Wedding Dress Conundrum
Ever since Mike and I got engaged we haven't really done much wedding planning, primarily because we haven't set a date yet. Mike wants to wait until we've saved enough money, or have some idea of what kind of money we'll have, before setting a date. I haven't complained about it, since I understand the rationale, but I have been really itching to start making plans of some sort. Now it's turned into a kind of "be careful what you wish for situation." I went wedding dress shopping this weekend and I'm more confused than ever.
So cue Ciara's "Click Flash" as I do my own self-indulgent wedding dress montage (Sex and the City: The Movie reference.) Long post is long and full of pictures.
The first time we went dress shopping, or more like browsing, I had it pretty much narrowed down to 2 dresses.
The first one I kind of liked. It was one of the only dresses I tried on in white and I really loved the color on me. I think my liking of it was spurred on by it being the first dress I tried on and that Martha and Jean really loved it.
The second dress was something I didn't really like about too much when the consultant picked it out. But jean thought it looked nice and I thought it looked good so I went with it. The more it hung there as I tried on other dresses, the more I found myself constantly looking at it and really loving it. I love, love, love lace so that helped. When I tried it on, I looked down and really loved the lace. And when I went out to Jean and Martha they cried and I liked it even more. But there were other dresses I liked in the catalog and wanted to try on so I didn't want to commit to it. Plus, I've been watching a lot of bride shows like Say Yes to the Dress (which Mike actually watches with me sometimes and actually likes) and I didn't have that "Yes! This is my dress" moment yet.
So on Saturday I went with my mother, Jean, and my mom brought my brother since she doesn't like to travel alone (I felt bad for him he was soooooo bored.) Here are the rejected dresses:
The first one I didn't even have time to take a picture of I was in and out of it so fast. It was a light, lace dress which I loved in the magazine. But on me I didn't like the silhouette and I didn't like the way my chest looked in it.
This was the second dress I tried on. My mom liked it and the consultant, Bianca, decided on it as well. As a little girl I was very much into the whole Princess thing with tiaras and everything. But now, I'm not quite as in to it. There were a couple of Princess type dresses I liked and picked out, but not many. I actually really liked this dress, but the skirt was just too huge for me.
This was the fourth dress I tried on. Unfortunately, it came after a dress I really adored and while this dress fit nicely it just couldn't compare. It was just a little too simple.
This was a dress that Jean showed me the first time we went to the bridal shop. I instantly rejected it because there were pink 3D flowers on it and I'm not a huge fan of pink. But like I said I love lace and I really liked the lace of that dress and I became drawn to it more and more. But when I looked at it in the magazine I thought I probably wouldn't look good in it, but I wanted to try it on anyway. This was about the sixth dress I tried on and my mom was getting really restless so I didn't have a lot of time in it. I ended up being surprised by how much I liked the fit on me, but I wasn't sure if I could see myself getting married in it. Part of me wanted to try it on again at my next appointment, but I showed this pic to my fiancé and he absolutely hated it. He said that it looked like there was wadded up tissue paper stuck to the dress. So I'll have to pass on it.
Another dress where I was being pretty much rushed because my mom really wanted to see the lace one, since we had been saving that one for last. I really liked this dress in the magazine and I liked it somewhat on me. But I wasn't in love with the sweetheart neckline or the chest area. Maybe if the dress was fitted better I would have liked it better.
And then there were three:
This was the first dress from the last time I was there. Again, it was one of the only dresses I tried on in white which gave it an advantage. Jean didn't seem to like it as much as last time and my mom loathed it. It's not like I'm opposed to picking a dress my mom doesn't like, but that was a strike against it. Bianca kept asking me what I didn't like about it and mostly the only thing I could think of was that I didn't like it as much as the other two. I wore it for awhile while the consultant got more dresses. I think the more I look at it, the more I don't really like the corseted top. I LOVE the silhouette it gives me, that one was my favorite for that, but I didn't like the boning showing on top. I loved the skirt, but altogether I didn't like it as much, or could see myself in it as much as the other two. It was the only dress that I put on where I liked it a thousand times better with the tiara.
Dress 2:
This was a dress I saw in the catalog and liked, but didn't think too much about. But the more I went through the catalog the more I kept coming back to that dress and really loving it. One mistake I made with it was that I showed Michael the picture of it. When we watch Say Yes to the Dress his three main comments are - it's too complicated, it's too plain, or not enough cleavage. I had a feeling he'd think this dress was too complicated. And that's pretty much what he said. He liked the top, but thought the bottom was too much. But I don't remember him having a strong reaction to it. But Mike's opinion was in the back of my mind when I tried it on. I liked it so much I decided I would try it on despite Mike's opinion and would only pick it if I had a strong reaction to it. At first when I came out and saw it I didn't really know what to think. Though apparently subconsciously I did have an opinion about because everyone kept saying how much I was smiling and then I realized "yeah, I feel really good in this. I really like it." My mom didn't love it, but she didn't really hate it. I just think she has her heart set on the lace. Jean liked it and my brother said it was his favorite. But my mom and sister both agreed with Mike that it was too much going on. I really loved it but I knew I still had the lace to try on.
So finally the lace:
I didn't have the same reaction to it that I did the first time. I still really loved it, but maybe there was too much pressure on it given my mom's and Jean's expectations. They still really, really loved it. It's hard not to really love a dress when they're telling me I look perfect in it and I couldn't find a better dress. But I wasn't sure if I was really loving the dress or I was being influenced by their opinions. I couldn't make a decision about it without trying on the ruffle dress again. But my mom and brother had to get going.
Everyone kept telling me that ultimately it was my decision and that I couldn't let anyone else's opinion effect my decision and while I do agree, that's easier said than done. I'm very self-conscious and I don't want to pick a dress and wonder if everyone is looking at me and thinking I don't look right. Then again I don't want to pick a dress I don't wholeheartedly love just because everyone else likes it.
The consultant, Bianca, kept asking me what I liked and hated about both dresses and I really couldn't come up with much right there on the spot. One thing she pointed out was that with the ruffle dress it kind of had two shapes. There was the top and then there was the skirt. With the lace dress it was basically one solid silhouette, which I really liked. When I finally got to look at the pictures on my Iphone, I immediately thought I looked really good in the lace and didn't think I looked quite as good in the ruffle dress. I think someone taller and/or with a longer torso could pull the ruffle dress off better, but I still liked the ruffle dress. Both dresses or so different, it makes the decision even harder. The lace is, as Jean said, more "timeless" and "elegant", while the other one is more "modern" and "dramatic." Usually I don't care about being modern or being dramatic, but there's something about the ruffle dress that feels really feminine and fun, that I like. My mom said that she wouldn't have expected me to pick a dress like that.
If I made a pro/con list for both dress I think the lace would win hands down. Like I've said before I adore lace. When I told Mike I was torn, he half joked that I should then pick the cheaper one. The lace is cheaper by 100- 150 dollars, depending on if I got the ruffle dress in a petite or women's size. Almost everyone prefers the lace. I think if Mike had a choice that's the one he would pick. I look slightly better in the lace. Both dresses have chapel trains, but I like the one on the lace dress better, it looks really beautiful. Before I tried the dresses on I kept calling the lace one "my dress." I was walking by the shop a few days before and I saw the lace dress on display and thought "Oh, they have my dress on display." I've refused to let Mike see any pictures of the lace dress, though I let him see the ruffle dress. But that's more because I don't really doubt Mike would like the lace dress.
Even with all of that, when I look at pictures of the me in the dresses, I gravitate slightly more to the ruffle dress. I hate brides on those shows who are so indecisive, but I am pretty torn. Mike did say that he'd better accept an overly complicated dress versus a plain one, especially if there was enough cleavage. I did ask him in all seriousness if he'd be okay no matter what I picked and he said he couldn't imagine reacting badly to any dress I picked. He trusts my fashion judgment. So I've made a follow up appointment for Thursday because I need to make a decision before it drives me crazy. I'm going to try and not look at the pictures for the nxt few days and just go in on Thursday and try and go with my gut.
One little funny (slightly embarrassing sidenote) - I had given Jean my Iphone to take some pictures, which might not have been the wisest decision because lately Mike has started to "soak up some Vitamin D", as he calls it, out on the courtyard butt naked. The first time he did it I found it so hilarious I took some pictures of him front and back. I had been really conscious about it. I was looking through pictures at one point and practically threw my phone aside when I saw Jean start to look towards me just in case she saw one of those candid photos. When I gave her my phone I didn't really think she'd go through the pictures. When I was home I heard Mike and Jean laughing hysterically and I had to know what was going on. Jean said at one point she and my mom started laughing loudly at the bridal shop. She thought I'd heard them and I might have but I was more concentrated on getting in and out of the dresses. She said that my mom was confused about one of the dresses I'd sent her a picture of the first time I tried on dresses. So Jean started going through my pictures and they saw the picture of Mike and his naked tushie. She and my mom started laughing hysterically. One of the consultants wondered what they were laughing about so they showed her the picture. To my surprise, apparently my mother wasn't embarrassed, just thought it was funny. She told Jean not to tell me we'd seen it. Then Jean told Mike not to tell me that she'd seen it, but Mike said it was too hilarious not to tell me. I was really shocked that Mike found it so funny. But it was pretty funny. I'm just thankful that, as far as I know, they didn't see the pictures of Mike full frontal.
So what dress do you like best? It's not going to effect my decision, I'm just really curious.
ETA: Jean just said that she showed both dresses to her co-workers and that they all liked the lace dress better. Apparently they said the ruffle dress doesn't look like a wedding dress but a "Miss America" type dress. Do I really care what Jean's co-workers think? Not really. But that didn't make the decision easier.
Stacey
So cue Ciara's "Click Flash" as I do my own self-indulgent wedding dress montage (Sex and the City: The Movie reference.) Long post is long and full of pictures.
The first time we went dress shopping, or more like browsing, I had it pretty much narrowed down to 2 dresses.
The first one I kind of liked. It was one of the only dresses I tried on in white and I really loved the color on me. I think my liking of it was spurred on by it being the first dress I tried on and that Martha and Jean really loved it.
The second dress was something I didn't really like about too much when the consultant picked it out. But jean thought it looked nice and I thought it looked good so I went with it. The more it hung there as I tried on other dresses, the more I found myself constantly looking at it and really loving it. I love, love, love lace so that helped. When I tried it on, I looked down and really loved the lace. And when I went out to Jean and Martha they cried and I liked it even more. But there were other dresses I liked in the catalog and wanted to try on so I didn't want to commit to it. Plus, I've been watching a lot of bride shows like Say Yes to the Dress (which Mike actually watches with me sometimes and actually likes) and I didn't have that "Yes! This is my dress" moment yet.
So on Saturday I went with my mother, Jean, and my mom brought my brother since she doesn't like to travel alone (I felt bad for him he was soooooo bored.) Here are the rejected dresses:
The first one I didn't even have time to take a picture of I was in and out of it so fast. It was a light, lace dress which I loved in the magazine. But on me I didn't like the silhouette and I didn't like the way my chest looked in it.
This was the second dress I tried on. My mom liked it and the consultant, Bianca, decided on it as well. As a little girl I was very much into the whole Princess thing with tiaras and everything. But now, I'm not quite as in to it. There were a couple of Princess type dresses I liked and picked out, but not many. I actually really liked this dress, but the skirt was just too huge for me.
This was the fourth dress I tried on. Unfortunately, it came after a dress I really adored and while this dress fit nicely it just couldn't compare. It was just a little too simple.
This was a dress that Jean showed me the first time we went to the bridal shop. I instantly rejected it because there were pink 3D flowers on it and I'm not a huge fan of pink. But like I said I love lace and I really liked the lace of that dress and I became drawn to it more and more. But when I looked at it in the magazine I thought I probably wouldn't look good in it, but I wanted to try it on anyway. This was about the sixth dress I tried on and my mom was getting really restless so I didn't have a lot of time in it. I ended up being surprised by how much I liked the fit on me, but I wasn't sure if I could see myself getting married in it. Part of me wanted to try it on again at my next appointment, but I showed this pic to my fiancé and he absolutely hated it. He said that it looked like there was wadded up tissue paper stuck to the dress. So I'll have to pass on it.
Another dress where I was being pretty much rushed because my mom really wanted to see the lace one, since we had been saving that one for last. I really liked this dress in the magazine and I liked it somewhat on me. But I wasn't in love with the sweetheart neckline or the chest area. Maybe if the dress was fitted better I would have liked it better.
And then there were three:
This was the first dress from the last time I was there. Again, it was one of the only dresses I tried on in white which gave it an advantage. Jean didn't seem to like it as much as last time and my mom loathed it. It's not like I'm opposed to picking a dress my mom doesn't like, but that was a strike against it. Bianca kept asking me what I didn't like about it and mostly the only thing I could think of was that I didn't like it as much as the other two. I wore it for awhile while the consultant got more dresses. I think the more I look at it, the more I don't really like the corseted top. I LOVE the silhouette it gives me, that one was my favorite for that, but I didn't like the boning showing on top. I loved the skirt, but altogether I didn't like it as much, or could see myself in it as much as the other two. It was the only dress that I put on where I liked it a thousand times better with the tiara.
Dress 2:
This was a dress I saw in the catalog and liked, but didn't think too much about. But the more I went through the catalog the more I kept coming back to that dress and really loving it. One mistake I made with it was that I showed Michael the picture of it. When we watch Say Yes to the Dress his three main comments are - it's too complicated, it's too plain, or not enough cleavage. I had a feeling he'd think this dress was too complicated. And that's pretty much what he said. He liked the top, but thought the bottom was too much. But I don't remember him having a strong reaction to it. But Mike's opinion was in the back of my mind when I tried it on. I liked it so much I decided I would try it on despite Mike's opinion and would only pick it if I had a strong reaction to it. At first when I came out and saw it I didn't really know what to think. Though apparently subconsciously I did have an opinion about because everyone kept saying how much I was smiling and then I realized "yeah, I feel really good in this. I really like it." My mom didn't love it, but she didn't really hate it. I just think she has her heart set on the lace. Jean liked it and my brother said it was his favorite. But my mom and sister both agreed with Mike that it was too much going on. I really loved it but I knew I still had the lace to try on.
So finally the lace:
I didn't have the same reaction to it that I did the first time. I still really loved it, but maybe there was too much pressure on it given my mom's and Jean's expectations. They still really, really loved it. It's hard not to really love a dress when they're telling me I look perfect in it and I couldn't find a better dress. But I wasn't sure if I was really loving the dress or I was being influenced by their opinions. I couldn't make a decision about it without trying on the ruffle dress again. But my mom and brother had to get going.
Everyone kept telling me that ultimately it was my decision and that I couldn't let anyone else's opinion effect my decision and while I do agree, that's easier said than done. I'm very self-conscious and I don't want to pick a dress and wonder if everyone is looking at me and thinking I don't look right. Then again I don't want to pick a dress I don't wholeheartedly love just because everyone else likes it.
The consultant, Bianca, kept asking me what I liked and hated about both dresses and I really couldn't come up with much right there on the spot. One thing she pointed out was that with the ruffle dress it kind of had two shapes. There was the top and then there was the skirt. With the lace dress it was basically one solid silhouette, which I really liked. When I finally got to look at the pictures on my Iphone, I immediately thought I looked really good in the lace and didn't think I looked quite as good in the ruffle dress. I think someone taller and/or with a longer torso could pull the ruffle dress off better, but I still liked the ruffle dress. Both dresses or so different, it makes the decision even harder. The lace is, as Jean said, more "timeless" and "elegant", while the other one is more "modern" and "dramatic." Usually I don't care about being modern or being dramatic, but there's something about the ruffle dress that feels really feminine and fun, that I like. My mom said that she wouldn't have expected me to pick a dress like that.
If I made a pro/con list for both dress I think the lace would win hands down. Like I've said before I adore lace. When I told Mike I was torn, he half joked that I should then pick the cheaper one. The lace is cheaper by 100- 150 dollars, depending on if I got the ruffle dress in a petite or women's size. Almost everyone prefers the lace. I think if Mike had a choice that's the one he would pick. I look slightly better in the lace. Both dresses have chapel trains, but I like the one on the lace dress better, it looks really beautiful. Before I tried the dresses on I kept calling the lace one "my dress." I was walking by the shop a few days before and I saw the lace dress on display and thought "Oh, they have my dress on display." I've refused to let Mike see any pictures of the lace dress, though I let him see the ruffle dress. But that's more because I don't really doubt Mike would like the lace dress.
Even with all of that, when I look at pictures of the me in the dresses, I gravitate slightly more to the ruffle dress. I hate brides on those shows who are so indecisive, but I am pretty torn. Mike did say that he'd better accept an overly complicated dress versus a plain one, especially if there was enough cleavage. I did ask him in all seriousness if he'd be okay no matter what I picked and he said he couldn't imagine reacting badly to any dress I picked. He trusts my fashion judgment. So I've made a follow up appointment for Thursday because I need to make a decision before it drives me crazy. I'm going to try and not look at the pictures for the nxt few days and just go in on Thursday and try and go with my gut.
One little funny (slightly embarrassing sidenote) - I had given Jean my Iphone to take some pictures, which might not have been the wisest decision because lately Mike has started to "soak up some Vitamin D", as he calls it, out on the courtyard butt naked. The first time he did it I found it so hilarious I took some pictures of him front and back. I had been really conscious about it. I was looking through pictures at one point and practically threw my phone aside when I saw Jean start to look towards me just in case she saw one of those candid photos. When I gave her my phone I didn't really think she'd go through the pictures. When I was home I heard Mike and Jean laughing hysterically and I had to know what was going on. Jean said at one point she and my mom started laughing loudly at the bridal shop. She thought I'd heard them and I might have but I was more concentrated on getting in and out of the dresses. She said that my mom was confused about one of the dresses I'd sent her a picture of the first time I tried on dresses. So Jean started going through my pictures and they saw the picture of Mike and his naked tushie. She and my mom started laughing hysterically. One of the consultants wondered what they were laughing about so they showed her the picture. To my surprise, apparently my mother wasn't embarrassed, just thought it was funny. She told Jean not to tell me we'd seen it. Then Jean told Mike not to tell me that she'd seen it, but Mike said it was too hilarious not to tell me. I was really shocked that Mike found it so funny. But it was pretty funny. I'm just thankful that, as far as I know, they didn't see the pictures of Mike full frontal.
So what dress do you like best? It's not going to effect my decision, I'm just really curious.
ETA: Jean just said that she showed both dresses to her co-workers and that they all liked the lace dress better. Apparently they said the ruffle dress doesn't look like a wedding dress but a "Miss America" type dress. Do I really care what Jean's co-workers think? Not really. But that didn't make the decision easier.
Stacey