Weddingbee Blog

Many moons ago, I had dreams of a pink wedding dress. As you all know, the pink, fluffy confection didn’t work out, and the Universe handed me a different dream – one that was a definitive soft ivory color. Bossyboots is the nosy sort, so I haven’t been able to tell my dress story until now!

So, after giving up visions of pink, I visited several bridal boutiques around the Chicago area. I even visited a shop on the infamous Oak St (they’re known for taking your entire bank account and STILL having to use a credit card for the final payment!). I really tried all kinds of places. Finally, all on my own, I went to a tiny place out in the ’burbs. I walked in at 10:55a for my 11a appointment… and I walked out twenty minutes later with my dress.

You see, by the time I bought my dress, there were two lil’ numbers that I had fallen in love with… one was double my budget, the other quadruple. Um yeah. I didn’t buy either of them. Wanna know which ones?

MONIQUE LHULLIER – MAGICAL

ROMONA KEVEZA LEGENDS – not sure of the model number anymore

Magical was easy to let go of… because it costs a fortune. I still think it would have been so fun to wear, and it’s perfectly my personality – but that was just not happening. I’m pretty sure it’s worth more than my car. The Romona Keveza was a bit tougher, but I had made a pact with myself not to go over budget – so I didn’t.

When I visited the tiny suburban bridal boutique, I showed her a photo of the Romona Keveza, and I told her I’d like to see something in that style. Lucky for me, they had a silk shantung Romona Keveza in-stock as a sample, and they’d sell it to me for half off. I tried the dress on, and while there were definitely problems with the dress (mainly the fact that it had a bubble hem, which I didn’t like), the fabric and stitching won me over. I tried to get 75% off, as you really can find samples for that cheap, but the saleslady wouldn’t budge. My negotiating skills failed me in the moment. It did irk me that she said, “I’m not even supposed to give you 50% off,” which we all know is untrue. But whatever – it was a small fly in the ointment – everything ended up working out! I could see the potential – and it was fully in my price range. Cha-ching!

What I find funny is that the dress I ended up wearing looks a LOT different than the dress that I purchased, even though we (my seamstress and I) didn’t do too much to change things! This…

…became this (at my final fitting):

Big difference, right? We changed the bubble hem into a flat hem, added a sash at my natural waist, and then tiny buttons down the back. I didn’t really have an emotional connection to my dress until my first fitting, when we sketched out what the changes would look like. I admit it – I cried! I had had many doubts about my dress until then… would the final product be something that was worth all the effort? In a word… yes. I loved my dress, all the way, through and through.

I do have to give major props to Kyle Pearson, who handled all my alterations, including making my sash and veil from scratch. She was really one of the best people I worked with throughout the course of my wedding. If you are in the Chicago area, and you’d like to contact her, please do, because she is A+.

So that’s the story of my dress. What’s yours?