A year ago...

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. :)