it's official - i have the dress!
sandra, my bosom friend (haha...anne!) from spokane flew into dayton this weekend to help me shop. i was so incredibly thankful that she was able to come, because the though of finding a wedding dress on my own seemed impossible. i have a few people in town i could ask to come with me, but no one who knows me so completely as any of my redheads, punx, bran buds or stepping stone gals. and you all know me...i'm incapable of buying shoes without a second opinion.
my roomate katheen informed me of a bridal district just outside of cincinnati that happened to be having several trunk sales this weekend. i wasn't sure if the dresses were going to be in my price range at these boutiques, but though it was a great place to start getting a vision for what i'd like my wedding dress to be.
i made a list of stores that i wanted to see, but for some reason just felt that i wanted to start at the third store i'd listed, wendy's cininnati bride. sandra and i went into this store and were smacked in the face by the sea of white dresses before us. we were approached by a consultant named lameese who, when informed of the time frame and price point, was able to give us two sections to focus on. i let her know what theme we were going for - vintage rustic in a modern way - but i think she only heard vintage rustic. she let sandra and i loose to pull dresses and pulled a few herself.
i didn't know exactly what i was looking for, but knew that i liked textural elements such as old-fashioned lace and ruching. we pulled a few dresses that piqued my interest, but i felt i wasn't being decerning enough in my selections. a champagne colored gown with ruching and a flower on the side caught my eye and sandra said i should try it, but i left it on the rack saying "i can come back later if i don't find more i like." we came upon a very similar dress in white a few racks down, and sandra told me that this was the type of dress she'd envisioned me in. i laughed and informed her that katie, my oldest friend, had the exact same idea as her. i said agreed to try it and sandra said, "this is really similar to the dress we left on the rack. do you want to try that one too?" i said "yeah, let's do it" and so she added those two to our rack.
the first dress i tried on was one selected by lameese. it was a beautiful a-line, vintage lace and beaded gown. it had a long train with a flat ruffle flair at the bottom. it was very pretty and had the vintage vibe for sure, but i just didn't feel like myself in it. the a-line shape does not compliment my hip-less figure, and the beading was not me at all. lameese was trying very hard to sell me on this dress, but it sandra and i knew it was totally wrong.
the second dress i put on was sandra's selection. its fit-and-flair style complimented and enhanced my figure. this dress made me feel confident, elegant and sexy. the ruching was more modern and youthful and fit my personality better. but this dress was just lacking something...special. we tried a few accessories with it but eventually headed back to the changing room to try another gown.
having found a direction i liked, i decided to try on the similar champagne gown. its ruching was slightly different, and it had a bubble hem and sweetheart neckline. when i stepped out in this dress, i was amazed by how i looked. it the same shape, but with a few more elements...it was the next level. we put on a beaded belt and i began to realize that this was the dress. i knew i wanted a birdcage veil, so i donned one with a flower in my hair. the sweetheart neckline with the birdcage was perfect, but the combination of the belt and the veil was too much. we took of the belt and i just knew this was my dress. it's modern and youthful, but the sweetheart neckline and veil give it a vintage vibe. and the length is perfect for an outdoor wedding.
i order it right then and there, but chose ivory over champagne to compliment my hair and skin tone. they're ordering it, and it will get here a month before the wedding. that doesn't leave much time for tailoring (it'll need to be taken in a bit and a bustle added) but they said they'll get it done in time. i'm so incredibly excited! i love the dress...and i wish it was here now!
all the big ticket items are done, and only two weeks into the engagement! i'm able to sleep again at night and am not waking up, dwelling on the details and imporant things i still need to arrange. i think that God brought this together so quickly so that i'd be able to be at peace. and now, as lucinda says, it's time to sit back and just enjoy being engaged. <3
161 days until the wedding!
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