Weddingbee Blog

The engagement pictures dress, that is.

You guys, I had SUCH a TERRIBLE time trying to find something to wear for engagement pictures. Now, I don’t consider myself difficult to please, but for some reason I became unexpectedly picky about my engagement photo attire. I initially set out to find a dress  a) with some kind of sleeve, b) with an A-line skirt, and c) in a shade of purple. That shouldn’t be too difficult…right…?

WRONG!

Finding a dress in a shade of purple was ridiculous. Everything at the brink of summertime was either turquoise, yellow, or a tangerine/coral color. I know, I know…those colors were “in”—but I mean, COME ON!!! Is it too hard to ask for a little variety, fashion chains? Do I have to pick from eight different versions of the same sleeveless orange dress? Could we divert a little from maxi dresses or dresses with pencil skirts for those of us with a little more junk in the trunk who don’t want to look like we’ve been swallowed in a mumu or packed in like a sausage? *Insert eye-roll here.*

After hours upon hours upon HOURS of scouring both brick-and-mortar stores and some online ones, I decided to forgo my original idea to wear purple. Instead I thought maybe a nice, bright white dress would look good. It would make my skin tone stand out, it would lend itself toward being a little more ”bridal,” AND it would be re-wearable for things like bridal showers and all that jazz. I found one online from JC Penney that I really liked because it seemed like it would be fairly casual but could be dressed up with the right accessories if I wanted it to be that way. I loved the little eyelets on it, it had sleeves, and the belt was totally cute. I placed my order and waited anxiously for the mailman to drop it at my door.

ICE White Eyelet Shirt Dress with Roll Cuffs from JCP (No longer available online)

When it finally did arrive a few days later, I ripped it open, threw it on, and…

It didn’t fit.

People, it was WAY too small. It wouldn’t even button over the bust area, and everywhere else it just looked a little wonky. I was so disappointed, I threw it on a hanger and shoved it into my closet and never looked at it again.

OK, not really.

Actually, it gave me motivation to keep up with my diet and exercise so that HOPEFULLY I’ll be able to wear it to some wedding-related events later down the road (like possibly showers or the rehearsal or whatever). So, it’s still sitting in my closet awaiting the smaller version of me! But that still didn’t solve the problem at hand—I needed an engagement-picture dress!

Next, I decided to try Macy’s. I’ve had good luck purchasing dresses from them in the past and typically like the quality of their clothes. I found a pretty little floral-print dress with fluttery sleeves for a decent price, and thought I’d struck gold. Know why? It was PURPLE!

Style&co. Flutter Sleeve Printed Empire Dress from Macy’s (No longer available online)

I really thought this was going to be it! The colors were super pretty, the sleeves were fantastic, and the length seemed perfect. My optimism was practically boiling over as I ripped it from its package and slipped it on, looked in the mirror, and!—my face fell.

This one was too big! Seriously, it looked like a big flowery sack. Not exactly the look I was going for.

I felt like I was suffering from Goldilocks syndrome. Was there nothing that would fit this crazy body of mine?

At this point, I dragged my mom and the mister into the “Great Dress Search.” We scoured the net for hours, showing each other different dresses we’d found that may or may not have matched the criteria I was looking for. From HSN to Victoria’s Secret, NOTHING was standing out to me. And it was starting to get down to the wire because engagement pictures were literally right around the corner.

In a random stroke of luck (and perhaps a little “divine intervention”), I decided to once more browse JCP.com to see if maybe they’d added any “new arrivals” to their dress options. And it was there, ladies and gentlemen, that I found a dress that matched not one, not two, but ALL of the requirements I’ve been looking for.

AND it made me look like quite the curvy bombshell.

That, my friends, is what we call success.

I’m not going to reveal the dress until I share our engagement pictures, but I promise it’s FABULOUS!