Wedding Dress Shopping: Finding “The One” on Day One

I’m not a big shopper. I like to buy things for myself every once in awhile, but I’ve never enjoyed all day shopping sprees or browsing around the mall. Wedding dress shopping was a little different story. I was SOOOO excited to go!

I made an appointment at our local bridal shop, The Wedding Bell. They book in two hour appointments and you get to bring four people. I brought my mom, my soon-to-be-mother-in-law, best friend since 2nd grade, and a college friend. Thera, my bridal consultant, was excellent.

First, Thera had me try on four dresses to know what style I liked. Tip: wear a strapless bra and full coverage underwear (like boy shorts) because you’ll be changing in to many dresses. Originally, I wanted a fit-and-flare, but I learned there were multiple cuts of fit-and-flare. My favorite wedding dress was an A-line fit-and-flare. I have always loved lace and vintage styles. And I hate ball gowns. It was fun to try one on, but I felt ridiculous. With each dress I tried, Thera asked me what I liked and didn’t like in order to find a better match in the next dress.


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I tried the fifth wedding dress on in the fitting room and fell in love. I was looking at each dress with a critical eye and logical mind. My mothers and friends though, were more emotional. I walked out of the fitting room, stood on the pedestal, and admired the dress. Then, I heard some sniffling and turned around to see everyone crying! I didn’t expect to see that! Not going to lie, it was a great feeling seeing my closet women so involved and excited about it. That’s when I knew I found the right dress. I loved it and the four women confirmed it.

After about 2 hours of shopping, four of us went to lunch and I thought about the dress. We talked about it and discussed other things, but the whole time I kept thinking how badly I wanted that dress. My mother-in-law surprised us by purchasing mimosas to celebrate the occasion. We walked back to the shop after lunch and I bought it. I couldn’t have been happier! The price was right in my budget. Actually, she didn’t have me try on anything that wasn’t in my budget, which was great.

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Some women shop at multiple places to ensure the right decision. For me, I felt like I knew it was the perfect dress. I’m sure if I shopped other places I would have found other dresses I liked, but I doubt they’d be that much better than this one and still be in my budget. I think with more shopping, I’d actually be more overwhelmed.

Wedding Dress