Weddingbee Blog

If anyone can guess that reference, we should talk…or have a sing-a-long.

This post actually has nothing to do with the mall (sorry for being so deceitful). But it does have to do with shopping! Close enough?

Anyway.

About a month after getting engaged, I planned a trip home to visit my mom and youngest sister. This was the first time they had seen me since Sparks put a ring on it, and they were excited. Really excited. So even though I had only been engaged for a few weeks, I decided to go ahead and make an appointment to try on a few dresses. I mean, why the heck not?

With the littlest sis and Mom—my shopping buddies for the day!

I flew in to Virginia on Saturday morning and got picked up by my fam, and we headed straight to our appointment. Well, not straight to our appointment. First we had to stop off at Olive Garden for a quick (and sooo delicious) lunch. It was great to catch up with my mom and share some of my wedding plans with her in person. I may have even brought out some bridal mags during our meal. Maybe.

I also may have had some wine with my salad and breadsticks. Because (little secret) I was nervous about this whole wedding-dress thing. That’s right. I was freaking nervous about trying on gorgeous wedding gowns! What kind of bride am I? I wasn’t even excited nervous. I had the “this is so weird” nervousness. I think I almost passed out on my way up to the salon door.

Thankfully, I held it together long enough to make it inside. I was super relieved to see that it wasn’t as prim and proper as I had expected. It was even…inviting. I started to feel a little better. But then I started leafing through the gowns on display and the nerves came surging back. I kept thinking, “I’m shopping for a wedding dress! This is soooo weird!” The thought of standing in front of those big mirrors in a white dress was seriously stressing me out. I considered bolting out the back door, but it was too late for any of that. My consultant was ready for us. I handed over my carefully selected dress list and she whisked me into a dressing room.

When she came back in with those big dresses, I knew I would have to just suck it up and pretend I was having a good time. I held my breath as she zipped me into my first choice. When I turned around to get a look at myself, the first thing that popped into my head was…

This. is. awesome.

Seriously. My brain did a complete 180 in a matter of seconds. That dress wasn’t nearly as intimidating as I’d imagined. It was just fun. Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to try on everything in the store. I wanted to see what the ball gowns looked like, if I could carry a fit-to-flare, if I looked good with a long veil. You get the picture.

While I didn’t get to try on everything in the store, I did find a few dresses I could actually picture myself wearing on the big day.

Dress 1: Jewel, style JL202

This. Dress. Was. Stuh. Ning. I mean, I almost bought it. Ultimately, the only thing that kept me from swooping it up right then and there was the fact that this was the first time I had tried on any sort of wedding dresses. I didn’t believe you could find THE dress after only one attempt.

Dress 2: Platinum, style PL353 (without straps)

I loved the shape of this gown. It was the very first one I put on, and I really felt beautiful in it. However, my grandmother later commented that it looked like a Quinceañera dress…sooooo scratched that one. (For the record, I do NOT think it looked like a dress for a 15 year-old. At all.)

Dress 3: Priscilla of Boston, style 4213

Momma Sparkler was ready to whip out the credit card and run to the car with this one. She really, REALLY liked it. I did too, except…it was SO heavy. It’s hard to tell in the picture, but the entire dress is covered in intricate, coral-like beading. It must have weighed 45 pounds. Or more. But I adored the bottom of the dress and how it made me look like I was walking on a cloud. In the end, I couldn’t imagine walking around all night wearing it. It would have been a great calorie burner, though!

And there you have it! My first dress trip, and I didn’t pass out!

How was your first experience in a dress shop? Were you nervous at first? Or did you sprint right on in there?

(All personal pics)