Weddingbee Blog

My dress was like magic.

When zipped into its curves, I felt like a bride…

Like a sassy bride…

Like a curvy, sassy, silly bride…

Like a curvy, sassy, silly, happy bride…

Like myself.

I didn’t ever feel like I was playing dress-up. How easy that could have been, to feel like I was a player in my own life, wearing a dress that wasn’t me.

But it was. Lucky for me, I can’t help but be me.

I paid $250 for it on eBay because I was too cheap to pay full price – at David’s Bridal. I don’t know about you, but I laugh every time I think about my unwillingness to pay full retail at a place known for inexpensive wedding dresses.

If that isn’t me…

So please don’t think that your wedding dress will only be magical if you spend a ton of money. Set a budget, decide to blow it by no more than 10%, and try on every dress in the store if you have to. Really. I don’t think I ever would have chosen my dress out of a picture.

{Photo taken by the lovely alterations woman at David’s Bridal}

I had to put it on, crack a joke about feeling like Ursula (you know, the sea witch with the frothy water at her feet), and dance around. Kinda like this.

I waffled and debated and texted my BFF a never-ending string of “what ifs” and “I don’t knows” and “what do I dos?” I ordered the dress on eBay and debated reselling it. I stuck it in my closet, figuring I’d deal with it some other time.

{Photo taken by my mother not long after telling me to look fierce or something. This will teach her never to do that again, I’m sure.}

Six months later, I unzipped the bag, put the dress on, and I knew. Maybe I’d been too caught up in the details before, too stressed by the drama, too overwhelmed by the life-changing realization that this was going to be a little less my life soon, a little more ours.

I don’t know, but I felt the magic.

So I forked over another $350 to make it mine, to have it taken in here and hemmed a bit there, to have an incredibly expensive (well, to me) bazillion point bustle put in, a bustle that allowed me to run and jump and shake my booty (all of which I did in the store, to the great amusement of everyone).

And then the magic was mine. Because after the alterations, this sassy thing was tailored to my body, only mine, and only then. It would forevermore be uniquely suited to one slice of time in my life.

I wore this dress when I hugged my mama so tight,

laughed with my favorite women,

took a walk with my people,

{Photo by my father. Note the look of terror on my face.}

said a prayer,

walked some more,

got to hold hands with this man,

this wonderful man who makes me laugh,

and is so sexy,

and so smart to choose me to be his wife.

It was with me when I joined my life with someone else’s

and danced with some people,

some really special people,

before starting the rest of my life with my favorite man.

This dress and I, we’ve had some fantastically good times.

We’re close. And though we may not ever be reunited, and certainly not on a day as important in my life as that one, we’ll always be close. I’ll always remember it as the dress I wore when I felt most loved, most happy, and most ready to be someone’s wife.

And the one that made my curves look like this:

So if I might offer (yes, more) unsolicited advice for you sweeties out there freaking out about your dress situation, it’s this: yes, it’s stressful. I’ve been there. And yes, you’ll hear from everyone that when you find it, you’ll know. But if you’re afraid you found “the one” at a $5k price point (woman, WHY are you trying on $5k dresses if that’s not in your budget?), or that you’ve found three possibilities, or that maybe you’ll never find the one, take heart.

You will. At any price point. You will find a dress that will be with you on the day you get married. It will be, quite frankly, any of the dresses you pick today. (See how that works?) Your happiness and joy at finally getting to marry that handsome man of yours will overshadow any “lace or puffy or flowy or fitted” angst.

So for now, just make sure it fits and feels at least a little bit like something you’d choose for some other fabulous occasion (picture it in another color if you must). Then hang tight. You will make the right choice, I just know you will, because it’s your life and your body and there’s no wrong choice, mkay?

Ohhhh, you want details? Here you go:

David’s Bridal style P9345, regular price $499, in a size 6 with significant alterations. I’m a very busty, very curvy, very short woman (32F/ 5’0”) and I thought it looked (ahem) fabulous on me. The bustle was a 12-pointer (or something crazy) recommended by the alterations manager and well worth the cost. You can see it best in this picture.

Or maybe this one.

Or maybe here:

I wore a gorgeous veil and fascinator made for me by the beautiful Mrs. Sea Breeze. You can get your very own at her website, Kasia Fink Veils, and you should most definitely get one just like mine (the “Marisa,” thankyouverymuch)!

My hair was done by Tabitha Davis from Salon Barnes & Barnes on Market Square in Knoxville. She was absolutely wonderful, calm and sweet and incredibly talented. And she did this:

More pictures from my hair trial here for all you short-haired brides Googling “short hair sassy bridal style” or something similar. Smoochies!

The boleros (or shrugs) that you see were made my very own mama, which you can read about here.

I wore shoes I got on sale at Kohl’s (Mootsies Tootsies, though I can’t find them online anymore), happy pink shoes that held up beautifully over eight hours and gravel and asphalt. (second from right) Please note Jennifer’s fabulous kicks on the far left – she got them at Dillard’s and I wish I knew the brand so I could get a pair for myself. Smart Laura in the middle was the only one who went for comfort. And stability.

Oh, yea, and I wore a long line bra that held my bodacious ta-tas up beautifully but cut into my thighs when I sat down. Oops. I forgot that I am much shorter than most women and didn’t think to check for a short-line bra (wocka, wocka).

Who ever said fashion was comfortable?

All photography by Angela Herzog of Angela Herzog Photography (www.angelaherzogphotography.com) unless otherwise noted. Asterisks (*) indicate that post-processing was done by me, and thus, should not be held against her. See this post for more details.

Late to the party? See previous recaps here:

Part I: And It Begins
Part II: My People, Part I
Part III: It’s Time
Part IV: Our Ceremony
Part V: My People, Part II
Part VI: Celebrate Good Times, COME ON ALREADY!
Part VII: Yummy Yummy For My Tummy
Part VIII: And We Danced
Part IX: The Cheesy, Cheesy Details… with a Little Bit of Sentimentality Thrown In
Part X: The One Where Cheese Sucks It Up and Applies Her Own Makeup