The Perfect Dress, Part Two

Part One

Dress shopping wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. I tried on a million dresses and, until the end, I couldn't find anything overwhelmingly wonderful and yet there were very few that I wanted to rip off my body out of disgust. I never had one of those angels calling down from the heavens, proclaiming one dress to be "the one." I started to get a little overwhelmed after my first trip out. I really thought this would be easier. I did find an amazing dress that I have a major crush on and, even without the angels, I think that it is perfect for me.

Due to my long engagement, I put off looking for dresses until I was just under a year out. I had a feeling that once I laid down my credit card, I would find another dress that I loved and I would kick myself for buying early. I spent some time with wedding magazines and websites in an attempt to narrow the list down a little bit. I wasn't stuck to any particular brand and I was planning to visit sample stores, but I really loved Melissa Sweet, Jenny Lee and Vera Wang. I felt like these designers were low on sparkles and glitz, but still creative and beautiful. I wanted classic, maybe lace, maybe straps, definitely ivory. My team included my mom and my sister, although one of my very honest bridesmaids came with when I found my perfect dress.

My mom, sister and I went to Priscilla of Boston in Oak Brook to check out Melissa Sweet's line. I loved Dora, Sydney and Valentino. Lucky for me, they let me take pictures so that I could go home and stare at them for days.

Dora front and back. So flowy...

Sidney

Valentino

Dora has these little tiny polka dots all over it. It flowed and swished around me while I walked. My mom thought it was a little too "booby," although it was hard to tell what it would look like once altered. Those huge Home Depot clamps weren't cutting it. Sidney looks kinda ugly in all my pictures, but it was really quite pretty. There were layers upon layers of tulle. I would have lost that sash, however, because it didn't want to sit right and it seemed a little superfluous with all that gorgeous rouching. Valentino was very fitted with gorgeous lace everywhere. I loved the neckline, although it was also decidedly booby. This dress made me decide that I did want the big poofy bottom that I didn't think was necessary. Hmmm... I still get a warm fuzzy thinking about Valentino.

My next trip to a "new dress" store was A L'Amour Bridal Boutique in Barrington. They carried Jenny Lee as well as a long list of other brands. I am not positive that this is the same dress, because they wouldn't let me take pictures, but this little beauty stuck in my mind.

The fabric was amazing and I loved the way it fit around my waist. The skirt was also kind of unique because the train attached at the waistline. It was quite full, so you couldn't tell that it was separate from the skirt, but it made it much easier to walk in. I couldn't keep my hands off it. It was a bit out of my price range, however, so I decided to go home and sleep on it. I woke up deciding that I wanted to keep looking.

Next up, the sample shops. There are quite a few great ones in the Chicago area and my mom and I spent lots of time in them.