One of the many reasons I have thoroughly enjoyed wedding planning thus far is that I come from a family of planners. We thrive on schedules. We are lost without our calendars. We love itineraries…no seriously, we LOVE itineraries. So, when it was time to go dress shopping (Bah! I couldn’t believe it was time to go dress shopping!), we developed a very detailed, very awesome plan.
I had a little break in the middle of my last semester of nursing school, so we decided to take the opportunity to go to New York to visit family and, of course, to shop for wedding dresses!
Now, if you are anything like me, you hear the words “New York” and “wedding dresses” and a certain store pops into mind:
Kleinfeld, however, was not on our itinerary. My budget would have allowed for me to look at the lower end of their selection, but I was a hoping for a shopping experience that was a little more intimate and a little less television-worthy.
The first place on our itinerary was actually a couple hours outside of New York City in southern Connecticut. Our plan was to fly into New York, rent a car, and then drive to The White Dress By The Shore for an appointment that afternoon.
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| Image via TheWhiteDressByTheShore.com / Photo by Alissa Dinneen Photography |
From everything I saw and read online, it looked like they had a phenomenal dress selection.
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| Image via TheWhiteDressByTheShore.com / Photo by Alissa Dinneen Photography |
After our appointment, the itinerary called for driving back to NYC, returning our rental car, and checking into our hotel. We were going to need to get to sleep early because the schedule for the next day was chock-full of dresses, dresses, and more dresses!
The next morning, we would head to The Bridal Garden, which is a not-for-profit boutique in Manhattan where designers donate gowns, and they are sold for a discount (we’re talking up to 75% off!) with all proceeds going to children’s charities. Because their inventory is always changing, I didn’t know what to expect, but for a chance to simultaneously save money and give to charity I was more than willing to give it a chance!
Next up on the itinerary was the Lovely Bridal Shop. Just look at this store:
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| Image via Brooklyn Bride / Photos by Sweet Little Photographs |
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| Image via PR Couture / Photo by Sweet Little Photographs |
Do you really need any more explanation as to why I wanted to go here? They carry a lot of smaller, unique designers like Ivy & Aster, Sarah Seven and Elizabeth Dye. Their soft, feminine dresses were exactly what I had in mind.
Finally, the last stop on our itinerary was an evening appointment at the Priscilla of Boston salon. My sister had gone into a POB salon briefly when looking at hair accessories, and said that it was breathtakingly beautiful. I had been stalking their website for so long, I could not wait to see the gowns in real life!
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| Image via PriscillaOfBoston.com |
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| Image via PriscillaOfBoston.com |
So with that, our NYC itinerary was complete! Did I find my dress? We’ll have to wait to find out. 
Did you travel anywhere to look at wedding dresses?
I just love bridal salons… they look so dreamy. I started and ended my wedding dress shopping at Alfred Angelo, so no fun bridal salons or traveling for me! But I couldn’t help it… I found The Dress at my price point on the first trip!
Ack! All these beautiful shops make me want to go shopping again…but this time in NY!
I was THIS close to buying a dress from Lovely Bridal on a trip to New York. Had my mom been there I totally would have. The shop and the girls that worked there were adorable!!
I am headed for Kleinfeld Friday! Will also investigate these other ones mentioned.
I think we have very similar taste, Miss Dalmatian! My first appointment ever was at The White Dress By The Shore, I perused the samples at Priscilla of Boston in NY, and my next appointment is at Lovely!
Your dress shopping itinerary sounds perfect! I can’t wait to hear how the experience was. I was living in NYC when I bought my dress, which was kind of perfect. I did go to Kleinfeld, and it was great, though I think the fact that I went after 5 pm, when a lot of people had already left, really helped. It wasn’t crowded at all, and I had a great consultant. And the POB salon in NYC is breathtakingly amazing. It will always hold a special place in my heart because I found and purchased my dress there!
That’s a lot of bridal salons in a short amount of time–and I love it! I hope you got to take lots and lots of pictures!!
I travelled a bit to see dresses: an hour north, two hours south, two hours north, and a whole 8 hour car ride home (while visiting my parents) to try on gowns. This was the most exciting part of wedding planning for me!
I found my dress on my first appointment. I wanted to travel and look more, but that dress was just it for me.
Although, I almost had to travel 11 hours to find another store that carried it after the wedding dress shop burned down, and we weren’t sure we would be able to get my dress there anymore.
Other stores had the designer, but for some reason, NO ONE carried the dress.
Mrs. Dalmatian, Nashville, TN Age and Occupation: 23, Pediatric Nurse Fiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Computer Engineer and Entrepreneur Engagement Date: April 13, 2011 Wedding Date: May 2012 Venue: Historic Cedarwood About Me: I am a Northern girl from Chicago who is planning a wedding filled with Southern charm in Nashville, Tennessee. I love dogs, the White Sox, Full House reruns, and anything with ruffles on it. Mr. Dalmatian is my computer-genius problem-solving fiance who is constantly teaching me new things and making me a better person. We live with our adopted pup Echo, who is very excited that his parents are getting married!
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