I often find myself browsing through old photographs, reminiscing about the "good ol' days" as I'm sure many of us do. As I was looking at where I was a year ago, all the memories of finding a wedding dress came flooding back to me. It seems as though for most girls it is a magical experience full of joy and celebration. Me? Not so much. I'm sure many LDS girls can relate to the challenge of finding a modest dress that isn't just another cookie cutter square neck, A-line dress. Don't get me wrong, there are many beautiful square neck, A-line dresses, but I just knew it wasn't for me. I also knew that I HAD to find my dress in the few days I had in Utah or the hunt was going to become increasingly more difficult. And pardon me if I seem a little dramatic, but this IS a wedding dress we're talking about; only the single most important dress of your life! :)
So, I don't know if any of you really care, but let me share my adventure now that Ryan has seen "the dress" and the rest really doesn't matter.
I started off trying on dresses just to see what style I liked. Actually, I knew I liked the more fitted style, I just wanted to make sure that style liked me!
From L -> R:
1. In looking at the website, I thought this was THE DRESS. I loved it on the model but I was not such a fan of it on myself.
2. More just for fun, I knew I would never have a skirt that full!
3. As you can tell, the mermaid style isn't exactly designed for moving. Gorgeous, just not practical!
4. and 5. I loved these last two and decided that ruching was definitely for me!
This store was a total bust, but at least I had some good company! It was a little Latino lady in Omaha who owned her own store with a small selection of modest gowns in addition to quincinera dresses.
Another store in Omaha that had a few modest dresses, but it's a little difficult to get the picture when they're size 14!
Finally, I was able to go to Utah over Thanksgiving and look for dresses that might actually work. I went to three stores with three of my sisters and found some really pretty dresses! But, I just didn't have that "This is it!!" feeling. My sisters loved the first dress below and the second is actually almost identical to the dress I chose, but somehow this one just wasn't it!
I absolutely fell in love with this first dress! Its high neck line with lace from head to toe was just gorgeous. But as much as I loved it, it again, just wasn't me!
The last store we went to had NO dresses for me. I didn't even try them on. They were all frilly and fluffy and beaded and so not me. At this point I was incredibly frustrated because I wanted a dress, dagnabit!!
After a full day of dress shopping, my time in Salt Lake was up and Ryan and I were off to St. George. On the drive down we stopped at the home of the Tucketts who were missionaries serving in Australia while I was there. They are just the sweetest couple and I just love them! Anyway, she insisted that I try one more store. She said that every bride she knows has fallen in love with a dress at that store. I really was not in the mood to try on any more dresses, especially by myself because Ryan sure as heck wasn't coming with. But, he promised Sister Tuckett that I would go, and he was not letting me get out of it. I walked into the store knowing exactly what I wanted and I told them that I didn't want to try on any dresses that didn't fit my specifications. So, my attendant, named Marisa (just like my sister, and she had a sister named Caitlin!), pulled two dresses. The first was nice, but no 'wow' factor for me. Then, there it was. Dress number two in all its glory! I was in love! I knew that was the one!! But, I had no one to share my excitement with. So there I stood, beaming at myself in the mirror. Yes, while the loneliness was a bit of a bummer, it didn't matter. I had MY dress. And it was being discontinued and it was the only one left in the store and happened to be in just my perfect size. I think it was meant to be. :)
