PIGGY BANK WEDDING: THE Dress!

I've contemplated writing a post about my wedding dress for a while. It's one of those "keep it a secret or perish" things. Without giving away too many details, here goes...

I found my wedding dress before I was engaged. Yep. Four days before THE PROPOSAL. I never planned that it would work out that way, but I'm so glad it did.

I had visited several local wedding shops back when I was a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding, so I had an idea of the stores I liked. I was most impressed with an upscale, small boutique in the ritzy area of my city. (Of course...) They sell designer gowns-- Vera Wang, Priscilla of Boston, Melissa Sweet, etc. You know, the ones off limits to a bride-on-a-b*dg*t. But one day Tim and I drove past the store and there was a large sign that boasted the word my heart longed to hear: SALE. Tim encouraged me to check it out, but I resisted because I didn't want to "jump the gun" before I even had the ring. Of course he knew I would have the ring in a matter of days...

It so happened that one of my bridesmaids, who resides in Boston, was in town visiting family. Because of the distance, she won't be able to be involved in any of the bridal festivities other than the wedding. I had been at her dress appointments, and I wanted her to be there for at least one of mine. It was the right timing, and I figured I would end up at several different bridal salons looking for a dress. So, after talking it over with my mom and a couple bridesmaids I made the appointment.

I had no idea what type of dress I wanted. I knew I wanted something between traditional and obscure. (That's a huge scale, right?!) I didn't know what style would look best on me...a princess ballgown or a form-fitting lace dress? We found the sale rack and I picked about ten dresses to try on. As I tried on each one, we saw a pattern of what worked best with my figure and what dress features we liked best on me.

And then I found it. The dress. The one that had ALL the features we had admired on other dresses. The one that was unique, but elegant. The one that hinted at a vintage style, but didn't scream 1953. At first I questioned it's features and listened to affirmation from my peers. It didn't look like me on the hanger, but once I slipped it on, I didn't want to take it off. I had to step into my dressing room to keep from crying. After all of us talked and gushed about THE DRESS, I tried it on twice and had my MOH take tons of pictures. And, it was on drastic SALE. Like, affordable sale.

We bought it the next day. The ladies at the shop were so sweet and helpful and didn't fuss that I was on a tight budget. I can't wait to get it altered and find the perfect veil to go with it!

Unfortunately, since my appointment my dress designer, Priscilla of Boston, has announced they will no longer create gorgeous wedding dresses. It's sad to think I will be one of the last brides to wear one of her designs. On a happier note, I'm thankful PofB stayed around long enough for me to find my perfect dress!

These 80s wedding magazines did not give me wedding dress inspiration!

{P.S. Maybe I can upload photos of the wedding shopping day after my wedding!}