A Short Journey to Say Yes to the Dress

I'll go ahead and tell you guys this now - I won't be sharing pictures of my dress until after the wedding. 

I really just don't want any pictures floating around before the wedding, and a certain grandmother would kill me if I shared what it looked like. I will share a little about the process, and some pictures of some I did not choose, and I promise there will be pictures galore after the big day ;)

I began my journey, accompanied by my MOH L (I'll formally introduce y'all soon :) ), with a few pictures of dresses I liked in hand, and a general idea of what I wanted. However, I had never tried on a wedding dress before, and it’s been a while since I shopped for prom or any type of formal gown, so I was expecting to try on different styles to see what I liked best. I went in thinking I’d really like something with lace and nothing too over the top or extravagant. I did want some drama in the back though, with a long train and pretty details - something like these beauties:

Maggie Sottero, Presca Marie / Image via Maggie Sottero

Casablanca 2004 / Image via Casablanca

The first place we visited was a really neat boutique in the Uptown area of Dallas called LuLu’s. The prices were great, the service was great – I was helped by Sharon, and overall, I was really happy with the experience.

Image via LuLu's Boutique

Because they don’t take appointments, we had to wait about 30 minutes before someone was available to help. Luckily it was our first stop, so we were excited to be there and spent most of the time browsing through bridesmaids dresses upstairs while we waited.

Mori Lee 1223/ Image via Mori Lee

Another contender, Casablanca 2038 / Image via Casablanca

My favorite at LuLu's was actually the very first dress I tried on, the Mori Lee 1223. Not exactly what I was expecting myself to like, but it had all-over lace, simple beading on the bodice, and a lot of wow factor in the back. None of the others at LuLu’s could beat this one for me. It got to the point where I would slip the dress on, and before Sharon was done zipping or lacing, I could already tell it couldn't beat the Mori Lee. I left with that dress as my number one, and headed to our appointment at Stardust Celebrations. Stardust Celebrations and LuLu’s are actually owned by the same person; Stardust carries more couture and higher end gowns, but they have a nice room with a selection of lower prices as well. 

Image via Stardust Celebrations

None of the dresses I tried there really made an impression until I tried on the James Clifford J11231. Again, not really what I was expecting, but I was impressed. This dress had less of the lace, and was a ballgown style, something I didn’t think I would care for on myself. I was pleasantly surprised though, and left with another favorite. At this point, I felt pretty equal about both dresses - neither really "won" over the others, and in my mind, this meant I hadn't found my dress yet. 

James Clifford J11231 / Image via James Clifford

The next day, I decided to go try a few more dresses on my own. I knew I would have to get the approval of MOH L if I found one I liked, but I wanted to do some more shopping. I headed to Lasting Bridal Couture in Addison. I was helped by Sarah, who I loved, and there was only one other bride trying on gowns - another plus. This Justin Alexander was one of the first dresses Sarah pulled for me. It was beautiful, but once I had it on it wasn't giving me that wow factor. Another contender was the Casablanca 2017. Again, it was beautiful, and very flattering on, but in the end it just wasn't my dress.

Justin Alexander 8557 via Justin Alexander

After trying on 5 or 6 others, none of which were really worth mentioning, I stumbled across a beautiful dress I fell in love with. I was floored. It didn't matter than I had just started looking the day before - I knew it was the one. However, I had to get the final approval from a few others. So, MOH L, Grandmother Coach, and I returned to the shop, where they fell in love with the dress as much as I did, and I said yes to the dress! I can't wait to share it with you all :)

Just a side note: all of these places did allow pictures to be taken, but I wasn't anticipating getting to share pictures with all of you, so the only good pictures I have are of my actual dress, not the other choices.

Now, tell me about your dress! Was it what you expected yourself to like, or were you completely surprised by what you liked when you started trying on those beautiful white gowns? Anyone else find their dress so quickly?