I said yes to the dress!
in a very unexpected turn of events, I officially have ordered my wedding dress!!! WAY earlier than I expected, I mean I had another appointment scheduled for september that now needs to be cancelled.
*okay also, so that there are no disappointments, I’m not sharing my dress until the wedding. there are no pictures here, and i’ll only give out the information that Don knows!
my mom, my best friend (and MOH), and her mom (aka my other mom) accompanied me to BHLDN over the weekend. of course, we stopped by terrain café for cocktails and a quick bite to eat first! ps the seasonal sangria that’s currently offered was delicious, 10/10 recommend.
we sat down with my consultant, went over a few more details, and sipped on champagne. my consultant was beyond helpful, pulling picks I pre-selected online, and showing me other gowns that would fit my style, or just to have me try it on to see how I felt about the silhouette (keep that last bit in mind).
just so we’re all on the same page - my ideal dress going in to the appointment: A-line or ballgown, sleeved, could be any color (not keen on white, though), lots and lots of tulle or sparkle, and preferably a chapel length train.
selections in tow, we went back to the dressing room area, and my MOH helped me try on the first dress! i’ll note here that for any future brides, one tip I heard was to wear nude undergarments, and comfortable clothes that you can easily get in and out of. I did just that for both of my visits, and found that it made things go fairly smoothly!
outfit linked! tap the photo
we had 5 dresses (plus one skirt, for my farewell brunch) in the dressing room, and we arranged them from least favorite to favorite. the dress my consultant pulled, the one that I was to try on just for the silhouette, was first, and my favorite, blush colored incredibly embellished pick was last. with my MOH there to zip me up and carry the train, we stepped out to the area where our moms were sitting, and I stepped up onto the little pedestal, like i’ve seen done in the 3784873928 episodes of ‘say yes to the dress’ i’ve watched over the years.
the strangest feeling came over me? I truly, honestly, felt like royalty. I don’t know how else to describe it, it was almost euphoric. but it was the first dress, and I figured I was just excited to feel like a bride. so off it went, and we repeated with the next few. it was very simple, so the consultant added a sash for embellishment. made a huge difference.
I knew I wanted a dress with sleeves, so that was next. it was gorgeous on the hanger, but I joked that it made me look like a victorian ghost bride. next.
next up was an almond colored, beautiful, lacy, tulle-y number with an elegant train. pretty, but I didn’t feel anything when I saw myself in the mirror.
rinse and repeat until we got to my FAVORITE pick - the blush, super detailed wide strap dress. I reminded my MOH that it was my favorite, and that I was so excited to wear it! she helped me into it, and as soon as I saw myself in the mirror, I turned to her and said “Katie, it looks like a prom dress.” and she (politely, of course) agreed. I walked out, and our moms said the same thing.
surprisingly, I asked the consultant if I could try on the first one again. it was only partially what I wanted - it was definitely a ballgown with a train, but no sleeves, and it was actually…white. I put it back on, and the butterflies came back. I felt like an absolute princess. we added a sash, veil, and tiara, and that was it. I was done.
I slept on it, looked online at a few other dresses, browsed the location for my september appointments, but when I closed my eyes, I just saw that first dress. so I booked another appointment to see it again. even before the sash, veil, and tiara, once I put it on, it felt like home. does that make sense? it just felt right. and after we added those pieces again? forget it. I was handed the “I said ‘yes’ to the dress” sign, snapped a few pictures in the look, and officially placed my order. it’s really happening, I have my wedding dress!!
dress and similar shoes are linked! (tap the photo)
