One Dress to Rule Them All

Three days. Four stores. Thirty wedding dresses. But only one winner.

I no vision of how I might look as I walked down the aisle toward Leo on our wedding day. But it’s the one day in life when we girls are given explicit permission to feel like a princess. So I knew one thing: I wanted the bottom of my dress to be fluffy.

Still, operating as the methodical person I am, I made appointments at four stores, planning to try on the gamut: poofy dresses, elegant, sleek, white, stark white, ivory, champagne, straps, sleeves, beads, flowers,  and more.

I began on a Saturday at A Bridal World with Best Friend and Maid of Honor Ginny Skalski. The mom-and-pop shop isn’t much to look at, but the selection is varied and the staff are extremely nice and patient with annoying and clueless brides like me. I stepped into and out of nine different dresses, experimenting with sleeves (no), a retro look (no) and more elegant, simple dresses.

They didn’t allow photographs of the dresses; I should have taken a photo of Ginny’s face. She smiled brightly at each dress except one. (A clear no.) She lavished me with compliments and was generally no help at all in narrowing down the search. 🙂 But I began to realize what type of dresses I preferred: a little poof at the bottom and a bodice that flattered my waistline. I also determined that stark white, which has a bluish tint, is not flattering to my skin tone.

Although none stood out as a clear winner, I had our gal Friday write down the numbers of two dresses in case I wanted to come back.

I had one other success: the idea that I am getting married began to feel real the second I pulled on the first dress. Up until now, it’s been planning: cake, venue, officiant, etc. Stepping onto the pedestal for the first time wearing a gorgeous white gown left me with an intense excitement. I am getting married!

Monday I ventured out with Mom and my sister Laura, one of my bridesmaids. We began at Victorian Rose Bridals. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it’s a downtown shop and I try to support the downtown businesses when I can. They gave our trio a tour of the dress racks, naming all the designers. I nodded along, as if I had a clue. (I don’t.) And then we began Treasure Hunting. Laura, Mom and I each dug through the piles of frills, selecting possible dresses and hanging them on a hook in the hall. We were instructed to choose eight or nine, and we easily did.

Daphne helped me wiggle into each dress. (Leave your shyness at the door for this task!) Mom and Laura sat outside by the mirrors, watching me step up to the pedestal each time. I received a few smiles and “ooh”s. But nothing earth-shattering. I felt the same way. There were two strong possibilities, but neither felt like THE dress. The second one seen to the right on the hanger is an ivory dress with champagne touches.

After a lunch break, we continued our mission to David’s Bridal. It’s a national chain, which means they’ve got their marketing down pat. First, you have to fill out their forms and they shove a bag of materials at you in case you still need a photographer, a planner, a honeymoon, a cake or anything. Since I’m generally not a nice person, my internal actions included an eye roll and maybe a swear word.  I sent Laura out to the car to get rid of the junk.

We’d arrived early, so we looked at the bridesmaid dress colors, but I was disappointed not to find the right shades of green, or anything close. But I did find several dresses to try on, including some from a designer I’d actually heard of, but no, none from Vera Wang.

Tina called my name and off we went. I mentioned the marketing; part of that is to give you the whole package. Tina set me up with a slip and hooked me into a long bra, the latter of which I’d never worn before. Thus decked out in underwear heavier and thicker than my normal clothes, we began pulling dresses on. I didn’t have as many to try on at David’s, because I’d begun to narrow down my interest, selecting the style I preferred.

The other brilliant marketing technique David’s employs is to add the veil and tiara for you. Not only does this likely ensure a later sale of those items, but it really added something to the experience. I began to really feel like a bride. Tina even had me walk up and down the row with each dress. The surrounding mirrors gave me an idea of how the dress would look as I moved.

Mom and Laura watched from their chairs, greeting me with big smiles each time. This one is a maybe, don’t like the bow. Not sure about the bottom on that one. And so on. With two more to go, I began to feel as though I might not find one here, either. Tina pulled the next-to-last dress over my head and clipped me into it. I had no mirror inside the changing room, so I stepped out, saw myself and smiled.

Mom and Laura practically leaped out of their chairs to come see me, grinning broadly. This dress felt a little different. I spent more time wandering around in it, enjoying the poofy skirt and the gorgeous beading. We had a clear Contender.

Ever cautious, I didn’t want to declare it The One. Wasn’t there a dress at A Bridal World that flattered my waist more? Was this what I wanted to wear all day? I tried on the final dress, something similar to the Contender, but with more ruffles, a feature to which Mom and Laura gave a thumbs down. I watched myself move in it and later agreed.

I decided to wait 24 hours just to be sure about the contender. After all, I had one more store to visit Tuesday.

And so we did. We stopped first at A Bridal World, where I reviewed the dresses I’d seen with Ginny Saturday. I was relieved to see that none stood out like the Contender. On to the last store, Savvi Formal Wear. Of all the stores, I was least impressed with this one. The store and selection are small; I was told their main line is tuxedos and that most Savvi stores don’t carry bridal gowns.

The woman helping me was late and exuded boredom with the whole process. Her blase attitude was infectious. Mom and Laura watched me in each dress, but all three of us shrugged our shoulders at each one. They were more engrossed in the colors for bridesmaid’s dresses, the selection of which was much better.

So back to David’s we went. I was 99.9 percent sure the Contender was the dress. But I

wanted to try on a few more just in case. I chose four dresses in addition to the Contender. One was interesting. Two were immediate “no”s. The final try on was very similar to the Contender. For a moment I thought it might be even better. But when I pulled the Contender back over my head I knew that I’d found the right one.

Laura and Mom’s smiles of greeting confirmed it.

Three days. Four stores. Thirty wedding dresses. But only one winner. And I found it!

(I have pictures, but I’m not sharing them, so you’ll just have to come to the wedding to see it.) Check out the full gallery below and click on the images to see them larger.