I Said Yes to the Dress!

Yesterday, with my mom, grandma and three of my bridesmaids; Liz, Amy and Kristin in tow, I found my wedding dress. I didn't expect to find the dress of my dreams on my very first outing, but I am very pleasantly surprised that I did!

Some of the amazing dresses I got to try on.

We started the day off at my first appointment at One Fine Day. The owner, Autumn, and her mother sat us down and got some information about the wedding and what I thought I might be looking for. She let us all loose and helped us all pull dresses. Since it was my first time looking, I said yes to almost everything anyone pulled and ended up with probably close to 15 dresses to choose from to start with. I went back into the dressing room with Autumn and my mom, slipped into a robe, and started trying on gowns. The first time I saw myself in a wedding dress was an indescribable feeling. It made everything seem so real! Walking out to show the others and stand on the pedestal in front of the mirror was something I had only dreamed about while watching marathons of Say Yes to the Dress. 

As the appointment went on I was surprised how easily I was saying "yes" or "no" to the different dresses. For someone that is an extremely indecisive person, I wasn't having that hard of a time feeling like something wasn't right for me and when to add something to my "favorites". By the time I had worked my way through all of the dresses we had collected I had a group of 5 left in my favorites. Although I loved all 5, there were two that I just KNEW it was going to be between. I tried each back on and felt amazing in both. Autumn added jewelry and a veil and I was surprised to find myself tearing up. By the end of my appointment I had one dress that I absolutely, positively loved and was ready to take. But, we had lunch and a second appointment planned, and to make a day of it I left the store empty handed.

The gang out at lunch.

We had a great lunch together at a very nice restaurant and it was so wonderful to have some of my very best friends by my side along with my mom and grandma to share in such a special day. All through lunch I kept thinking about the dress I had fallen in love with and was really debating whether I even wanted to go to my second appointment. After some convincing, we all headed down the road to appointment number two. After walking in and looking through the dresses on their floor, I just couldn't find a dress that came close to the dress from One Fine Day. When someone finally came to start the appointment I changed it to a bridesmaid appointment, hoping that we could find a dress for the girls while Amy was home. After not coming across anything we liked, we left the appointment early, called Autumn at One Fine Day, and headed back to my dress. The rest is history. I put back on the dress I had loved so much and just knew it was MY dress. I couldn't stop smiling and was getting a little emotional thinking about walking down the aisle to Joe in it.

To be honest, my dress is definitely not what I thought I would have chosen. I knew that it was important to try on something that may not completely be what you want, but I didn't know that that would end up being the dress that I, and everyone else, would fall in love with. They say you just know when you've found your dress, and I can definitely agree with that. The second I put it on I felt a different kind of calm and excitement. I wanted to jump up and down and never take the dress off! Even as I sit here I am thinking about my dress and wishing I could try it on again! The whole day was great. From having a great experience at One Fine Day, to trying on dresses, to being around three of my best friends, I don't think it could have been better. I was only missing two of my other lovely girls Meredith and Emily, but was able to update them and send them pictures of the dress! I can't wait to see the finished dress in five months (SO FAR AWAY!) and try on the dress I will wear on my wedding day!

Beginning the Dress Hunt - Part 2

Our second stop of the day on Saturday will be The Bride To Be. I've seen them at a lot of different bridal shows, so I am excited to get in the boutique and try on some beautiful gowns! 

Part of me would love to find my dress right away in our day of dress shopping, but another part of me wants to stretch the process out and make it to my appointment here! I really haven't thought about what I'll do if I find a dress that I think is "the one" at my first appointment of the day at One Fine Day. Do I wait until I try on other dresses, or do I follow my gut? I'm getting way ahead of myself, I've watched enough of Say Yes to the Dress to know that there is a real possibility that I could try on hundreds of dresses before I find the one I love. 

I'm really excited about The Bride To Be because their selection is a lot different from One Fine Day. Both have amazing gowns to choose from, but don't have any of the same so I'm sure to have a completely different experience at each! The Bride To Be has a lot of gorgeous dresses, and of course I already have a handful I'm loving already. 

1. Eden Bridals - GL017
2. Eden Bridals - BL047
3. Eden Bridals - BI033
4. Wtoo - Catalina
5. Watters - Palm Springs
6. Augusta Jones - Paz

Beginning the Dress Hunt

On Saturday I will be venturing out with my mom, grandma and three of my bridesmaids to try on wedding dresses for the VERY FIRST TIME! I am so over the moon, can't hold it in, excited I can hardly stand it. I have been dreaming about searching for the dress of my dreams every since Joseph proposed, and now that the time is almost here, I'm getting really anxious!

When my mom and I finally decided on a day that we could go dress shopping I knew exactly where I wanted to go. Fort Wayne has a number of wonderful wedding stores, but there are two that have really caught my eye, both on my own, and at the different bridal shows I've gone to. The first is One Fine Day and the second is The Bride to Be. I've been pouring over both websites, collecting an idea of the gowns I like the most at each.

The first appointment I set up, and the first of the day, is at One Fine Day. One Fine Day is on a super busy road that I pass by often and has a huge window display that makes me hold up traffic every time I drive by. I always love to see what dresses are being displayed in the window and if there is anything that I want to try on. Needless to say, between driving passed the storefront and checking the website for new arrivals, I already have a couple of dresses that I absolutely want to try on. I've always thought I would wear a big princess gown with tons of tulle and jewels and glitter, but I'm not ruling anything out. There are a few dresses I like that break this idea, and many people have told me to try on at least one style that I don't think I would like, because that often ends up what you'll love.

These are the dresses I'm dreaming of at One Fine Day. Some of the dresses I love are super princessy, while there are a couple that are a little more classic looking with some sass.

 

1. Paloma Blanca 4302
2. Modern Trousseau - Max
3. Modern Trousseau - Ginny
4. Lazaro 3265
5. Lazaro 3269
6. Kelly Faetini - Adele
7. Lazaro 3319
8. Tara Keely 2303

Wedding Inspiration: All That Glitters

It's no secret that I am rather fond of all things that sparkle. In fact, I have been known to go as far as to say that I want the theme of the wedding to be "drowning in tulle in glitter", and I'm really not exaggerating too much. I love glitter just as much as any 3 year old girl that is discovering the wonder of Disney Princess', and trust me, I have very big princessy aspirations for my big day. Don't be surprised if you see some fairy dust following me down the aisle.

 

 

1. Tumblr

2. Polkadots via Flickr

3. Save the Date via Glamour

4. Style Me Pretty

5. Alfred Angelo

6. Found via Pinterest

7. Style Me Pretty

8. Elizabeth Anne Designs

Wedding Inspiration: Cardigan Weather

Getting married in very early March means that the weather possibilities are endless. We could be riding out the tail-end of a blistery winter with freezing cold temperatures and snow. Or, Indiana could decide to let spring-like weather start to poke through, much like the 50 and 60 degree weather we experienced this past February and March. I saw this post on A Cup of Joe and fell in love. I think throwing a pretty sweater over your fancy wedding dress is so pretty and chic, not to mention it's much less bulky than some of the jackets and bolero's wedding stores try to sell.

How pretty is a simple cardigan on top with the poof of your wedding dress on bottom? I would put mine on after the ceremony so I could be warm and toasty all night!

1. Andrea Ball Photography
2. Ruffled
3. Once Wed

Wedding Inspiration: Wedding Dresses

This is the most important part of the whole weeding right?! Ok, just kidding...kind of. I have been dreaming of my wedding dress since I was a little girl. Now that I'm actually getting married, my dress is still the number one thing on my mind. Basically I just want to be a princess enveloped in tulle and covered in glitter. I wouldn't even mind if I wasn't able to walk normally due to all of the poofy goodness that will be my ball gown. I think it's safe to say I've never given up the princess fantasies I've had since I was a little girl.

1. Dress by Alvina Valenta via Kleinfeld Bridal
2. Dress by Tara Keely via Style Me Pretty
3. Dress by Maggie Sottero via Maggie Sottero
4. Dress via 20 Something Bride
5. Dress by Alita Graham via The Knot
6. Dress by Alfred Angelo via Alfred Angelo

Wedding Inspiration: Veils

Lately I have been obsessed with the website Once Wed. An awesome website that is, of course, all things wedding. In exploring the site I came across a photo gallery of just veils. I never realized just how beautiful and even ethereal a veil can look. These are some of my favorites:

I'm really in love with the polka dot veil! All of these lovely images plus more can be found here.