Meeting MY Dress

In the beginning of November, I received a card in the mail from CC’s (where I bought my dress) letting me know that my gown had arrived in the shop! I was floored; when I purchased it back in June they had informed me that it could take up to early 2010 for the gown to come in. I guess not!!!

As you can imagine, the anticipation for my Florida trip for Thanksgiving was incredible. I wanted to meet my gown in person!

So, on the rainy Tuesday before Thanksgiving, mom and I made the drive out to St. Petersburg. If you remember, when I shopped for my dress originally, I didn’t get those mushy-gushy “OH MY GOSH THIS IS MY DRESS” feelings. I was secretly hoping that they would appear that day. I should have known better than to have that expectation, because alas, once again it didn’t happen. Sadly, it kind of threw me into a bit of a bad mood during our visit, which I shouldn’t have let happen. But hey, I’m not perfect.

However, I WAS excited about the fact that MY dress was in a much smaller size than the sample I tried on was in! When I was fitted for my gown, we found out that the smallest size James Clifford makes is a 2, so we had to go ahead and order it, despite the fact that the measurements were still going to be off. Darn you, awkward wedding dress sizing! From what I have heard around the wedding blog land, typically you wear a size or two up from your street clothes size. Hm. Apparently James Clifford runs more true to size than I would have thought! As it stands, they don’t make a size 0 dress, so I was out of luck; we are going to have to alter it!

Ok, ok…I know what you really want is to see pictures of me in the dress. Your wish is my command. Justin, if you are reading this, STOP! Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Walk away from your computer, do not scroll down! Please? Ok thank you…

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If you can’t tell, the bust is huge, but probably because I have so little to work with to start! That is definitely going to be taken in, and some “support” is going to be sewn in. The waist and hips are also too large, and will have to be taken in a few inches. Check out the handful of fabric the seamstress has in her hands!

Thankfully, they informed me that all of the alterations were rather simple in nature to complete, so I could hold off on being measured and pinned until a return visit at a later date. Whew! 6 months of not being able to fluctuate my dress size would have been absolute torture! Can you imagine?

I had a bit of a subdued temper tantrum (in my head mostly) when I first saw the train. It looked completely different to me than the original sample…the lace was bunching around the train and it looked sloppy to me. Thankfully, the seamstress brought me out the sample so I could compare them, and we realized that the lace on the train was connected to the lining on the dress, and that in the sample it had been detached. Easy fix! The seamstress went ahead and cut the strings connecting the two pieces, and I was instantly relieved. See the difference?

Sample dress (with major clippage going on in front to make it appear like it fits!)

Before the fix

After the fix

Ok, enough about all the dress details…I’ll leave you with a few more pictures…

How long did it take for your dress to come in? Were you pumped to meet it in person?

My feelings on “THE dress,” part 4…That loving feeling...

If you need to catch up…here are Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3…

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So, you are aware at this point that I selected my wedding gown. What you may or may not have noticed was how I failed to describe my overwhelming feelings of joy and excitement at finding “THE dress.”

Oh…wait…that’s because I DIDN’T have those feelings.

I find it very interesting when I read over and over how girls find their dress and immediately know that they were meant to be together. And, it isn’t that I’m unhappy with my dress. Quite the contrary! I know that it is absolutely perfect for me; it will make me look spectacular on my wedding day, no doubt in my mind. But, where were the butterflies? The excited squeals? The tears? There was nothing…not even a titter. Overall, during my shopping experience, I never became excitable. My mother and I discussed the options at length, we tore apart the different features of the dresses that we had looked at, and I came to a decision in the end.

So, I wonder…what would it take for me to achieve that giddy, I’m going to jump up and down in glee feeling? Well, if I had to guess, it would probably appear if I were to don a gown WAY out of my price range. I pay attention to fashion, I love designers…it would be unreal to wear a Monique Lhuillier or a Vera Wang…a girl can dream! But hey, that is all it is…a dream. And I have reality to focus on.

And, you know what? Just because I didn’t have the feeling during the dress shopping experience, DOESN’T mean that I won’t get it later on. Just you wait, I’m going to turn into a blubbery wreck when I am completely put together…the hair, the makeup, the shoes…that’ll push me over the edge in the end. I’m just…on hold for the moment being.

I know I am not the first bride who has experienced this, and I certainly won’t be the last one. If you are worried about this happening to you as well, here is my piece of advice: don’t let it frustrate you. Everyone’s shopping experience is different, and just because you aren’t jumping around the dressing room, screaming at the top of your lungs, or turning into a puddle of happy tears over your dress does NOT mean that you will look any less spectacular on your wedding day. Of this I am certain.

Did YOU get that feeling when you found your dress???

My feelings on “THE dress,” part 3…I make up my mind…

I suppose I should have started my dress-buying series with the caveat that the shopping experience happened months ago (in the summer, actually)…thank you to everyone who has offered advice/tips over the past few days though!

So…where did I leave off? In Part 1, I looked for inspiration. In Part 2, I started shopping.

And in Part 3, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for. I make up my darned mind!

After shopping around at a few other stores, my mom, grandma, and I headed in to CC’s Boutique in St. Petersburg for my appointment. I filled out my info card, and then my consultant, Monica, met with me to start the dress process (by the way, if you are shopping for a dress at CC’s, I HIGHLY recommend that you ask for Monica; she was amazing!). She had me describe the details that I was looking for in my dress…I provided her with 5 words: lace, strapless, sweetheart neckline, fitted. Then we began.

Monica explained that the first dress that she brings out is the one that she feels matches the closest to what your ideal dress is. Depending on how you react to the different aspects (too tight? Too sparkly? Too poofy?), she adjusts her dress selections from that point.

And…wouldn’t you know it…the dress I purchased was indeed the first one she brought me. James Clifford J1820.

It met all of my criteria; strapless, form fitting, the neckline, and the lace…perfection. No sparkle, no beading. Glorious. My grandma started to cry. Aha…now we were getting somewhere!

Obviously, we couldn’t stop at the first dress, so I spent the next hour or so trying on various gowns, comparing each one to the first dress. I tried a beautiful organza gown in champagne that was a contender for a few minutes (actually, you may have seen it before, on a featured wedding on TheKnot! And, coincidentally, she got married at my venue…), but in the end I thought it looked too juvenile. I already look like I’m about 16 to the average person, I didn’t want to enhance it!

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In the end though, none were close to being as perfect on me as the James Clifford. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a winner!

So, do you want to see it?

Well, the stock photos at least…for now…but I will say that the photos pale in comparison to this dress in real life…they just don’t do it a bit of justice whatsoever.

If you are Justin, AVERT your eyes! And, if you don't want to see it, just don't scroll down!!!

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So…did you feel a sense of relief after you found your dress?

My feelings on “THE dress,” part 2…we go shopping…

So…I had my dress inspiration. Next up, the shopping began!

The first shop we visited was Olga’s in Tampa. My mom and I were on our way to the mall, and we stopped in just to take a look. I tried on 3-4 dresses in that shop; and my favorite, hands down, was:

Harlow by Maggie Sottero

It had a sweetheart neckline, lace, and it was form fitting. My mom loved it. And, with a price tag in the $800’s, it was in my budget. But, it was the first place we’d stepped foot into; we felt like we needed to see more dresses before any decision was made! I wish I had a photo of myself in it; alas, one does not exist!

A few weeks later, my grandparents were in town, and my mother, grandma, and I went on an all-day shopping trip!

First stop…David’s Bridal.

I’ll be honest. I didn’t really like a single thing I tried on there. The consultant listened to me and brought out dresses that relatively fit my description, but there was just something about them that wasn’t hitting me. I didn’t take any pictures, because nothing was really striking me. Here are a few that I tried on:

All images from David’s Bridal

I would only consider this with the straps removed…I’m not a huge fan of spaghetti straps in general.

This was the one dress that I disliked the least in the bunch, but the price tag was over $1,000, and I knew I could find a more “designer” dress for the same amount of money. Yes, I’m a snob…I’ll admit it. *Hangs head in shame.* So, we moseyed on down the road...

Another stop on our shopping trip was The Dressing Room in St. Petersburg. The owner of the shop was hilarious. It is a small shop, and she locked the door as we walked in so we wouldn’t be disturbed. Pretty cool. Our trip to The Dressing Room was for one purpose; they had the Agadir dress from Cymbeline. If you need a refresher…

Cymbeline

I HAD to try it…

And, what was the outcome? *Sigh* Ok…so I wanted to be in love with it. And it WAS gorgeous. The champagne lace was a great color against my skin. BUT, alas, my mom and I decided that it looked more like something you’d wear on the red carpet rather than your wedding day. Single tear.

I felt a little dejected, but then the owner suggested that I try on another dress from Cymbeline that I had overlooked at first. It didn’t completely meet my dress requirements, but I was willing to try it out! Here is the Colibrie:

They informed me that they could turn the neckline into a sweetheart for me if I desired. The skirt was just so…swishy and dreamy. I realllly liked it. What I didn’t like? The price tag was over $2,000. Gulp.

So, without further ado we left the dress shop…I was starting to wonder if I’d ever get that magical “I FOUND THE DRESS” feeling that I was hoping for…

My feelings on “THE dress,” part 1

I was looking back through my old posts, and I realized that I have never really delved too much into my dress selection process. And…I feel that I probably should, because my experience was, I guess, not the magical one that I had imagined it to be. Let me explain…

For those of you who don’t know me or can’t tell from pictures, I am a small human being. I’m about 5’2”/5’3,” and I weigh just over 100 pounds. I’m “fun size.” I have a hard time shopping at a lot of stores; at some retailers their XS’s or 0’s are too big for me. So, when it came to dress shopping, I had a lot of things to keep in mind.

I went into my dress search with a pretty distinct vision. I’d like to think that I know how to dress myself properly, and that when it came to shopping for dresses, I’d be no different.

I knew for certain that I had to stray away from dresses with “poof,” as they would completely swallow me alive. They aren’t my style anyway. Besides, I am confident about my body, so I did want to find a gown that showed off my figure!

Another thing I was sure of? Lace. There is just something so romantic about lace, and it is timeless. I just had to have a dress made of lace.

Finally, I knew that I wanted a sweetheart neckline if possible. I’m not ashamed to admit it; I am pretty much flat as a pancake up top…which I actually LIKE (gasp! What?!?! I know, who would think?). However, when it comes to clothing with strapless necklines, I start to look like a washboard. Not the most attractive thing you’ve ever seen.

So, what were my original dress inspirations? I sourced them all from The Knot:

Raidis by Pronovias

I love the flowy nature of the dress…the babydoll shape would possibly be a good look on me.

Rocha by Monique Lhuillier

Sigh. Doesn’t need words.

Gwenyth by Renella De Fina Couture

This is one of the closest images to what I was going for in my overall look. Yum.

And then, I happened to come across Cymbeline, and I fell in love with some of the dresses…most notably Agadir…

The halter wasn’t what I originally wanted, but the dress was just so gorgeous…I wanted very very badly to at least try it on…

As for my budget? Honestly, I was trying to keep the dress itself around $1,000 or less. Did I succeed? Time will tell…

So…I had my inspiration and my price requirements…then it was on to the stores to make my dreams into reality!

Oh...the anticipation!

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Yet another disadvantage of living in Virginia when your wedding is in Florida…when your wedding dress is delivered to the shop, you cannot immediately drive there and try it on!

My lovely lacy number is officially at CC’s Boutique in St. Petersburg (sorry, no pics for you yet! Secrets, secrets…). But, as it stands right now…I won’t be able to lay my eyes/hands on it until Thanksgiving at the earliest. IF I get to go home for it! I’m not even going to begin to get into the heart attack I almost had when I was informed that I needed to be in to the shop within 7 days to “check” the dress and confirm everything/pay the final balance. What?!?! Clearly, that is impossible…so after a call to the shop, I’m hoping that they will be understanding with the fact that I won’t be in for at least three weeks!

**Sigh**

Do you have trouble waiting for things???

Recognize...this???

I'm not ashamed to admit it...I am in love with Glee! It is rare nowadays that a TV show can make you genuinely smile because it makes you feel SO happy! I can't wait for Wednesday nights!

If you know me, it might not be a surprise to find that my absolute FAVORITE character is Emma Pillsbury (played by Jayma Mays). She has got to be the most adorable thing EVER...and her wardrobe on the show?!?! I die...

Fanpop

Fanpop

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Anyway, if you watched the episode that aired 2 weeks ago, Emma was trying on wedding dresses...and I happened to stumble upon "the one" when I was going through J Crew's website today!

Recognize...this????

J Crew

The back is just gorgeous...I love the cut of it! So preppy, so simple, so elegant! Although it does have a hefty price tag...who wants to make a bet that J Crew sells out of it???

Have you seen any wedding inspiration on a TV show or in the movies?

Custom Dress Illustration = Divine!

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So...rewind a few months to this summer, when I was in the midst of wedding dress shopping...I was buried up to my nose in wedding magazines, and my eyes were crossing from staring at a computer screen for hours at a time, searching endlessly through wedding dress inspiration!

Anyway, as I was contemplating my dress budget and the like, I started to ponder the thought of what exactly I am going to DO with my dress after the day is over. What is a girl to do? I could preserve it, and hopefully have a daughter someday who might be interested in wearing it...or I could sell it, and let some other bride enjoy it in the more immediate future. Either way, the dress is either going to be in a closet or out of my hands after the wedding. But, there might be an option to keep it in view on a daily basis (with the exception of our pro photog's pictures)!

I recently stumbled upon Aboutthedress.com, a company that creates custom bridal gown illustrations! You send them a few pictures of yourself wearing the dress, and their artists create a custom fashion illustration of you! for $425 (plus shipping), you get an 11"x14" illustration that is double matted and framed.

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What a unique way to remember your gorgeous dress after the day is over!

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It could also be a wonderful first anniversary present (cough cough...any husbands/fiances out there cough cough)...

If you don't want to purchase the illustration, but like to see the juxtaposition of a designer sketch to its actual conception, Brides.com has a featured section called "Sketch to dress Spring 2010" on their site right now...you can see your favorite designers' sketches next to photos of the real thing! So cool!

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James Clifford...I'm biased in liking this one...since my dress is a J.C.!

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Monique Lhuillier

So...are you doing anything special with your dress/to remember your dress after the wedding?

Inspiration Board #1: Bridal Party Attire

***Disclaimer: This was my very first attempt at an inspiration board...so be kind!***

Last night, I got to thinking about our wedding on a large scale. From the beginning, I haven't had a theme, per se, but I believe that one has emerged through the choices I've made so far. Think "whimsical, modern, lighthearted, late spring/early summer, on the water...etc." Anyway, there are so many little details that I've been pondering with the planning process, but I have never actually thought about how they all coordinate with one another! So, in an attempt to make sure that I have cohesion for my event, I'm creating some inspiration boards!

This one in particular is my inspiration for myself and my bridal party (note: the dress pictured is NOT my wedding dress...still trying to keep that somewhat of a secret!).

Bridesmaid dress (JCrew), flower girl dress, hair flower, wedding dress, shoe (Nordstrom), necklace, garters, bouquet

So, what do you think of the inspiration? I'd love to hear your input!

It's all about the shoes...

Now, for those of you who know me well, you would never think that buying a pair of shoes would be something that had the ability to frustrate me beyond belief.  I own far too many pairs of shoes for my own good, and have accumulated quite an impressive collection over the years.  Life is too short to be wearing boring shoes!

But first, a little bit about the dress...I'm not going to publicly divulge the specifics on my dress (and definitely not any photos!!!!), but I bought it a few weeks back at CC's Boutique in St. Petersburg, FL. My consultant, Monica, is absolutely fabulous, and I highly recommend asking for her if you are dress shopping in the Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater area.  She and I discussed exactly what I would want to have in a dress, and she went off to the back of the shop to pick some out for me (they don't have any dresses out on racks).  I ended up loving this, contrary to what I originally was thinking.  I am such a control freak, and I am super SUPER picky about anything related to the clothing that I wear.  I had been shopping at some other dress boutiques before I went to CC's, and I had been much more successful at selecting the dresses that I would look good in in comparison to what the consultants were pulling.  However, by not having the dresses in view, I wasn't able to confuse myself in a sea of white...fabulous!  Of course, wouldn't you know it, the very first dress that Monica pulled was "the one."  Of course, I had to try on about 20 other dresses first in order to solidify the decision, but hey...I got there eventually!  

Don't get excited...this is NOT the one...but I hemmed and hawwed over it!

So, I will say that the dress is all lace...which of course makes for some more complicated alterations.  I'm getting a custom length done on the dress...so I found out that in order to get my measurements taken, I have to have the shoes at the time of the fitting!  ***Gasp*** Me, the planner of all planning, completely forgot to take that into consideration.  I had NO idea what kind of shoes I wanted to wear.  Panic immediately set it.  Thankfully, they were willing to let me take a few weeks to purchase shoes and let me return at a later date.

So, the shoe search began!  Now, you know, whenever you are actually LOOKING for something, you will never find it.  I even have a "shoe boyfriend" at Nordstrom, my beloved Victor, who never seems to fail at knowing what I will like.  I naturally started my search there...I'm not willing to purchase a shoe anywhere else for the most part.  I tried on shoe after shoe, and wasn't too excited.  I ended up spending $285 on a pair of kate spade slingbacks in rose gold.  They were pretty...but something wasn't right.  They weren't fun enough...it was bugging me!

And then...I found them!  I have 2 pairs of this shoe already in different colors that I have accumulated over the years, and I saw that Enzo Angiolini has their 'Merry Ann' pump in 3 wedding friendly colors this season; yellow, white/pearl, and pastel pink snakeskin!  And what is even better is the price; $79.95.  These are one of the most comfortable pumps that I own; I can wear them all day, and I have worn the dickens out of the 2 pairs that I already have.  There were only 17 pairs of size 7 1/2 left in the country, so I had to ship them to my house.  I have been impatiently waiting for them to arrive for over a week, and my (im)patience paid off yesterday!

Ahhhh, so sassy!

I am loving how they aren't extremely yellow...but have a bit of a gold sheen to them as well!  I could NOT be happier!  A girl and her shoes......it doesn't take much more to make me happy!