Don't freak out everyone...that's not the dress I chose. Take a deep breath because my dress really isn't even similar to that one. But it's the only picture of a dress that I got yesterday that isn't the one. I am trying my best to keep the other dress under wraps until the big day from just about everyone besides some very close family & friends :)...AKA don't ask to see a picture unless I offer because I'll probably say no & then feelings might get hurt! Just figured I'd show you all kind of what the experience was like! I'm glad that I got a ton of pictures of the dress though because my parents & friends were all taking lots of illegal pictures. Hah!
My mom & I had an appointment yesterday at Bride Beautiful in Sandy Springs at 10 A.M. I wasn't even planning on going to this store...until I got an email Thursday about a trunk sale they were having on Sunday (today). I decided that I would go before meeting up with everyone else to check the place out & see if any of their sample sizes fit me or if I liked any of the dresses on sale (some of them discounted up to $1,000). When we walked in, I was shocked at how rude one of the women at the front desk was. I felt like she was laughing at us the whole time & was afraid that she would be our consultant...thank goodness she wasn't. The place was also super crowded & my mom didn't really have a place to sit & "watch" me try on dresses, so she just came with me everywhere. A nice lady, Jala, was the one consultant assigned to help me. She gave me 5 blue clothespins (her color) & told me to clip the dresses that I liked & wanted to try on the most & that she would also be pulling a few that she thought I would like & that I would look good in. I liked a few that I pulled (mostly from what I had seen in wedding magazines) & some were downright terrible on me. It was a bummer to realize that stuff I had liked in pictures didn't look like I expected in person. So my consultant brought in one that she pulled for me, a type that I thought would look awful on a petite frame like mine. It wound up looking good, but was a little too plain for the look I'm going for. As I was changing, she came in with another dress...one that I wanted to ask her if she was crazy for bringing. I thought there was no way that I would like it, but I put it on, took one look in the mirror and fell in LOVE. Seriously. I did not want to take this dress off! Then, she grabbed the veil that matched & "jacked me up" as Monte would say on Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta. Man, that did it for me. Unfortunately, by that time we were running late for lunch with everyone & had to get ready to leave.
We met up with my dad, Haley & Kera at Olive Garden at the Mall of Georgia (after dad randomly passed us on 85 & I scared the crap out of him by honking). We had a good meal accompanied by the craziness that is Haley Rae Davis who made sure to "keep it spicy" by asking what undergarments I was wearing in front of my dad. Thanks for that, friend! ;)
After a fun lunch, we headed to Charme Bridal & Prom in Buford for our 1:30 appointment. I went in to it afraid that I wouldn't find anything to rival the other dress & ended up being right in that instinct. For one thing, the selection there was a lot smaller & the consultant was not as knowledgeable or helpful. I pulled a few dresses I wanted to try & started trying on. Nothing worked like I thought it would from pictures. The consultant tried pulling a few more, but it was like she had no idea what I wanted & wasn't listening to what I wanted/didn't want. This was compounded that it seemed like the appointments were double-booked because there was only one place for girls with dresses on to stand/model them, and I was sharing the space with another bride. Not that this is a bad thing, but everyone from her group was giving me the dirtiest looks ever when I was up on the stand. Rude. The consultant finally picked a dress that I sort of liked (even though it had beads down the sides, which I can't stand because my arms are so sensitive & it makes the dress so heavy) & that everyone else was a big fan of--see picture above. This made me confused because I didn't get the same feeling in that one at all as I did the first one that I loved. Finally, mom suggested that we take everyone else to the first store so that they could see it & help me decide...or confirm the decision that had already been made...instead of going to a third store that carries most of the same brands as the other two.
The one good thing about going to Charme was that we found a veil that I liked a lot better than the one at BB, was cheaper & still matched my dress. It's like half the price of the other one, so we'll probably end up buying the veil from there :)
I called our consultant to make sure it was okay for us to come back by & try the dress on again. The place was even more of a zoo by the time we arrived at 4. It was a lot more crowded, but luckily there was a place for everyone to sit. Walking in, I was so excited to put the dress back on & could. not. wait. I got the dress back on & waited for the consultant to bring the veil again until I went out to show everyone. The minute I walked out onto the floor, everyone agreed that this was the one. They all told me that it was so me, that it totally went with the theme of my wedding & they all came up onto the stage with me to look at it closer. To seal the deal, our consultant brought out jewelry to go with it & "jacked me up" for a second time. This was one of the most special moments of the day, surrounded by people I love that love me in agreeance with me that this dress is perfect. The one thing that I want for this dress is for it to knock Anthony off his feet when he sees me & have one of those "Pinterest" reactions. It's going to be so hard to keep the dress under wraps for almost 10 months (I'm a terrible secret-keeper/surpriser). I'm not going to look anymore & as soon as I find a pair of shoes to get measured with, mom & I are going back to order it! I'm saying YES to the dress!!! They have to measure for height before they order it because it is a lot cheaper & more practical for the manufacturer to cut the dress for my height than it is to have it altered (which is practically impossible with this style & fabric). After that, the dress will take 7 months to come in & will need at least 6 weeks for alterations. I guess that's why they say to buy your dress at least 9 months in advance :)
After looking at wedding dresses, we started to poke around in the bridesmaids & mother-of-the-bride section. We decided that the best fabric for the BMs will be chiffon because of how hot it will be on the wedding day (it is a cool fabric & doesn't show sweat). While trying to settle on a color and style, my mom started poking around at dresses too & even tried a few on. I definitely want her in the deep red (Claret) that goes perfectly with the blue that I want & our consultant was kind enough to give us a swatch of the fabric for references. I think I've decided that I want both of the moms in this red color & all of the grandmothers in a dark tealish/turquoise. I just keep getting more & more excited about the day that is rapidly approaching faster than I can keep track!
Really quickly, I just wanted to thank the four of you for coming out yesterday (if you're reading this)!! It meant so much to me that you were there suppurting me & were able to share that special day with me! I love each of you very much :)
Anyway, when I started to go to bed last night I saw one of the dresses I got on sale (for $25) at Priscilla of Boston (I originally bought it to wear at Christmastime) hanging in my closet door. I noticed it was this exact same color as the swatch & then got to thinking. My mom & I wear the same size now (she's lost a little weight & I've gained a little)...the dress was way too long for me to begin with & she's at least half a foot taller than me. On a whim, I brought the dress downstairs & made her try it on. What do you know...it fit her like a glove & looked great on her. She's still not convinced that it's what she wants to wear to my wedding, but for now I'm saying yes to this dress for her! You can see a picture of it below (don't tell her I put it up online!)...she's on the left & I'm on the right :)
P.S. Here are a few of the dresses that I had picked out from magazines/online that didn't make the cut (the shorter ones are ones that I was considering for the Rehearsal Dinner):
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