Thanks to everyone that gave advice on my wedding dress shopping prep. I really made sure that I was open to dresses that had elements I otherwise wouldn't have considered, and I ended up with a dress that I LOVE.
Saturday was Day 1 of shopping with my mom and all 4 bridesmaids, and our major stop was Bridals by Lori, which is home of Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta. My mom couldn't bear the idea that we go dress shopping and not go into that salon, even though I knew that 90% of the gowns in there were over my top-line budget. But I wanted to make Mom happy (and she was buying the dress), so in we went.
The first dress I tried on was one she picked, and mostly budget-friendly, and I thought it was going to be THE ONE. Well, that was until my consultant Flo brought out this gorgeous silk dress with a raw edge silk skirt with flowers. Oh, honey. It was AMAZING. And then she had me walk out onto the runway with the mirrors, and that was when Monty himself got ahold of me. I got jacked up in a veil, blusher, earrings, hair clips, belt... you name it. They even had my bridesmaids pick out dresses and stand next to me for the full effect. Talk about a sales pitch! (Monty said since I was so tall, I was like a lifesized Barbie doll that he just wanted to play dress up with. And then said, "Honey, when you're up here, there is no other bride." I just wanted to put him in my pocket and carry him everywhere.
Sadly, however, I knew I would blow my budget WAY out of the water (the money my parents are giving us is to cover my dress and our honeymoon), so we decided to think on it for the night and check out our Sunday appointments.
Ladies... let me tell you something. The dress I found at Alfred Angelo has EVERYTHING I loved about the SYTTDA dress, and even is better in some areas. And it is 1/3rd the cost (and under budget)!!!
The dress is in ivory, will have a corset back, and we're going to have the applique moved onto a black belt to accentuate my waist. It should be here early in December. I CAN'T WAIT!!!
And just for giggles... Monty having fun playing dress up.
