Stop 1: Wedding Dress Shopping

I'm going to go shopping with the women I'm hoping will agree to be my bridesmaids. But I know me. If I don't do some serious thinking and narrowing down beforehand, we'll literally spent an entire week solid shopping.

I don't want them to hate me. I want them to be in my wedding, after all. At the very least, be there for it!

So, Jerry and I decided to take this week to wander around to various bridal salons in the county and, well, see what there is to see.

Now, keep in mind this - when I first met Jerry, I was pushing 170lbs. Now, I'm nearly down to 140. I could tell the weight had dropped because of the way my clothes were fitting, but nothing could have prepared me for what happened at the salon today.

For the life of me, I can't find a picture of the first dress I tried on. What I can do, though, is say that when I actually got a good look in the mirror once it was zipped, my own jaw dropped. Especially once the consultant told me what size the dress was!

The one downsize was it didn't have a lace-up back. Kinda had my heart set on that, for a strapless dress. So, she ended up pulling this one:

Sahara by Maggie Sottero

This one ended up becoming our second favorite of the outing. I may have gotten lucky with the weight loss, but I still earned that waist - and I've definitely earned the right to show it off!

The very last one I tried on was one I had grabbed off the rack completely on a whim. I'd always figured I needed something with some bling, some shimmer, some something to make it sparkle, and a long veil. Except this dress... wasn't sparkly. Wasn't blingy. It was lace.

Just lace. 3/4 sleeve, shallow neckline, a-line skirt, with the waistline right at my waistline, with a back that dips into a V about halfway down the back. You can't even see this collection online. You have to actually email the designer to view it. The bridal consultant told me it was a relatively new acquisition. The hem was still white, after all!

We stared. A long time. Jerry took a lot of pictures. Then we put on a sparkly head band, and a short veil in the back.

Then we went back and tried on the other two favorites with that head band and the veil in the back.

Damn, this is going to be hard.

The really amazing thing, was the whole time, I was the only one trying on bridal gowns. I had the attention of the shop owner (who took note of Jerry's "Ranger" hat and gave him a tiny bit of shit over it) and a woman who I think was his wife. By the time we left, the consultant had told us that they take payments, and the shop owner offered Jerry a discount for being a veteran. Something that Jerry groans and moans about frequently that shops never do.

Now, if we could have walked out of there with a dress ordered today, I think we might have. To be honest, though, I'm glad we couldn't. I'm glad we can't make a final decision this week.

For one, I still want input from my girls.

For two, I don't know if I can make a final decision without trying on a dress I keep coming back to over and over and over again.

Dahlia by Desiree Hartsock with Maggie Sottero

It's a Maggie Sottero, and the shop I was at today had actually carried it, but sold it off the rack last week.

They don't expect to have it's replacement until March. We're hoping to be fully relocated to Montana by then. So, I continue my search this week in hopes of finding this dress locally to try on. If not, I might just have to take the chance and jump on another fantastic dress I find this week without trying this one on.

Jerry said today "no bridezilla here."

That may be true, but that doesn't mean I won't agonize over having to make a decision without seeing all of the options I wanted.

Hey... if you're going to do it with the right person, do it right.

Right?

~*~Valerie~*~