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I remember being a young girl around 11 or 12 years old. We were living in London, England and my mom and I were shopping at one of the department stores downtown. We wandered past the bridal department. They had bright white shiny dresses on the mannequins. I really did not like those bright white shiny dresses. I knew that whenever I did get married…several years later…that I would be staying away from shiny and bright white!
*Personal photo
Once Mr. Gazelle and I began to talk about getting married, I figured it was time to add a new television show to the list of PVR recordings. Say Yes to the Dress. Ah yes, the show that allows women to shop vicariously for wedding dresses, gasp at the catty comments from friends and family on television, and shake our heads in disapproval when a woman brings too many friends or her fiancé into the shop to help her make a decision.
It gives us a chance to see what women will buy with an unlimited budget. As I watched the show, I began to wonder whether my dress existed inside a traditional bridal salon. The consultants proclaim to have a difficult time with a budget of $2,000, and I knew I wanted to pay less than that. I also had a hard time envisioning myself in a fit-to-flare gown in white satin with rhinestones on it. Surely lovely dresses, but most definitely not me, and the kind that I saw women buying most often.
I began looking online at the simpler styles, like the Erica at J. Crew.
Image via J.Crew
While the dresses were pretty and budget friendly, they were simple. Would I be cheating myself out of that experience of finding a unique wedding dress? Was there a dress out there that would fit my style and my budget?
How did you start to define your style as a bride? Did you have a clear idea of the dress you wanted from the beginning?
Mine was absolutely not a princess ballgown I didn’t want to look like Cinderella or a princess I wanted to look like me.
that’s the dress I wore! The erica dress… not the vintage one! lol. I loved it! It was so perfect for our garden wedding outdoors in 95F humid heat! I did have to have it altered some, i got it taken in and added boning. Good luck!
I luuuuuuurve that Erica dress. So sleek. So chic. So simple. So classy. Gorgeous.
I don’t think this is uncommon at all! In my (pretty limited) experience so far I have gone from assuming I would wear something short and off the rack to slowly wanting a longer, more official wedding dress. But still not a ball gown or giant poufy thing! I’ve come to define my person style as well as the feel of our wedding as organic modern. If this was about decorating our house, we’d be shopping at West Elm.
I wouldn’t deny yourself the experience of trying on a bunch of style at a large bridal salon. I stopped in at Pricilla of Boston last weekend and it was fun to see what all the different styles looked like on my body – with some definite surprises. I felt like a glamorous Hollywood Starlet in a shantung trumpet number that I never would have thought of on my own.
While I still think I’ll end up in something very similar to the Erika dress (and probably from J. Crew), I’d make a point of checking out all your options – even if it’s just so you and your girlfriends can have a good laugh at what you look like dressed up as a giant meringue.
My style is definitely atypical. Finding salons that stocked my style of gowns in my budget was one of the more challenging aspects of early wedding planning.
Yes, off-the-shoulder with some kind of beading and/or lace was my dream. I ended up with a tafeta, strapless dress with ruching and no beading. You never know what you’ll fall in love with. They’re like men. 
Yes! Slinky and sexy. (What?!?!? Brides can be slinky and sexy!)
I also wanted it to be something I could walk in easily without tripping on the hem. And preferably with sparklies on it. (aka bling, lol)
I am totally with you on the no-shiny-and-bright-white stipulation!
It was difficult for me. I wasn’t happy with shape/fabric/beading-rhinestones etc, So I went custom. There was a great article I believe in M*Stewart a while ago.
Again…shopping around is the best thing. The answer finds you sometimes.
I was sure that I didn’t want to pay a lot, and ended up getting a gorgeous empire waist hi-low dress from DavidsBridal.com. It fit perfectly straight from the package! I knew my style was going to be romantic/ethereal, but most of all I needed something that would look good on my short and petite frame!
Say Yes to the Dress is a great show but unrealistic when it comes to a very reasonable and acceptable budget of $2000. I found my dress for under $1000 when I started with a $5000 budget because that is what I thought was the norm.
You have probably already heard this, but don’t rule out department stores, either. I have clothes shopped at Macy’s probably…never, but found a GREAT dress on their website. And for wayyyyy less than “Say Yes To The Dress” features….I suppose they would consider me “unreasonable” given my meager budget, HA.
As to whether you will be “cheating yourself out of the experience” - I had that same feeling a few times. But then I’m like - is a poofy dress really, truly, “me?” Am I going to feel 100% like myself (just more beautiful) in a dress like that? For me, the answer was “no,” but of course everyone should answer this for themselves.
Another sign is if you “can’t stop thinking about” the dress you picked….kind of like with picking guys…when you see a good one for you, you remember him/it 
. lols.
My dress is a ball gown from Priscilla of Boston , I don’t feel like princess just like a gorgeous bride
@ranchorelaxobride: I know what you mean! I wanted J.Crew or a tea length gown and my BM and MOH encouraged me to try some other gowns on too. After all, when else are you going to have an opportunity to wear a floor length wedding gown? Definitely trying on a lot of different styles is the key to helping you find what you really want at the end of the day. It may reaffirm what you knew in the beginning, or it may take you in a totally different direction all together.
@ItsPronounced_ABear: “You never know what you’ll fall in love with. They’re like men. ” So true!!!
@JB: Oh, I so wish we had Macy’s or Nordstrom up here! We have two department stores in Canada - one super high end and the other one is not nearly as good as the department stores in the US. 
I *heart* that J. Crew dress! I always knew I’d feel more comfortable in something simpler, although I nearly fell in love with a poofy, shimmery ballgown!
I totally started thinking I’d buy a J. Crew dress, but I ended up with something totally different!
I don’t know if I really have a “style” per se. I knew I wanted something unique, and that was about it! Hyena Sis usually tells me what looks good and I just wear what she picks out for me.
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Ms. Gazelle, Calgary/Vancouver Age and Occupation: 32, Engineer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Technology Analyst Engagement Date: September 3, 2010 Wedding Date: July 2011 Venue: Brock House Restaurant, Vancouver About Me: I am a marathon runner, cyclist, Ironman triathlete and beautiful shoe fiend who also loves kicking back and watching Glee. I grew up a bit of a nomad as I traveled around the world with my family, living everywhere from Australia to England to South America and Indonesia. I finally settled in Calgary a few years ago and met Mr. Gazelle who loves me even though we cheer for different hockey teams. We are planning a bit of a destination wedding in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia and we can’t wait to share the day with our close family and friends.
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