Wedding: A dress with persona

stolen from FB. hah thnx Tin!

Meet my recently married cousin overseas in PI and her amazing wedding dress. I really wish I could pull off a little hat like that. Tee...its so dainty! I love the details in this dress. So much personality, from the piping to the ruching and don't forget the black cap sleeves. Amazingness must run in the family ;) Well done cuz!

Wedding: 3rd Times a Charm

So last wedding post I left you with was about a dress outing to All the Rage at Hilltop. But I have been a bad lil blogger and have not updated you on such important events as PURCHASING A DRESS! WEE! I knew I'd be buying a dress there because it was a perfect mix of both my experience at Pure English and David's Bridal. It wasn't overly priced as Pure English, but I felt more like a valued customer than at David's Bridal. I felt like a bride but not a stuffy couture bride, bc thats not me in spirit or in what I'm willing to spend. The sales ladies are very helpful, but they let you breathe and let you pick out what you want to see, while still being helpful and picking things that you might not think of trying on.

I think I was also set on buying on this trip because I was just tired of searching. You'd think searching for something like your bridal gown would be something you wouldn't get tired of. But it is a tiring process. The search, the trying on, the coordinating everyone else's schedules. I just wanted to be done with it and check another thing off my list.

At first I was having second thoughts about my dress. Mainly bc I wasted my "this is it" dress feeling on a Paloma Blanca dress not in my budget (pictured right). But after much thought I realized that I am happy with the dress I purchased. It fit all the criteria of style, fit, and price. As mentioned before, I won't be posting my actual dress bc my fiance is a very supportive fiance and visits my blog every now and again. But I will tell you what my criteria was and that it is a Maggie Sottero dress. Also, I'll post some of the other contenders that didn't quite make the cut.

Criteria:
Lace
Cap sleeves or key hole back
A-line, sheath or trumpet shape
Light-weight for my summer barn wedding.
Vintage feel
Non-traditional
No satin

some Pure English Dresses:

a bit too simple for me...

not quite digging the asymmetrical sleeves...

I liked the gathering detail at the waist, but the all over lace
was a bit heavy and looked a bit matronly in person.

some David's Bridal Dresses:

I loved how this dress looked on me and it would've been perfect
for a barn wedding but I wasn't willing to pay $500 for a short dress...
it makes me look like i have a teeny waist :)

Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of the dresses I tried on at All the Rage. As I said I was kind of tired of the dress search and I think my MOH was too, so we didn't even remember to take pics until we came to the dress I ended up purchasing. But I had an overall great experience at ATR. I felt their service, selection, and prices made it an overall good buying experience.

Wedding: Dress Search Part 1

As far as wedding planning goes, right now I am searching for my "it" dress. Unfortunately, I want my dress to be a big surprise for everyone except my lovely mother and bridesmaids, so I won't be posting pics of what I have been trying on. That and the fiance does occasionally read my blog (such a supportive fiance isn't he?). I will be posting and sharing my experiences though. Hopefully it helps other brides in the area figure out where they want to shop.


My first stop I went to was Pure English at Hilltop, in La Promenade shopping center. I knew I was going to a higher end boutique that sold designer gowns but I'm glad I did. I am glad I got that movie-esque experience of trying on wedding dresses where the attendant helps you in and out of the gown. Mind you at Pure English you change in front of whoever you bring, so you may want to keep that in mind :P The sales lady was very helpful but she seemed a bit short tempered with my daughter. So I suggest not bringing little ones. I did find a wonderful, wonderful dress. But of course it is more than I am willing to spend. So beware if you do want the quintessential dress shopping experience do visit a higher end boutique. But be careful, you very well may fall in love with a dress out of your price range.


Secondly, I visited David's Bridal. The ladies were sooo friendly. I suggest going to their website and adding dresses you like to your "Wish List," then print it out and hand it to your sales lady on the day of your appointment. I did this and the process went by so much faster. I already knew that I liked all the dresses on the list so I wasn't wasting time with dresses that just weren't what I was looking for. Once she got an idea of my style she felt comfortable enough picking dresses in the store for me and she did quite a good job at it too. Keep in mind David's Bridal is off the rack, so yes it is much cheaper but you are getting what you pay for. You may be buying a dress that hundreds of other ladies have tried on so you want to keep in mind the cost for alterations like bead tightening and such. But I was pleasantly surprised with their selection and prices. Unfortunately, none of the dresses really got me overly excited, so for now the search goes on.