Wedding Blog
Early on in my engagement, I must have tried on at least 30 dresses. Needless to say, there will be lots of dress shopping posts. I went to local bridal boutiques, Glamour Closet - a sample sale store in San Francisco, and shopped online at places like Bride Power, Pre-owned Weddings Dresses, Dream Bridal LA and Bella Rosa Bridal. If you haven’t noticed, I like a good bargain. Seriously, my next post should be “How to get the couture dress you want without taking out a loan.” Or you can just read Miss Haute Cocoa’s fabulous post here.
I wanted something timeless, simple and elegant. I knew I definitely wanted something strapless without too much detail, but I also love big princess ball gowns.
There is a bridal shop about a mile from my office, so one day during lunch I popped in to look around. I brought my camera with me, but it’s from the 1990’s and only some of the images ended up on my card. I’m getting a new one soon. I promise!
Anywho, here’s what I found:
From Anne Barge Le Fleur 2007
I love the rose detail on the train! So vintage! This gown was stunning, but as beautiful as it was, it was A) $4200 before alterations and out of my price range, and B) I wanted a strapless dress and the people over at Anne Barge said it would be another $800 to modify the design. NEXT!
Photo from Anne Barge
Next, I tried on this one from Jim Hjelm. By the way, that’s not me, it’s the pretty Jim Hjelm model. This was also a gorgeous dress, but I felt like the “cupping” around the booty area made my badunkadunk too “out there.” Dumplings need no help in that area!
Next, here is a photo (finally!) of me trying on a gorgeous Platinum for Priscilla of Boston dress. I loved it, but the lady behind me said it made me look wide. OhMiGosh yes she totally said that.
This one is from Pronovias. Trust me when I tell you that you should photograph yourself in a dress before you buy it. I thought this dress had such interesting detail. It’s also a 2-piece and the top layer comes off to reveal a plain A-line gown that could be worn for dancing at the reception. Well, the dress didn’t translate on camera as I would have liked. Washed me out completely! Sigh. I really heart Pronovias.
Head is cut off because I’m making a stink face.
Last, but NOT least- here is the gorgeous Vera Wang that I let slip away.
We’ll save that nightmare for another post.
How is everyone else’s dress shopping going? Did you try on about a million dresses like me?
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Share this post: Dress Shopping with Miss Dumpling, Part 1
I can’t believe she said that to you (and her daughter)!!!!!!! What a cruddy attitude! You do NOT look wide in that dress - you look gorgeous!
I have a dress listed on preowned that i think might fit what you are looking for. I am happy to let you try it on..but I”m not in the area. It’s pretty simple, elegant, and very romantic.
HEre are more pix:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lilywlee/MelissaSweetRominaDress
It a little bit more fitting then it shows on the model.
Here’s my posting on preowned:
http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/dresses/4856/Melissa-Sweet-Romina-Size-4.html
It’s a Genuine Melissa Sweet. I got it for a good price, but then ended up buying another dress so selling this for even more of a bargain.
Email me if interested.
I second Pom - love the Priscilla on you. You DO NOT look wide. You look gorgeous. I hope you told her to talk to the hand. Can’t wait to see what you picked!
You definitely do not look wide at all! That dress is so beautiful and flattering on you. You pull it off!
The nerve of people making comments like that! I had the owner of a bridal store tell me my hips were too wide for mermaid/trumpet styles. I did NOT by from that store! Geez, she could have at least word it in a nicer way! haha
Wasn’t glamour closet so overwhelming? I went at the end of the day and I thought I was just going to keel. Can’t wait to see what you got.
You totally did not look wide. I think it accentuated your lovely curves. Does she expect everyone to be model stick thin and a size 2! Pay her no mind I think you have the perfect figure for the mermaid strapless dress.
That lady is crazy. You do not look wide. I LOVE that dress, you look fab.
Wide?!?! I thought you looked great. I hope you chose something close to that dress… it was a good look
Noooo. You do NOT look wide at all. That was very unprofessional of her. It’s so pretty on you!
i still can’t believe that woman told you that you looked ‘wide’. you are gorgeous in everything you put on. and i must admit…i do LOVE that Vera Wang. oh who am i kidding, i love ALL the dresses.
p.s. a good badunkadunk is good. shake what yo’ mama gave ya!!
What kind of chump says that? You looked awesome! 
ps how was glamour closet? I live here in SF and am planning to go soon…
@Rachael: Thank you Dumpling BFF. No one looks as good as you do in your dress though!
@Miss Hot Cocoa: No, i always think of things to say like 2 hours later, never in the exact moment. That lady just made me cry so I had to leave. @Lily: Thats a beautiful dress. I actually have a freind who loves MS, so i’ll make sure she sees your ad. Thanks!
Doesn’t it totally take you aback when sales associates are discouraging - and not even in like a friendly, ‘oh honey, you could do better’ way? I had a sales girl at J. Crew rip a sweater set out of my hands and announce that “with my skin tone, [I] DEFINITELY shouldn’t wear yellow. Ever.” For the record, while that girl might have been right, the lady at the bridal shop was totally wrong.
Why would someone say that? Horrible manners! You look beautiful in all of them! Can’t wait to hear more of the tale of the Vera that got away…
Wide? Wide? Was the woman sight impaired? You look absolutely stunning in that dress.
i have to agree, the priscilla dress is sooo beautiful. when i saw it i thought you looked amazing in it.
WHAT! you DO NOT look “wide”. I actually thought you looked pretty good! very nice body shape I thought you were the model. I’m not bsing here.
She was rude but you shouldn’t cry for a strangers opinion.
BTW, she probably wanted that dress for her daughter! She totally lied to you to get it!
My guess is that woman’s daughter also got that dress, or wanted it. People are petty.
My guess is that your badonkadonk looked better and you were more beautiful — should have said, “don’t hate me because I’m beautiful!”
Wide? You look absolutely amazing in that picture. I scrolled through before reading the post and my first thought was “wow… ethereal. I hope she kept that dress on her list.”
@Kenize: no, her daughter was trying on beach dresses and she was gorgeous. Im sure she thought she was helping me, but it just hurt.
I can’t believe she said that! If I were there- I would have made her put the same dress on to show her that she wouldn’t look half as good as you. Nay, 1/4 as good as you! Blah on her
OMG I one-hundred-thousand percent agree with taking a picture of the dress — I am CONVINCED that the mirrors in the dress shops are the skinny kind!
I found a Sophia Tolli (read: not too expensive) that I loved — all lace from bust-to-toe — and probably partly loved because it was the only one in the store that didn’t look exactly the same as all the others and everyone else’s — anyhoo, my mom took pictures of it and when I looked at them later — w.h.o.a. Talk about ZERO curves! I mean, I don’t have much of a waist, but this dress that I thought I adored in the mirror just didn’t do for me nearly what I thought it did. Boo hoo.
Yes, girls, TAKE PICTURES.
P.S. You are NOT wide!
yes, yes……taking pics is key.
a dress that i didnt like in the store looked so great in pictures that i was seriously considering it over the one that “felt” like the “one” in the store…..
in the end, i went with feeling vs the picture….but man, that dress was gorgeous.
and “no she d’int!” omg! girl, i would have cried. i was sensitive while trying on dresses bc i’m plus sized (hardly an issue for you!) and a comment like that would have thrown me right off the edge of sanity!
i know i’m talking too much, but that last pic is stunning! can’t wait to hear the story behind that one.
Hi Miss Dumpling! Congrats on the engagement! I read that you are living in Las Vegas, and I wanted to share the name of an awesome bridal boutique with you. I live in Las Vegas too, and I bought my dress from a shop called Celebrations Bridal on Jones Blvd and Desert Inn Rd. You should definitely check it out before you decide on a dress. The consultants are great and the selection is HUGE, and the shop is so cute! My cosultant was Ciara. She’s so sweet and helpful! Give ‘em a call and make an appointment!
I actually bought my dress on my first day of shopping. I went to two shops. The first had gorgeous (and expensive) dresses, but the feel, look and material was top notch. I was stuck on a dress, but my MOH (sister) and one of my bridesmaids said “you can’t decide at the first shop”. I was sad, but we went to the second shop (David’s Bridal). I did not like one single dress that I tried on until the last one. I was given a mantilla veil and it was love at first site. The whole combo cost me $630. One of the dresses at the first shop was $1,500 on its own without the veil or petticoat. I am so excited that I saved money AND am in total LOVE with my dress.
They all look gorg, and like all the others have said, you do NOT look wide in that dress! I hope you found a dress you love more than the Vera now
I think that lady deserves Miss Cherry Pie’s cherry-pie-to-the-face response!
[...] Part 1 [...]
[...] Part 1 Part 2 The Vera Wang that Almost Was… [...]
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Mrs. Dumpling, Las Vegas
Age and Occupation: 27, Finance
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Real Estate
Engagement Date: March, 2008
Wedding Date: March, 2009
Blogging Since: August 26, 2008
Venue: Catholic church ceremony & golf course reception
About Me: I grew up in the Deep South, and while most people say I have a thick southern accent, I tend to think it only comes out when I need to use it. Living in Las Vegas has definitely been an adventure and Mr. Dumpling and I are loving every minute of it! We are planning a traditional Catholic wedding ceremony and a reception with lots of DIY! We might even get Elvis to show up! I'm a HUGE Beatles fan, love The Office and can't wait to become a Mrs.!
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