Say Yes to the Damn Dress, Already!

I am certainly not the first blogger to rip off the name of the TLC show we all know and love (and some of us love to hate), but the title is fitting, for two reasons: (1) I am obsessed with this show, even though my dress has been purchased, and (2) It took me a while to finally say yes, and it was pretty unexpected when I did.

Remember that episode of SYTTD where one of the brides says she wants to try on every dress available to be sure she's getting the best one? One of the staff members compares dress shopping to finding a mate - you don't keep dating after you meet the one, just be "be sure." You trust your gut and just take it on faith sometimes that he's the one.

Well, I could easily have been that bride. Or close. You see, while I didn't need to try on every dress, I definitely wanted to see everything that was out there before making a decision. Bridal magazines, designer websites, preowned dress sites, message boards - you name it, I was using it for to find out what styles were out there, what they cost, and what they looked like on real women. If nothing else, I was armed to the hilt with information.

Unfortunately, I also had a budget. Mr. McBriderson (Groomey, if you will) and I had many discussions about the overall budget for our wedding and about what a wedding dress really costs. By demonstrating to him how much some designer dresses cost, I was able to get him to agree to half that number for my dress budget. Master negotiator, I am not. However, I felt confident that, based on my extensive research, I could find a new gown I loved, or a used higher-end gown for that price.

Finally, I had requirements. A whole bunch. First, no polyester. I don't like the way it falls on many dresses (especially taffeta) and I don't wear it in my everyday life - why should I wear it for my wedding? Plus, based on my research, I knew that there were several designers who sold silk dresses at or below my budget (Marisa Bridals is one, for example).

Second, the gown had to have pizazz. Not "pizazz" like a lot of rhinestones, tons of beading, or jazz hands. Pizazz as in, it had to have something "special" to it. I am just not an A-line girl. If it was to be a traditional shape, it had to have a full skirt. If it was to be a mermaid or trumpet, it had to have a poof at the bottom. There had to be drama of some sort.

Third, the gown had to be appropriate for my wedding, with its outdoor ceremony and modern, understated ballroom. This meant all the pretty gowns with rhinestone detailing I loved just wouldn't cut it.



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This Kenneth Pool gown looked great on me but was a sad casualty of Requirement #3

What was your vision for your gown? Did you employ a systematic approach to shopping?