THE DRESS SAGA, PART 3

Now we're all caught up! After the run, was I fully satisfied with my dress? The one that my team and I worked so hard to find? No, of course not. I decided to keep trudging through.

Oh! At this point in the saga, Miss Bride officially became a Miss Bride-to-be! With a beautiful ring planted firmly on my finger, I felt a renewed sense of energy...post-run, I visited a total of 16 bridal salons across 3 states. I can't even count how many dresses I tried on...or how many times I've tried on the same dress. I was lost.

As a reward for reading this far, I will spare you the details of each visit. Instead, I will share with you the highlights and experiences that were the catalysts in finally (FINALLY!) deciding on my dress.

September 2008

Christina's Bridal, Andover MA

I went to Christina's specifically to check out Jenny Lee's gowns. I had been coveting them online and just HAD to try them on. Jenny did not disappoint! I don't know if it's her designs or the luxurious fabrics she uses, but they were just amazing! I wasn't allowed to take pictures, so you'll just have to trust me. I loved Style #601, but she came with a hefty budget-breaking price tag, so I left vowing to scour the internet to find her at a discounted price.

(jenny lee style #601...i liked her sans lace)

Kleinfeld Bridal, NYC

Kleinfeld needs to introduction and to be honest, I went with the intention of "just looking" because my mom was coming dress shopping with me for the first time. I wanted her to see a variety of gowns, and we all know that KLEINFELD=BIG SELECTION. I'm so happy she was with me because she veto-ed Mila right away...she just wasn't digging the side swept train and all the material on the skirt part of the dress. Ahh...goodbye, Mila. After an hour, which dress did we both love? Our good 'ol friend, Cosimma. Our consultant worked out a great deal with the managers (I was suprised!) and suddenly there I was, handing over my credit card and signing some papers. I bought a dress! Wait...I bought a dress?!? My mind was swirling, everything was a blur and I felt faint. As I walked out of the store, I felt...off.

(melissa sweet cosimma...smiling through the daze)

Cab, NYC

No, Cab is not the name of some trendy new bridal boutique. I'm talking about the backseat of an NYC yellow cab. My mom and I hopped in a cab after our Kleinfeld visit and it was there that the sinking feeling really set in. I immediately regretted the decision I had made 10 minutes ago. Going through the motions in a fog was definitely not the "YAY, I found my dream dress, I'm so happy and excited!" feeling I had hoped for. I could vaguely recall the consultant saying something about the return policy...but it's hard to remember anything when your head is in the clouds. 2 days later, I faxed Kleinfeld and placed a production hold on Cosimma. Although I would now be able to start over, if I decided to purchase my dress somewhere other than at Kleinfeld, I would lose my deposit. Ugh. But did that stop me? No.

(NYC cab. this is what i saw that day...everything was a blur)

Malindy Elene, St. Petersburg FL

While in FL for business, I stopped by Malindy Elene to check out some more dresses. They carried Melissa Sweet's line and I just had to try on Cosimma again to confirm that I had made the right decision. They didn't have Cosimma there, but I was able to try on the ever-popular Lia gown. A fan favorite, Lia was beautiful in all her double faced satin glory. Oh no...now what?!? Lia or Cosimma?

(melissa sweet lia. she's a popular one...and for good reason)

Wedding Atelier, NYC

Wedding Atelier was having a Melissa Sweet trunk show and in my mind, this was going to be the end of the (wedding gown) road. I was going to try on both Cosimma and Lia to directly compare the two, and my mom was coming with me to help me narrow them down. But lo and behold, they didn't have a Lia sample to try on. Seriously?!? I did try on a couple of other gowns that I liked, including Melissa Sweet's Jillian, but my mom and the consultants (including the Melissa Sweet rep) really liked Cosimma on me. OK...back to square one.

October 2008

Saks Fifth Avenue, Atlanta GA

I stopped by Saks while in Atlanta for work and FINALLY had the opportunity to try on both Cosimma and Lia at the same place. I dragged a co-worker along with me and we both flip-flopped back and forth between the merits of both gowns. In the end, we ruled out Lia...but I still wasn't 100% convinced that Cosimma was the better choice. I was unsettled with how fashion-forward she was...there's a lot going on in that dress! By the way, Saks was having a gift card promotion where you would get a card for $450 if you spent a certain amount of money. That would cover the cost of alterations...and if you opened a Saks card, you would recieve 10% off the gown. That's a lot when you think about the cost of wedding gowns!

Boca Raton Bridal, Boca Raton FL

My travels for work took me down to FL again and I took advantage of some down time to check out Boca Raton Bridal. The consultants were so helpful and friendly...I really enjoyed my experience there! I tried on a couple of Jenny Lee gowns and fell in love with the BACK of Style #712. It was elegant but different, traditional but with modern details. Too bad I wasn't crazy about the front.

(the back of jenny lee style#712...liking the back)

Ever After, Miami FL

At Ever After, I branched out of Melissa Sweet/Jenny Lee-land and tried on some gorgeous Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Ulla Maiija gowns. The consultant was so fun and helped me narrow down my choices to a (surprise, surprise) Melissa Sweet gown...Jillian. You may remember her from my visit to Wedding Atelier in NYC. I really liked her fun bow in the back and ruffle detailing along the hems. Her only con was that she was a true mermaid gown, and I felt like they didn't have vertically-challenged folks like me in mind when they created that style.

(melissa sweet jillian. love the bow and ruffles)

November 2008

Kleinfeld Bridal, NYC

I went back to Kleinfeld with a different mentality. I was NOT going to leave that store until I had decided on a dress. If I couldn't find a dress in the mecca of all bridal salons, there was something seriously wrong with me. After an hour, my mom and I were left with the ultimate decision between 2 gowns...Cosimma and Jillian. A little while later, I was back out on the streets of NYC with a receipt in my hand, a skip in my step and an expression of relief and satisfaction on my face. WHEW! My dress search was OVER baby!!!

Which dress did I ultimately decide on? A saga wouldn't be a saga if it only has 3.5 parts! The reveal is next...I promise!