The wedding...right! That's still happening, I promise. Venue drama has continued and we're just waiting patiently at this point. However it wasn't so patiently because I got the itch to go wedding dress shopping last month. I knew that it was going to be one of my only chances to go with with my family while we were in New York for Thanksgiving, so I had to do it, sans location, date and all.
There are no wedding dress shops in Lake Placid, so we decided to go down to Saratoga to do the shopping. We went to Lily Saratoga and Something Bleu. They were both great experiences, in their different ways, but I ended up buying my dress at Something Bleu. The boutique fit my personality much better and it ended up being a great experience. Honestly, I was a nervous wreck the entire day. I wasn't dreading the experience, but I was a little stressed that I wouldn't find anything that I liked, or if I did it wouldn't be in my budget. I am an awful decision maker and that was hanging over my head all day, almost setting myself up for disaster.
Of course I'm not going to tell you about my dress! That would just be insane. Instead, I'll leave you with a few things that I learned from the day and some of my favorites from Pinterest, and hopefully they will help you out someday when you're having that amazing experience.
1. Going with a group is ok. It's your day, go with whoever the heck you want. I brought my mom, sister, grandma, MJW's mom, two aunts and two cousins. So we might have looked a little nuts when we all piled out of the cars and into the bridal shop, but I wouldn't have done it any other way. I appreciate and respect all of their opinions and I warned them that if anyone got on my nerves, I'd send them Christmas shopping. It was incredible seeing everyone's expression when I tried on "the dress" and seeing a mutual YES on everyone's faces.
2. Try on everything. I was dead set on not getting a strapless dress. I tried a few on, they looked pretty good, and when it was down to two dresses, one of them was strapless. Just try it all on...princess gowns, mermaid, a-line, etc. You have to figure out what dress shape works best for you because I promise you, it will look a lot different on you than on the page of a magazine.
3. Trust your gut, but be patient. The dress that I ended up buying was the very first dress that I tried on at the second appointment. I knew that it was going to be a high contender, and even potentially "the dress", but we all decided that we needed to try on a few more. I ended up trying on about six other dresses and then had it down to the first one and the infamous strapless gown. Once you get that feeling that you love a dress, hold on to it, but push through the appointment.
4. Don't sleep on it. So many times in my life have I left a dress, shirt, pants, shoes, whatever back in the store because I wanted to sleep on it. More often than not, I never go back and I just always dream about how awesome that particular item was. Don't regret leaving the dress on the rack. In my case, I actually had to buy the dress right off the rack and if I went home to sleep on it, it might not be there in the morning. I knew that this was the dress I would be dreaming about when I got home, so I whipped out the credit card right then and there.
5. A glass of wine is necessary. My nerves got the best of me at my first appointment. I had a glass of wine with lunch and, like magic, the nerves were gone. Just one glass though...no one wants a tipsy bride just yet.
The best thing that I can tell you is that everything will end up the way it's suppose to be. Unless you watch Say Yes To The Dress on repeat (which I may or may not have over the past year) you rarely see someone who hates their wedding dress. Everyone has their own way of approaching the process. For me, it was get in and get out...or stress over the next few months about leaving the perfect dress on the rack!
