Weddingbee

Almost immediately after the proposal I started purchasing and devouring wedding magazine after wedding magazine. I was (am) completely mesmerized by all the gorgeous gowns in the magazines—their layers of tulle and silk, the lace, the origami of the fabric—all of it. I couldn’t wait to go gown shopping myself. Unfortunately, I never found time to do it. Then one particularly miserable February day (I really disliked my last job) I stumbled upon a bridal store in my neighborhood and immediately went in for a little bridal therapy.

That was my very first experience actually seeing any wedding gowns up close (it was also my first experience with bridal salons and their employees). Since it was a Monday morning, the store was relatively empty. Bambi, my designated attendant, grabbed gown after gown for me to try on. Most of them were covered in sparkles and beading and were styles that I wouldn’t otherwise have seriously considered. Not that it was all bad. Just slipping into a wedding gown, any wedding gown, dramatically boosted my mood and sent the endorphins flowing. I actually registered my info with them (big mistake) and spent some time pondering the merits of a ridiculously embellished gown due to my hormone high. Since then I get a once weekly call from Bambi inviting me back to the store to purchase “the one”.

Um, no thanks. Although, I actually went back there once with one of my bridesmaids. I’ll fill you in on that awesome experience later.

About two weeks later I was at a show enjoying Freddie’s awesome deck. On the way home I noticed an adorable little house that had been turned into a boutique. A bridal boutique. Hello! I looked it up online and realized that it was exactly my style, and resolved to stop by the next day. The shop is called Unbridaled and if you reside in the heart of the great State of Texas, you should definitely check it out! I am so glad I did! I spent the next two hours trying on beautiful gown after beautiful gown, each with its own fabulous features and special little touches.

image courtesy of unbridaled

However, it was mostly just for fun (as were the four more trips I made back to the shop) because I had the “this is THE dress” moment in the VERY first gown I tried on there. Not that they weren’t all very lovely. Take a look at some of the runners up:

The ladies who work in and own the shop were super sweet and were extremely patient as I tried on all of their lovelies. They straightened each train to make sure I got a perfect picture, pinned each back, and offered words of advice and very gentle encouragement. I truly can’t say enough wonderful things or recommend them enough.

Wanna see it? Okay, Mr. Lemonade, this is the part where you stop reading.
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Okay, now that he’s gone, here she is. I call her Jackie:

I. Love. Buttons. And bows. And the train—I especially love the train.

So, what do you think?

• Second Fitting
• Watercooler