different people. Although I have not yet made these commitments, I still strive to follow them right now, because I believe in what it means and because I would like to prepare myself for the way I will be living very shortly.
My next two posts will include photos of myself wearing dresses I tried on from various designers, most of them being strapless dresses.
It might seem two-faced to some of you that I say I do these things, and then show you photos of myself wearing something completely different. I used my own judgment to decide whether or not I would post these photos of myself on the internet, and have decided that I feel comfortable doing so.These photos act as a reference to help me decide which gown I like best. I think that all of you enjoy seeing the photos as well, and so I hope you will indulge me as I walk you through my shopping experience and the many many many pictures I have from it.
Get ready for a whole lot of dress photos to come your way. And one more thing, my posts on Weddingbee won’t always be so…like this. I hope you’ll like to hear about my adventures in Italy and Poland (including a bridal shoot in front of the Trevi Fountain and Coliseum), my inspiration board, and the cake buffet idea I am developing!
16 Responses to “First Things First: The Dress 1.5”
I don’t mean to sound ignorant, but you mean never, ever - even in the privacy of your home - wear a tank top or shorts above the knee? I just want to understand. My friend’s family’s religion discourages women from wearing pants, but children are often exempted and if the ladies are, say, doing yard work or painting the living room or whatever, they can wear pants. It’s mostly an in-public thing, so I was wondering if this was similar. And, so, you’ve been exempt from this up to this point when you take your vows? Sorry for all the questions. Thank you!
I like your dress posts! And I would also like to hear about Italy, Poland, and cakes.
This dress is gorgeous, it shows off your curves beautifully! But I guess it’s a no go for your wedding day, huh?
I loooove that dress on you! I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for the Tour d’Italy! Woo!
You tease us with such a cute picture! I can’t wait to see more (or less…hehehehe)
@Karen: I will still dress the same way whether it is in public or in private. Luckily we have no rules concerning pants or skirts, I don’t know if I could give up my favorite jeans!
Yeah, I don’t know how they do it, either! We’re in New England and it gets coooold in the winter. I guess they invest a lot in tights to wear with those skirts! Thanks for answering.
That one looks great! If you decide to go with a strapless dress, can you get a bolero to cover up with?
You looking stunning in that dress. It’s very classy.
I love following your story Miss A! I’m on the edge of your seat waiting to see what you decide on for your dress! I hope it has a super happy ending 
And…EPICS IN ITALY! Jealous!
This is so interesting! I can’t wait to see what you chose and how you will alter it to fit your requirements.
I’m your garden-variety Protestant getting married outdoors, so I don’t have any firm restrictions on what I can wear, but I have to say the lack of options for women who don’t love strapless gowns, or who would like to have (gasp!) sleeves for some upper-arm coverage, is really irritating. (Personally, I’m worried about sunburn if I leave my shoulders totally bare!) Maybe if the mainstream bridal industry hears about more brides like you, who want individual style but a modest cut, they’ll branch out into sleeves and non-strapless necklines! Here’s hoping anyway
I can’t wait to read the rest of your posts! And I feel sorry that you feel like you kinda have to defend all your actions and choices. People shouldn’t be so judgemental. As my wonderful friend always says “do you”! Keep up the great posts - i’m sure there’s more fabulousness to come.
Miss Avo, I think it’s great to have you on the Bee. You’re really bringing a new voice and some great new traditions to learn about. As a bride having a religious ceremony (catholic), I know that a lot of people don’t understand the restrictions (as they seem to them) or traditions that are a part of your faith. It’s wonderful to see you incorporate these into your wedding– and to also bring your own creativity into the day as well. Thanks!
Miss Avo… Don’t feel hypocritical. I’ll probably try on a few strapless dresses when I’m shopping even though I won’t be wearing one either. I’ll even post pics on my blog! I think since they’re so readily available it is an easy way to figure out what shape dress is going to work for you.
P.S. I admire how confidently you describe the standards of modesty. I always have a hard time. For some reason, “my body is a temple” just sounds so cliche and kinda lame… although true!
Plus it seems like every dress out there is strapless! I did not want a strapless dress, and as I was getting married in a catholic church i had to have my sholders covered anyway. In the end though I ended up strapless and then purchased a beautiful lace bolero to go over it.
[…] sleeves custom built into her dress. There are specific parts of the body that must be covered, as I spoke about here, and 99% of mainstream dresses do not fit the bill. 3 years ago I would have told you I was going […]
