Weddingbee Blog

I had two requirements for my wedding gown: for it to make me feel beautiful and for it to cost $1500 or less. But I quickly realized that I didn’t want a typical gown. I liked the “bridal alternatives,” the “destination gowns,” and anything made from chiffon. They were ethereal and appealed to my Bohemian sensibility. So after seeing beautiful pictures for Saja gowns, I quickly made my appointment.

Image from 100 Layer Cake

But then this is when the happiness stops.

My best friend backed out on me the day before the appointment and I was feeling really sad that no one from my new family was interested in going to bridal dress appointments with me. I really wanted my own family to come with me since I thought one of these dresses was surely going to be the one. But they were 2,500 miles away on the opposite coast! So, I went into the appointment feeling very low. I didn’t even ask any of my other friends to come with me when my other friend backed out. I was just depressed, wishing I could share this experience with my mom and sister.

Then the abrupt clerk hit me where it hurt within 5 minutes into the appointment. “You really should bring someone when you come to these appointments. Why didn’t you bring anyone?” Never did I feel so hurt…I felt as if I had no one…no one was available, no one wanted to come, no one was as excited about me for this. My eyes were welling up as she led me into the dressing room and I told her, “No one could come.”

Then she pressed the point further.

“Well, try these on now. Then come back when you can bring someone. Really, no one could come? You need to get a friend’s opinion who knows your style. Who do you know who knows your style?” I took a deep breath and told her, “I know my style,” and pulled the curtain shut with a bit of a New York attitude.

And there were three that I really, really liked. They were effortlessly pretty.

And if they made me feel pretty even while I was feeling so low then they certainly were possibilities. The wide-strap one made me feel long and lean, the strapless one had beautiful draping and had my favorite blush color, and the leaves on the other one seemed Grecian which I liked, (although it was two sizes too small and didn’t look great on). And all were under $800, so they could definitely could work for me.

When my fiance and his friend picked me up at the store after the appointment, they could read that I wasn’t feeling myself. Asking me, “You didn’t like any of them?” I replied, “I did. I just didn’t have fun.” I remember thinking that wedding planning was making me feel so lonely. But without giving it a second thought, and in the company of my some of my favorite people, I emailed my mom and sister pics of the dresses. And then I did nothing related to weddings with the two boys and had the best time!

Did your moods ever get the better of you during one of your bridal appointments? Did you ever go at it alone, wishing you were with an entourage?