Weddingbee Blog

Wedding dress shopping - playing dress up in fancy gowns, being catered to by an attentive staff, getting your first real taste of what it will actually feel like to be a bride.

Or, if you were thinking (freaking out) like I was…

Imagining feeling too large for the gorgeous gowns, being ignored by staff because of a budget that is too small and a waist that is too big, and having a totally, miserable time.

Yes, that is actually how I thought shopping for a wedding dress would be.

In my defense, I had read other brides’ horror stories about shopping for “the dress”, and they had sufficiently scared me out of my mind. I wanted nothing more than for dress shopping to be absolutely fantastic, but the thought of it being a disaster was all I could envision!

Cheeseburger Mom started asking about going dress shopping about 5 months after Burger and I were engaged and had about 15 months until our date. Being as nervous as I was, I tried very hard to delay. I told her it was too soon, that I was trying to lose some weight first, that I wasn’t sure what I wanted, etc. Finally, during my winter break from school when visiting home in Pittsburgh, she convinced me to go shopping - “just to look.”

(If you’re reading, Mr. Burger, it’s time to stop now.)

My attempts at weight loss had fallen way short in the hustle and bustle of my third year clinical clerkships, and I was feeling pretty blah, but I decided to humor her. You may also remember that, in order to avoid sticker shock, I had carefully selected only bridal shops that I knew carried lines of dresses that were within our budget.

I (reluctantly) made the appointments for a Monday, hoping that the salons would be empty and that the staff would be nice. Oh - and I also wore some pretty sweet shapewear that not only held everything in, but also kept me from being almost naked at any one time during the day.

Cheeseburger Mom, Cheeseburger SisterMOH and I headed out early that morning to The Exquisite Bride in Murrysville, PA. They carried Mikaella, Blue by Enzoani, Casablanca, and Jasmine - all designers that I liked and who I knew wouldn’t break the bank. Upon arriving, a cute, pleasant girl greeted us and led us to a room in the back (like an entire room, not just a dressing room) with a large, three panel mirror and some dresses on a rack. I told her what I was interested in (and she didn’t even judge me!), and then she showed us to the racks of dresses (without even asking about our budget - phew!).

For the record, I thought I wanted:

• Ivory or something darker, definitely not white
• Sweetheart neckline or maybe strapless
• No lace-up backs - I wanted buttons!
• No pick-ups
• A-line, modified A, maybe fit and flair/mermaid style depending on how they looked on me
• Not a lot of beading/sparkles (if any)
• Maybe lace
• Not a huge train

(Remember, people, we were thinking Lia!)

And so the three hour dress parade began. The store had 4 large rooms each with long racks of dresses. I think I tried on about 35-40 that day. Every dress had a price tag on it, and we were allowed to take as many pictures as we wanted. The girl at the store was ridiculously sweet, told me how great I looked in every dress (even though none of them fit me), and put up with my craziness (”I like the top of this but not the bottom,” “I like the shape but hate the beads,” “I like the color but not the dress,” etc., etc., etc.) all afternoon! It was an amazingly wonderful experience - the opposite of what I had feared. The. Exact. Opposite.

Here are the dresses that I liked the best from store #1:

Dress 1 - Essence of Australia: I loved the color of this dress - so different and so pretty in the palest pink :), I also loved the sweetheart neckline and the fact that there were minimal embellishments (no beads!). The material photographed like satin but it didn’t have the feel or weight of satin from what I remember; it was really nice. It was a corset back, but could be ordered in zip-up. The A-line shape & ruching really hid a lot of figure flaws.

Dress #2 - Essence of Australia: this dress was also so pretty. Clearly it didn’t fit me very well, but again I loved the sweetheart neckline, minimal embellishments and the material - a satin chiffon. We didn’t really love the way the boning was so obvious in this dress (believe it or not, my gut isn’t pushing it out like that - it just took that shape); it was really distracting. But otherwise the dress was very pretty and in the “keep” pile.

Dress #3 - Casablanca: this dress actually wasn’t really a front runner because the bottom of the dress is entirely pick-ups (follow the link to see them in all their glory), but I LOVED the top of this dress so much that I had to show it. Actually, being totally honest, I hate the beading, but love the pleating. Pleating. This was the first time I had seen it instead of ruching. While I love ruching and respect its uncanny ability to hide my tummy, the engineer in me loves the deliberate, symmetrical, perfection of pleats. From this moment on, ruching had some tough competition.Dress #4 - Mikaella (style 1305): this dress really made me feel like a bride. It was totally the timeless, classy look I had envisioned. The sweetheart neck and skirt outlined in beautiful Alencon lace, satin around the tummy, a zip up back with buttons and a teeny train—it was wonderful. I was only disappointed in the skirt material - some kind of taffeta that, while it made the dress as light as a feather, felt like a windbreaker between your fingers (it even made the sound). Regardless, it was still one of my favorites of the day.

Dress #5 - Essence of Australia (funny, I had never even heard of this designer and I ended up loving all of their dresses!): this was easily the fan favorite (Mom & SisterMOH loved it!). Lovely satin, modified sweetheart neckline, and very minimal details. Enough to please Cheeseburger Mom and Cheeseburger SisterMOH (who were all about embellishments - poor girls) :), and not too much to make me cringe. I loved the tighter fit of this dress, a little more sexy than the other A-lines, and the neatest feature - a detachable train! See the part that is swung around to the front with the beading? Well that whole thing detaches just above the booty leaving you with a little sparkle and no semblance that a train had ever been there - eliminating the need for a bustle! The Mom was devastated when I mentioned that I didn’t want a big train, and so this dress really solved that problem for us both. I really loved the fit and style of this gown, but I felt more like I was going to a red carpet event and less like a bride the longer I stayed in it.All in all, it was an amazing first trip out. I didn’t decide on a dress that day, but I did learn a lot about my likes and dislikes. I had been correct about avoiding white, beads, and pick-ups and about the necessity of a sweetheart neckline, buttons, and an A line or a more fitted silhouette. I had also learned about my love of pleats (love them!), and how I just didn’t feel as bridal if I wasn’t wearing satin (why is this? I have no idea!).

Stay tuned for Part II - David’s Bridal!

Were you nervous about wedding dress shopping? How did it all turn out?