True Confessions of a 3 Dress Bride (Part 3)

I was going to save my final confession for another day but find myself wanting to share so many things that I figured while I am on a roll I should just finish it up now! While this blog is about BRIDAL GOWNS I have so many ideas, thoughts and things I want to share I just need to finish this little true confession so I can move onto other things!

The conclusion of my confession....

So, I now have 2 bridal gowns and honestly was not shopping for a third (do you believe me?). I saw a picture of a gown that was NOTHING like I thought I would want! It was the Capri Marie from Maggie Sottero. First of all, I did not want a strapless wedding gown!! How could I fall in love with another strapless gown? Secondly, I had never tried it on. I know so many brides (engaged and now married) that say I have to try on a gown before I know it's "me". I have to disagree. I saw a picture of this gown and just knew it would be perfect. Keep in mind, I am the person who has seen 1000's of dresses, how is it possible for one to make me feel this way? I don't have the answer to that....women are born with this intuition and my radar was going off on this dress. I ordered it and the day it came in and I tried it on for the first time - I cried!! I couldn't believe how amazing I felt in it. Now, I had a huge dilemma! I had 3 wedding dresses! I knew I couldn't wear all three...that would just be crazy! But, I could still narrow it down to a Ceremony Gown and a Reception Gown. I decided the Capri Marie would be my Ceremony Gown and the tea length gown was still my only choice for the Reception Gown. How to incorporate the sleeves I so loved on my first gown? Well, I took the advice of my seamstress and we added them to the Reception Gown. The result? Perfect! I was able to bring together all three of the gowns I loved and I was finally a happy bride! :)

Kerrie (me) and my Maid of Honor

 

Me and my silly hubby who is mimicking Elvis Presley ("that's right momma!")

 This pic shows my 2 dresses combined: My tea length strapless (dress #2) with sleeves (dress #1)

True Confessions of a 3 Dress Bride (Part 2)

So, I had purchased my first dress and was pretty excited until the Spring season hit. The bridal industry has 2 seasons: Spring and Fall. With that came a new round of dresses! Uh oh. The new "trend" in wedding gowns was a tea length gown. I fell in love with several of them and started wondering how I could incorporate one of them into my wedding! The thought occurred to me - did I REALLY want to wear a heavy gown through- out the day and evening? Well, that answer was easy: no! So, I purchased my 2nd gown, which I called my "Reception Gown." It was Alfred Angelo, style 1947. The only problem I had was I really did not want a strapless gown! Once the gown came in though I loved it! It was so cute and I felt so "free" from the trappings of a full ball gown bridal dress. After all, how many times do you actually run around in an extra 5 pounds of dress? So I started talks with my seamstress about how we could handle this strapless situation and we determined I could either add sleeves to the gown or get a shawl. Both very good options!

True Confessions of a 3 Dress Bride (Part 1)

Many people may not know that I had 3 wedding dresses - but hey...why not spill the beans for everyone to know? I have worked in the bridal industry since I was 18 and have seen 1000's of dresses how was I ever going to just pick ONE? I found my "dream dress" which was Bonny style 443. I loved the sleeves and the A-line style and thought it would be super flattering! I purchased the dress and was totally thrilled when I tried it on for the 1st time! It was everything I had wanted....I was a lucky girl! :)

Dress of the Day

I saw this gown and totally loved that it came with an optional jacket. I love this dress for a couple of reasons: the fabric is great! It drapes nicely and compliments the A-line skirt.  The other is the shirred waist with beaded accents. Very flattering! This gown is from Bonny. The style number is 1004 and the optional jacket is style 1099. 

A special "Thank You" to Bonny for allowing me to use their image!

Realistic Time Line

Having owned a bridal salon and working with 100's of brides it was pretty shocking how many people did not realize the time frame for ordering a gown! Unless you want to buy off the rack - which I suppose has its own merits for some. Personally, I want my gown to be brand new - never tried on! So, what is a realistic time line? You need to find the dress, order it, alter it and get all kinds of accessories for it. My rule of thumb is more time = less stress time.

6–8 months

• Perfect time to order your dress. It takes about 3 months to get your dress in once it's ordered. You can always get it sooner with Rush Shipping but why pay more?
• Ask if you can get a swatch of fabric from your dress (if you are not getting a white gown) so that you can match shoes and other accessories.
• If the shop had the dress as a sample ask if you can take photos of you in the dress - this will make shopping for accessories and choosing your hairstyle easier.

3–6 months

• Shop for your accessories: Yes...there are a lot of little extras you need to complete the dress!
  Bra/panties - most dresses will require a special bra and you need to have it for your 1st fitting
  Hosiery - if you are not opting to wear flip flops
  Headpiece/Veil - this will be based on your bridal hair style
  Petticoat/slip - if you have a ball gown dress you NEED the special slip. You also need it for your 1st fitting so that your hem can be done properly.
  Jewelry
  
  
  Optional Accessories:
  Gloves
  Wrap or shawl
  Handbag
  Garter

2–3 months

• Time to make the appointment for your first fitting; bring your shoes, lingerie and accessories with you.
• Attend your final wedding-dress fitting.

1-2 weeks

• Pick up your wedding dress. Try it on one last time before you leave the salon/seamstress to make certain that it fits just right.

Traditional vs Non Traditional

Which bride are you? Personally, I adore the thought of having a colored wedding gown! I love them and think it could suit so well to a theme wedding! Obviously convincing say...mom or grandma....that could be a little harder! :) The colors are just so rich and vibrant! I guess lucky for brides if you fall in love with a beautiful colored gown and everyone says "no!" they always come in the standard white or ivory...darn! ;) By the way, in case you are wondering this lovely dress also comes in a midnight blue.... (deep sigh!)

A special "Thank You" to Bonny for allowing me to use their image! 

Hello Gorgeous!

I saw this gown and right away was like BEAUTIFUL! You know sometimes you can just look at a picture and know - hey...that would be a great dress on me! Well, I didn't get THAT exact feeling looking at it but I know a couple of friends I think it would look stunning on. :) There was just something about it that captured me. For what? $950 or so? This dress should retail about that. For the look of it...it's a STEAL. The gown is made from designer Bonny. Style 8000

A special "Thank You" to Bonny for allowing me to use their image!