Wedding Blog

Note to Mr. Fondue: I know you really don’t want to see my dress, so if you are browsing Weddingbee for whatever reason, please do not read this post if you want it to remain a secret.

I went forward in time in my last post to tell you about my disappointing shopping trip. Now it’s time to rewind!

Bridesmaid Becka and I arrived at The White Room one Saturday morning to a mass of girls trying on prom dresses. I was a little worried at first, but I was soon escorted to a separate room with the wedding gowns that was much more calm and quiet. The room had three long racks of dresses, mirrors in the center of the room, and about four dressing rooms along one side. One of the dressing rooms had my name on it, waiting and ready.

My assistant, Meagan, let us go through the racks of dresses ourselves and instructed me to pick out five gowns to start with, so I immediately went over to the Maggie Sottero dresses. It was a little overwhelming at first, but soon Becka and I came up with five, three of which were Maggies.

The White Room doesn’t allow photos at all (there are signs posted about every five feet), and there were no mirrors in the dressing room to sneak one, so, unfortunately, you will have to settle for the model photos for now. (I know, I know, but you’ll get them soon enough!)

I first tried on an Allure gown. The White Room happened to be having an Allure trunk show that day, and it was one of the newest styles. It was very pretty, and I loved the beading on the bodice. I could have easily gotten this dress and been perfectly happy with it, but I still preferred one with a corset back.

The next dress (I’m sorry to say that I cannot remember the designer–bad Fondue!) was fairly plain. It had pick-ups in the skirt, which was the only real detail. However, Meagan procured a red sash and tied it around my waist, which made it look really good.

The third dress was a Maggie. As soon as I looked in the mirror, I was amazed. It had the beautiful beading like the first dress, and the pick-ups like the second dress, all in one fantastic package. The pick-ups were also better executed, in my opinion, with beading on each of them and a bubble hem in the back. The picture of it on Maggie’s website does not do it justice.

The fourth was also a Maggie. I liked the corset back, of course, and the way the skirt hooked onto the side and hung down. I did not like the criss-cross thing the material did on the bodice. It looks good on the model and good on the hanger, but it did not flatter me at all.

The last dress I tried on had pleating in the front. When I was maid of honor in Becka’s wedding, I wore a dress that I loved that had some pleating. So, I chose this gown, thinking I might like it as much as I had liked that bridesmaid’s dress. It was pretty, but it didn’t flatter me as well as some of the other dresses.

After all this was done, I decided to try on the first and third dresses again so I could compare them, since I was torn on which one I liked better. The first one was really pretty, and fairly simple. However, when I put the third one on again, I knew it was The One. Meagan found a veil and headband for me and it really completed the look. According to Becka, I stood there and looked in the mirror at myself for 26 minutes. Meagan even turned the lighting down in the store so I could see what it looked like in low-light conditions. The Swarovski crystals really sparkled.

I finally changed out of the dress, and Meagan wrote down the style name for me and put it in my file. She told me the price, which was more than I had budgeted for my dress, but less than what I thought it would have cost for that particular gown. Since they were having an Allure trunk show and offering 10% off all Allure gowns, I asked when the next Maggie trunk show would be. She looked it up and told me it would be in July, so I said I would be back then, noting that was why it paid to plan ahead.

Two days later I received a handwritten thank you card in the mail from Meagan telling me how gorgeous I looked in the Maggie dress. Of course, I returned during the trunk sale in July and ordered the dress! I promise to have photos for you as soon as it arrives.

Did you find your gown at the first shop you visited?