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Miss French Fries, Milwaukee Age and Occupation: 27, Paralegal Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Investments Advisor Engagement Date: September 20, 2008 Wedding Date: June 2010 Venue: Ceremony: Catholic Church, Reception: Hotel Ballroom About Me: I'm a Midwestern girl who longs to live in a warmer climate (my feet would be happy in flip flops any day!). I love travel, impromptu napping, grilled cheese sandwiches, my iPhone, singing with reckless abandon in my car, and Mr. French Fries.
About Miss French Fries

Brides are often told that when they find the dress—the one that will become their wedding dress, the one that they will walk down the aisle in and dance with their husband at their reception in—that it will hit them like a ton of bricks covered in sugary fondant and glittery tulle. Starry-eyed, they will make their way to the cash register where they will gush, “It’s perfect!” no matter the number of zeroes on the price tag.

Wait–let’s do a Zack Morris time out here. Am I coming across as a cynic? Jaded? If so, I apologize; it’s just that I’ve been down a few miles of hard road called “finding the dress”. It’s a road that started shortly after Mr. French Fries and I got engaged, and has been filled with a few, ahem, potholes. You see, I thought that this would be a relatively simple task. But then I made the mistake of reading too many magazines and too many (well-respected) wedding planning books, and I stumbled across a quote to the effect of “this will be the single most photographed piece of clothing that you will ever wear”. Oh! Well, now that you put it like that, there’s no pressure! I can just traipse down the aisle in any old thing hanging in my closet! It’s just going to be ingrained into our family’s history.

Picture_Lang_Hon_Wedding

Looks like ribbon sashes aren’t just a current trend. Everything old is new again!
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So, I did what any logical bride would do. I avoided buying a dress like it was H1N1. (Did I just reference swine flu? Yikes.) I loved trying them on, but sealing the deal was a completely different story. I went to shop after shop with my sister, MOH French Fries, in tow and found myself swimming through tulle and crinoline in small dressing rooms with bad lighting and small mirrors. I must have tried on upwards of 40 at this point, and I couldn’t commit to any of them. The pressure was on, and I was stressing myself out by having “when you find the one, you’ll know!” running as a mantra in the back of my mind. Well-meaning friends and family members would ask how the wedding planning was going, and I soon learned that this was a slippery slope to the question of, “…so have you found a dress yet?” My stomach was tied in a knot bigger than a Miller Park stadium pretzel.

I had originally thought that I wanted something a little different. No beading, embroidery, crystals, or “bling” of any type. I quickly found out that dresses of this type were somewhat hard to come by. So I tried the blingy gowns on anyway, and I have to admit that some of them were pretty. So much so, that when I tried one on while shopping one day with Momma French Fries and MOH French Fries, I thought, ‘Well, hey! This actually might work.’ I had been looking for months, and thought that the likelihood of finding the dress was slim. I thought maybe that was something that the wedding industrial complex made up; something that happened to other girls, not to me. I was downright tired of looking for dresses, and I should have taken this as a sign to step back and take a break. Instead, I decided to purchase the dress.

A few weeks passed, and I had nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I wasn’t 100% sure about my decision. Sure, the dress was pretty… but was it really what I wanted? Did it even look good on me? I wasn’t able to take pictures at the shop (they reserved that right for ladies who had already purchased their gowns) so I didn’t even really know what it looked like on my body. In an attempt to calm my nerves, I went back to the shop to get some photographic evidence that this dress was going to be okay.

The shop assistant pulled out the sample and I slipped the gown on. “So far, so good,” I thought. The sample fit, and it was the size that I had ordered. I handed the assistant my camera to snap a few pictures, and I quickly made my way home to review them in detail. When I did… I was not happy with what I saw. I made a tear-filled phone call to Momma French Fries to reassure me and talk me off the ledge. I lamented to her that I hated the dress, that it was a horrible decision, that I should have waited to find a different dress. Momma FF assured me that we could “make it work”, Tim Gunn-style, but I wasn’t so sure…

cute-puppy-pictures-tim-gunn

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(To be continued!)

Did you have luck finding your dress right away? Or, did it take you some time to find your perfect fit?

Tags: |   Link for this post | Share this post: The Chronic-(What?!)-cles of Wedding Dresses, Part I      
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40 Responses to “The Chronic-(What?!)-cles of Wedding Dresses, Part I”

1.
mkat88
Member
mkat88 (message)  154 posts, Blushing bee

I can’t wait to see the pics and what you ended up doing!!!

 
2.
Guest Icon
Guest
Nicole

You just described my EXACT experience. I still go back and forth everyday from loving it to thinking I’m only convincing myself I love it. And everytime I watch Say Yes to the Dress and see the girl burst into tears when she finds “the one” I want to burst into tears! Am I just not the girl who reacts that way, or have I just not found “the one”?? With the store’s no return policy, I’m just praying that when I try it on again I’ll love it. I wish you the best in your dress adventures!

 
3.
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Member
mrs.finnegan (message)  20 posts, Newbee

Uugh, this is so me! I can’t wait to see how the story ends because I feel like I’m in the same spot as you for sure!

 
4.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Frozen Yogurt (message)  887 posts, Busy bee

oh no, i’m so sorry you’re having a hard dress buying experience! I can’t wait to see what you do, and p.s. I love tim gunn. :)

 
5.
ColorCoated
Member
ColorCoated (message)  951 posts, Busy bee

I’m secretly in love with Tim Gunn and I love that that dog looks just like him!
But, that sounds totally tough! I can’t wait to see your dress :)!

 
6.
fiftyfootbride
Member
fiftyfootbride (message)  3,809 posts, Honey bee

I’m sorry your dress-buying has been difficult!

I fell in love with my dress, well, instantly. We ordered it on the spot. (Well, there was about an hour and forever of measuring me. 80 feet tall and custom, what whaaat).

 
7.
thefuturemrsjewell
Member
thefuturemrsjewell (message)  1,534 posts, Bumble bee

i can’t wait to see what you picked! i hated the first two dresses I tried on and haven’t tried any since (that was mid-August)… yikes! I guess I need to get back into it!

 
8.
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Member
Toothy (message)  11 posts, Newbee

I laughed out loud when I read the title of your post! Good SNL reference.

 
9.
MissHelen
Member
MissHelen (message)  275 posts, Helper bee

Thanks SO MUCH for this post!
I spent the weekend dress shopping and after about 30 I started thinking “yeah…I guess this one would do…” so my Mom and I left to get something to eat while I made a decision. Luckily they closed before I could get back! We’re going to keep looking, but like you I’m at that stage where I’m thinking it happens to other girls, but not to me ;-)
Can’t wait to see your dress! The thought brings me great hope!

 
10.
bridecat
Member
bridecat (message)  91 posts, Worker bee

Yeah I love the title too! :) There sure is a lot of pressure about the dress, isn’t there? I totally had buyers remorse until my first fitting, and eventually I came to love it. Hope the rest of your story goes better!

 
11.
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Bee
Mrs. Lightning (message)  128 posts, Blushing bee

I have to say that even though I loved my dress it definitely wasn’t the one. I had my heart set on Jenny Packham from the start and not only was their no way I could get one here in South Africa, it was also way out of my price range.

I recently found a beautiful butterfly print dress which if I had found before the wedding I’d have themed the wedding to match the dress entirely. It fits me like a glove and makes me feel like a million bucks. But then again this dress I’ll be able to wear again and again, my wedding dress probably not. And frankly your wedding dress should only be for that one occasion (otherwise it loses its sentimentality).

I think some women find peace with one dress, but the world is so full of beautiful garments I think it’s hard for many brides to find the one. I forced myself to move beyond the dress and see all the other beautiful things that were equally important. In the end the dress became the least of my worries and photographed surprisingly well!!

I wish you the best of luck, no one really understands until their a bride too. And trust me al eyes will be on you no matter what :)

 
12.
tea
Member
tea (message)  2,658 posts, Sugar bee

oooh, i hope this story ends happily. i’m curious to see what you did end up picking

 
13.
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Guest
Kami

Ha! I had that same experience…I tried on a dress and I thought it was the one …I had tried on 20+ dresses, and was tired of looking. I pulled out my credit card to buy it, but then asked my consultant to take pictures of me first…I saw the pictures and HATED them…so I put my credit card back and walked out…I took a couple more days to think about it and tried on a few more dresses and didn’t see anything else I liked as much…I often see pictures of other brides and wonder, why did she pick that dress and when I thought back on that, I realized that unless I was a bridal dress model (5′9+,shaped like a column with large boobs, and posed in awkward positions) I probably wouldn’t like the way I looked in my pictures, so I realized that I will have to go based off of the way the dress makes me feel and how I look in the mirror…so I went back and bought the dress…and couldn’t be happier

 
14.
lcneiny
Member
lcneiny (message)  170 posts, Blushing bee

I also was expecting the “lightning strikes, Hallelujah chorus sings” moment of finding THE DRESS. I found one that I thought would be perfect, and was all set to buy it…and then I tried on another that was totally opposite of the first, and bought it. It’s been a few weeks and I don’t have dress regret so I think I made the right choice!

 
15.
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Bee
Mrs. Mouse (message)  3,354 posts, Sugar bee

Oh no! I hope everything worked out. Don’t leave us hanging too long!

 
16.
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Bee
Ms Potato Chips (message)  322 posts, Helper bee

You’re so funny. I hope the dress-search panned out!

 
17.
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Member
tvilase (message)  208 posts, Helper bee

I just did a post last week on the boards about how I never had that “Say Yes to the Dress” experience and I now have 2 dresses and I still have doubts about both! I don’t think everyone has the “this is it!” moment and I do think way too much pressure is put on the dress. Right now, I’m just trying to take a step back from it and be happy with the dresses I do have.

 
18.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Ramen (message)  261 posts, Helper bee

I wish it was that simple. I posted about my million+ store dress hunt…. I love my gown, but I think I could have loved a bunch of them. haha

 
19.
llc2011
Member
llc2011 (message)  466 posts, Helper bee

Can’t wait to see how this turns out!

 
20.
Guest Icon
Guest
Mrs. Guacamole

Just to be comforting…I had similar feelings with my dress. I only went to one shop, tried on tons of dresses, got exhausted and picked my favorite and bought it on the spot. I only had one picture of me in it that the shop allowed me to take, and I cried when I looked at it!
The worst part was waiting so long to try it on again and feeling ambivalent the whole time. Luckily, when it came in and I could see it again in person, I felt so much better! I loved it :)

 
21.
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Member
Kayto1 (message)  3 posts, Wannabee

I think you will be fine - recapture your first feelings about this whole process - and try to recall ANY dresses from weddings you’ve been to - I haven’t been able to beyond…lacy, poufy, or sometimes even just white.

If you aren’t a dress person, let this go. You put too much stress on yourself expecting a magical dress - you are going to have a magical day, the dress is just a small part of it!

And in wedding photos I always look at the faces - the bride and groom GLOW and that glow takes over the whole picture - the dress is third or fourth.

You really will look lovely - even in a potato sack!

 
22.
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Member
Kayto1 (message)  3 posts, Wannabee

Oh - and don’t forget - the shop photo doesn’t have your hair, your makeup, your GLOW and all the other things (including being taken by a professional with attention to lighting) that will make a HUGE difference on the big day!

 
23.
pvaulter718
Member
pvaulter718 (message)  1,604 posts, Bumble bee

Ughhh yes! I completely agree. I kept trying dress after dress hoping to find THE ONE. And then, after about 3 months, they started to run together. And I couldn’t remember one from the next. That’s what made me step back and take a few weeks off - completely no wedding stuff, at all! I came back a renewed woman and totally ready to take on the wedding dress world!

 
24.
LatteLove
Hostess
LatteLove (message)  4,120 posts, Honey bee

i haven’t even read this post yet, I just have to say–I loved the Lazy Sunday SNL reference in the title!!

 
25.
LatteLove
Hostess
LatteLove (message)  4,120 posts, Honey bee

ok, read.
i almost made a tragic decision about my wedding dress. the only thing that held me back was wanting all my BM’s and mom to see the dress before making the decision. The Third time I tried it on I realized it wasn’t the one and went back to the drawing board! So glad I didn’t make that decision!
Hope things shape up!

 
26.
julesann
Member
julesann (message)  79 posts, Worker bee

I actually did buy a dress…..put 200 down, and I was happy. :) While my dress was on order, we changed our wedding from a summer wedding 2010 to Nov 2009! The lace/destination gown just wouldn’t go well in a MN winter wedding. ;) So I ended up losing out on the money, but I am happy with what I have now!

 
27.
fanatic888
Member
fanatic888 (message)  175 posts, Blushing bee

What a cliffhanger! I tried on a few dresses at a small bridal salon by myself just to get an idea of what silhouette looked good on me. Then I went last Friday to Bridal and Formal with 3,000 gowns. It was overwhelming at first but I had 5 ladies with me for their opinions. I tried on around 10-15 and narrowed it to 3 which were all the same gown in different variations of fabric, etc. Then I tried on those 3 and we all made the decision. It was really painless but I was totally expecting something similar to what you are going through right now. I think my friends and AMAZING bridal consultant made the process so easy.

 
28.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Moonbeam (message)  1,335 posts, Bumble bee

Sorry it’s been an ordeal, can’t wait to hear what happened.

 
29.
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Member
MrsZtobe (message)  12 posts, Newbee

I LOVE Miller Park giant pretzels! I’m sorry your dress shopping experience wasn’t what you had hoped. I can’t wait to hear how it all turned out.

 
30.
FMH
Member
FMH (message)  161 posts, Blushing bee

I have to say that picking a dress was one of the most stressful ordeals of the wedding, so to that I say, True that! Double true! :)

 
31.
froggy518
Member
froggy518 (message)  58 posts, Worker bee

HAHA! I love the title! :D I’ve just read the conclusion to the chronicles, and your dress is BEAUTIFUL! But I’m still laughing about the title of this post.

 
32.
Member Icon
Member
RAllise (message)  438 posts, Helper bee

Great post. I HATED every dress I saw in every magazine…they were over the top and I didn’t want strapless. I dreaded the wedding shopping experience & what made it worse, mom insisted we go to Kleinfelds in NY. UGH!!!! The first 2 stores I visited, everything was strapless. I tried on but wasn’t thrilled with the results. Hit up Kleinfelds & the bling, lace and pearl dress that I in no way had every planned on even trying on…turned out on being “the dress”. Tried it, absolutely LOVED it and we all cried that this was the perfect gown. Who knew….but the saleslady at Kleinfeld’s.

 
33.
Annui
Member
Annui (message)  314 posts, Helper bee

Major Props for the Lazy Sunday reference. I haven’t seen that in years!

 
34.
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Guest
Goosegg100

I need your next post to have a happy ending. So far Ive tried on over 50 dresses and one seems alright… but I just havent had “the one” experience, and Im starting to get upset and frustrated. Im ready to wear jeans.

 
35.
beaninca
Member
beaninca (message)  76 posts, Worker bee

it took 5 months of 10 stores (all high end), tons of dresses, 1 custom made dress went bad to finding my dream dress in a mall of all places!

To all the brides who haven’t found theirs, trust me, you will “know” when you do!

 
36.
Jessie516
Hostess
Jessie516 (message)  4,039 posts, Honey bee

I know I was very anti-bling when I looked for dresses, but just wasn’t liking those dresses on me. I eventually ended up choosing a dress with lace and beading and I was so worried that I’d change my mind.

I love Tim Gunn and can’t wait to hear how you “made it work”!

 
37.
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Guest
The Chronic-(What?!)-cles of Wedding Dresses, Part II » Weddingbee » The Wedding Blog

[...] we last left our saga, I was in meltdown mode about my dress. I was on the phone with Momma French Fries, and I was [...]

 
38.
Guest Icon
Guest
weddings

LOL re: “I avoided buying a dress like it was H1N1″

Loved that!

I really hope it works out.

 
40.
Guest Icon
Guest
Wedding Speeches Father

Looking in bridal shops and bride’s magazines can certainly provide a bewildering number of choices. The price of your heart’s desire may be enough to make you swoon. On the other hand, vintage wedding dresses, which are becoming increasingly popular, are truly one-of-a-kind, often elaborately detailed and the prices are not nearly so shocking.

 


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Miss French Fries Miss French Fries, Milwaukee Age and Occupation: 27, Paralegal Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Investments Advisor Engagement Date: September 20, 2008 Wedding Date: June 2010 Venue: Ceremony: Catholic Church, Reception: Hotel Ballroom About Me: I'm a Midwestern girl who longs to live in a warmer climate (my feet would be happy in flip flops any day!). I love travel, impromptu napping, grilled cheese sandwiches, my iPhone, singing with reckless abandon in my car, and Mr. French Fries.
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