I Bought My Wedding Dress!

It took one shopping trip, and I bought my wedding dress. 

I can't tell you much about the dress in case the fiancé stumbles across this, but I will tell you about the shopping process. 

My mother, sister and I went to a boutique this weekend in Geneva called Crystal Bride.

I had downloaded The Knot’s Look Book app on my iPhone, which allows you to look through thousands of different dresses and save your favorites.

One dress that I loved was made by Ella Bridal. According to Ella Bridal’s website, there are five stores in Illinois that carry Ella dresses. The closest to Woodridge is Crystal Bride. 

I thought I had been prepared for the experience; I started watching Say Yes to the Dress about a year ago. In case you don't know, Say Yes to the Dress is a TLC reality show in which Kleinfeld consultants in New York help brides find the perfect dress.

There's drama, some fighting and plenty of crying. But the best part, for me, was the education in wedding dress styles (trumpet, mermaid, sweetheart neck, etc.) and what the process looks like.  

From watching the show, I had an idea of what shape dress I wanted. I didn't have strong opinions on the specific stuff, like beading, lace, fabric, etc. 

When we actually got to the racks of dresses, I was immediately overwhelmed. None of the dresses grabbed me on the hanger. They were pretty, but I never thought, ‘Oh! That’s the one.” I browsed and looked and pulled maybe a couple. My mom pointed out a few for me to try, and our consultant did the same. 

I was a deer in headlights. Everyone kept asking me what I thought of something, and I would just say I would try it on. 

Once we pulled about 10 dresses, it was time to start trying them on. 

Many of the brides on Say Yes to the Dress say that once you put the gown on, it all becomes real. The surreality continued for me through the dress shopping. Every dress I tried on was beautiful, but none of them made me feel like a bride.

Then I tried on THE dress. I didn't cry, but I knew I really liked it. 

My mom and my sister knew it, too. I could hear them talking about how I was blushing in it. After I had tried on eight dresses or so, that was the one I liked the most. 

We narrowed down my gown selection to three and started trying on veils. When I tried on THE dress with the veil, I could see myself walking down the aisle. I thought of the photos I'd take in it that I will show my children decades from now. 

I felt beautiful, and I couldn't stop smiling. While my sister and my mom debated which headband I should wear, I just kept looking in the mirror. 

The entire dress shopping process took 90 minutes, and I'm still surprised that the dress-shopping part of the wedding planning is already over. I’m tempted to look at more dresses, but I know from Say Yes to the Dress that I should stop.

I still feel a little cheated that I only went dress shopping once, but I guess the fact that I found a dress I love makes it all worth it. 

What was your dress shopping experience like? How many dresses did you try on?