The first shop we went to, which I wont mention by name anymore cause they suck, was horrible. I knew going there that they are a consignment shop so I was taking a big chance not only that they would have something I liked there, but also something in my size. But they do carry the La Sposa line which ranges in sizes from 2-24 so I figured they would have SOEMTHING in my size to try on. Im considered pretty average as far as American sizes go. I didnt really expect it to be too much of an issue. I had also heard really good things about this shop.
I was pretty frustrated from the beginning though. The store was really small with maybe 2 tiny dressing rooms. The ladies working there didnt seem too thrilled that we stopped in even though you dont need an appointment and I had even tried to make one earlier that day. I started going through the dresses while Rue snapped photos and we waited for Ama and Hal to get there. I really didnt see much I liked except one vintage dress that was very simple. Definitely not my ideal wedding dress, but I would have bought it for another special occassion.
I picked out that one to try on and one of the ladies suggested a couple others. Nothing really fit though. She shoved a couple dresses at me in the dressing room (I should mention she just kept walking in without asking me if that was ok or not) and there were a couple I could get on, but they were not what I was looking for. She repeatedly told me that the La Sposa line comes in all sizes so they can order me something, but why would I want to order a dress I cant try on and have no idea how it would look or fit? Maybe thats the way the bridal world goes, but I at least need to be able to try on something similar so I can get a feel for it. She also knew this was my first time trying dresses on so I had no idea what I liked or what looked good on me.
After dealing with this bitchy lady, I may or may not have left the store in tears. Of course the only thing I wanted at that point was to cuddle up in Ned's arms and cry about how Im never going to find a dress so we cant get married, but I was with my girls and they were determined to get me excited again. My idea of cocktails was postponed until I checked out another shop. The only one we could think of where it didnt matter if we had an appointment or not was David's Bridal.
Im not a big fan of David's. Most of the dresses seem pretty basic and I find the materials to be a bit on the cheap side. I know that I want a more unique dress than something at David's. But what the hell, right? What did I have to lose? At least I knew there would be tons of stuff for me to try on and I could maybe get an idea of what style I like. And that I did.
I only tried on about half a dozen dresses there, but I did get a feel for what I like and what I feel pretty in. The first dress was awesome. It totally made me feel good about myself again. There were a couple dresses I didnt like and two more that I thought were really pretty, but probably not right for my body type.
(I will also mention that Robyn threatened the sales lady at David's that if she made me cry she would kill her. Haha. My bridesmaids are very protective! Dont mess with them!)
And even though David's Bridal is not for me, I was happy we went there. They did have really nice sales people working there and a huge selection of dresses in all sizes. I definitely felt better after the whole experience after visiting them.
So what now? Well, now Im going to Europe to forget about all of this for a couple weeks! But not really. Ned and I are going to Europe and we leave in a week, but all this wedding stuff will still be on my mind. Im actually looking forward to resuming my dress search when I return. There are a few more shops I want to check out. But to tell you the truth, Im pretty sure Im going to have my dress made for me. I dont think Im going to find that one magical dress and I would rather just design it myself. I have a lot of ideas in my mind after this first dress experience and Im determined to have that amazing dress that makes me feel like a million bucks on my wedding day.
I only have one photo to share from the night right now and that is Robyn on her bike. She road all the way from Lake City to my place in Minneapolis wearing pearls and still had fabulous hair! I love this girl!
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