three dresses?? :(

k8:)

Sorry, this is a longgg post because things are complicated.When I got engaged I had a picture in my head of exactly what I wanted my dress to look like.  Lace dress with a keyhole back, and by all means, not strapless.I went dress shopping for about two months searching every store I could find for the dress I wanted in my price range. After a several unsuccessful trips, I ended up buying a $99 DB dress that no one was really wild about . . . except for my mom (she loved the price tag). Less than a week later I realized the only reason I bought the dress was because I wanted to make my mom happy, and thankfully DB refunded our money. Following that we looked around for another month, unsuccesfully, until I decided I would just buy a strapless lace dress and alter it to make it what I wanted. So back to DB where I found a strapless lace dress. We talked to the seamstress there and she told us it would be super easy to find the lace to add the keyhole back. So we bought the dress. I took the dress in right away to a local seamstress who looked far and wide for the lace but was unable to find it anywhere. So she made other alterations and it has been sitting in my closet for two months. I like my dress but it isn't the one I pictured myself walking down the aisle in. I think I was okay with that because I knew there weren't any gowns in my price range that had what I wanted. . . until last week.My mom and I went to DB to look at little bolero jackets and the first thing I saw when I walked in was the dress on a mannequin. My heart sank but I played it off to my mom (who also recognized that it was the exact thing we had searched for). We left the store but since then I haven't been able to get it out of my head. I tried it on yesterday (BIG MISTAKE, lol) because it was PERFECT. So I HAVE TO WEAR IT on my wedding day.Here is where I need all of you knotties. What the freaking heck do I do??! A third dress? I can't refund my dress so I need advice on what to do with it. I feel like a major loser and you all are the only ones I feel comfortable asking. You are all amazing and I love reading everyones discussions

jackelbride

If you can afford it, don't sweat it. Then again I've had multiple dresses (more than three).I think I know which dress you like too... I saw it and liked it.

AmoroAgain

I guess I'll be in the minority here.  I don't think that's a very good idea at all.  I understand that the dress you have isn't "what you imagined" but really, you're concentrating too much on the dress and not on the overall day.  You're getting married to a guy, not a dress. 

SpringBride1114

If you were lucky enough to find the one you have invisioned for years, and it won't break the bank then go for it! You want to feel perfect on your wedding day, and you might not care 5 years down the road, getting ready, you will be wishing you had the dream one. You cant try to sell the old on ebay, you probably won't get much for it, but at least it could help pay for the new on a little bit.

ktjanesmom

Ultimately its not about the dress is it.  So be happy with what you have and marry the love of your life.  Stop the madness.

stephkay

I'll tell you that I bought a dress that I liked, even loved.  But something was missing.  I bought it because I felt pressured that I needed to get one ASAP.  Flash forward to 4 weeks before the wedding and I found the one I LOVED.  And I wouldn't trade it for anything!  I'm currently trying to sell the other one, but even if I don't I still don't regret buying the 2nd one.  The different in how I feel in it is amazing, and that is exactly how I want to feel on my wedding day

angeliza

Ideally you only get married once, so wear the dress you have your heart set on! I'm a 4 dress bride. Yes that's right. I had a much longer engagement than I had planned (4.5 years!) and when I first got engaged, I went a little ebay crazy. I found one dress that I thought was super cute and it was only $20 so I figured even if I hated it, no big loss. I got it, it was really sweet, but just too simple for me. Found another dress on ebay this time for $40 and by Jim Hjelm so ordered that. It had some runs in the back and some stains on the skirt and didn't really flatter me, but again I'd only spent $40 on it so I wasn't that concerned. We'd originally planned to get married in 2007 so in August of 2006 I went to the Running of the Brides sale at Filene's Basement. I spent 5 hours trying on dress after dress after dress and not finding any that were "the one". At the end of the day I found one that I really loved and even though I wasn't 100% on it, I thought it would be a waste to leave empty handed and it was only $250 for a dress that was originally $1550, so I just went with it. When I showed it to 2 of my bridesmaids one of them said "it's nice" and the other said "THAT'S your wedding dress?" really incredulously and I posted a picture of it on here that got a lot of negative reviews. I couldn't imagine getting married in a dress that people might think looked really bad on me so I ended up buying yet another dress 5 months before my wedding. I never even sold any of the previous 3... a leak in my closet got water in one of the dress bags and it got ruined by mildew stains, and the other 2 are still hanging in my closet until I decide what to do with them.I have no regrets at all. I finally found the dress that was my THE ONE. I won't have to look at my wedding pictures for the rest of my life and think "I wish I'd gotten a prettier dress". If you can afford this new dress, go for it.

k8:)

I feel wayyyy better about this whole situation after reading your replies. I am talking to my mother about it all tonight and will hopefully have THE dress soon. Thanks for the feedback!