Everyone who has watched “Say Yes to the Dress” knows about the expected “ah-hah” moment in the bridal dress salon. You know the one… after trying on dress after dress that she hates, finally — on the verge of having a nervous breakdown — the bride tries on the one perfect dress. She sobs at her beauty, as does the entourage, and maybe even the bridal consultant. Teary-eyed and aghast, she realizes that, out of the thousands maybe even millions of wedding dresses out there, this is her perfect dress.
As I sat in the bridal boutique, dressed in a gown, that I really liked, I waited for it… that moment of joy to wash over everyone in the store, and for me magically and tearfully to be transformed into a bride.
Nothing happened.
Everyone agreed, I looked pretty. But there were no tears, no declarations that I had to have this dress. I didn't feel anymore like a bride than I did the moment before I stepped into the dress.
I could picture myself in this dress on my wedding day, but, I also knew that I couldn't say for sure that this was “the one.” After all, there were thousands if not millions of dresses out there, which makes it very probable that there was somewhere out there a dress I liked better.
I didn't have long to make up my mind, though. The dress was an out-of-date sample, and on clearance, marked down over 80% — which was important because my fiancé and I are on a very tiny budget — which also meant that if I didn't get it now, I might not ever get it.
Why you should ignore trainwreck wedding reality shows
Not a week goes by that I don't get an email from a reader who's freaking out about some new awful wedding reality show. I... Read more
But without the cheers, shouts, and tears, saying “yes” almost seemed like a failure. Would I be doomed to a lifetime of regret and staring at pictures wishing, if only I had bought another dress?
Then I had a reality check. What did it matter if there were other dresses out there that I might like better? I liked this one.
And in the end, I reminded myself that I could wear a potato sack and would still be gleefully happy on my wedding day and all the other extra stuff, was just that, extra stuff. I wanted to marry my fiancé. I didn't care if I was a model, or a pretty-pretty princess, or whatever else TV told me I should be.
Don't get me wrong: months later I am still gleefully happy with my dress. I made the right choice for me. I didn't need some special moment to validate my decision. They might make for good television moments, but in the end some teary-eyed declaration of love for an inanimate object is the least of my concerns.
Did you cry when you found your dress? If not, how did you know it was “the dress” without the reality TV moment?
I tried on 6-7 dresses and ended up going with the first one I tried on. No tears, no ah-ha moment. There was sort of a quiet “oooh you look pretty” moment in my head, and then I went home, thought about it for a few days, and then went back and bought it.
Exactly what happened to me. There was no crying from me, only a wow I look good moment. I bought my dress 4 days later.
Same here! I was happy, but there were no tears… I only cry when I’m upset or distressed, anyways, so that would have been weird for me. Mine was the second one I tried on out of six and I ordered it a week later after quiet reflection. 🙂
I recently found my dress and I didn’t have that moment either! It was more like a “wow i actually look good in this dress and I have a figure! It’s mine” — the tears came when she showed me the coordinating flower girl dress for my daughter lol
I really liked the 3rd dress I tried on but because I hadn’t tried on any others I even kind of liked I couldn’t decide. I tried on some more and just felt exhausted. I realized I just needed to go and get some tacos with my mom- take a break from dress shopping- and when the food arrived my mom and I decided to call the shop and order it (over the phone!). It was a great moment- the eating good food and jumping up and down with my mom in our favorite taco chain. That moment was far more special than any of the actual trying the dresses on. In the store with other people trying on dresses that were beautiful but so far out of my budget, I couldn’t make a decision. But with hearty food and comfort I could. Sometimes the moment can come later.
I TOTALLY relate here. I tried on about 8 dresses, then came right back to the first one. I kept thinking “But I didn’t cry over it, I didn’t feel an overwhelming rush or joy in it.. surely I can’t just be.. done already? It can’t be the first one?!?” 16 months later at the wedding and now a year post wedding, I do LOVE my dress, but I didn’t cry over it.
I tried on one dress, liked it, and bought it then and there. There were no tears, but I knew the dress was right for me because it met the criteria for what I wanted in a wedding dress: v-neck, thick straps to allow for a supportive bra, defined waist, ivory color, zero beads or other embellishments, floor length but no train, a-line but not poofy to allow normal bathroom usage, and within budget. So yeah, maybe not the most romantic thing ever and certainly not a good plot for a TV show, but two years later I’m still totally happy with the results.
I think it all has to do with personality. I still haven’t bought my dress but after having tried on a few dresses…two of them made me cry. Neither one was particularly, me, they were beautiful, just not me. It’s just the mindset that I’ve never actually thought I’d be getting married, and here I am in a wedding dress about to marry the perfect guy for me.
Also, TV shows thrive on drama, those tears are just a portion of it.
I probably had a more typical/mainstream/WIC dress shopping experience in general, but I still definitely didn’t have a crying moment or a rush of deep, unending joy when I put on THE ONE. I did feel giddy in one dress more than the other, and couldn’t wait to dance in it.
What DID make me cry was when my mom looked at me and said, “You know, you look beautiful and I can tell you feel beautiful, which makes me happy. But what makes me happiest is that you’ve found someone who you love and who loves you so much, and who I know you’re going to have an amazing partnership with. And that’s what matters, right?”
Ultimately, a dress is a dress. What matters, like you and my mom said, is that you’re blissfully happy with the one you love. And if you get to rock a great frock because you want to and it makes you feel good? Cool!
THAT made me cry haha
I feel like this is an example of the wedding media really messing with people’s heads, and putting weird expectations into the minds of engaged folks. Sobbing “OH MY GOD THIS IS IT!” moments make for great television… but so do alien invasions and zombie outbreaks, and no one expects THOSE to happen in real life.
I agree, although I am totally expecting a zombie outbreak eventually.
Me too. The apocalypse will come!
It’s so important to reality check reality TV: they film a LOT of brides that never make it on air. You calmly picked out a dress that was the smart choice for you, with no family drama or personal meltdown? Welp, you wouldn’t make good TV, but you ended up with a great dress that’s going to be THE dress once you’re getting married. Enjoy!
Thank you sooooo much!!! I am so sick of people thinking there will be this amazing moment when I try on a THE dress. THE dress is the one I will walk down the isle in, it’s THE man waiting for me who matters (and I’m sure he wouldn’t care if I showed up in a white trash bag). Don’t get me wrong I want a nice dress it’s just at this point I am completely frustrated with people equating reality TV to reality!
I bought either dress 72 or 73 (I know, that’s ridiculous), and there wasn’t any tears or magical bride transformation. I was going to be a bride no matter what. What sold me on it was the fact that it felt like ME. It felt like something I could have had hanging in my closet amongst all my other favourite dresses, but it just happened to be white and black. My mum said she was sold on it, 100%, when I wouldn’t stop twirling around in front of the mirror and playing with the skirt. It was like I was five years old again, and that was also a great feeling.
I didn’t try on as many dresses as you did, but I think I picked mine because of the same feeling! I know that my dress actually comes in other colors and I’m considering purchasing from the designer rather than the bridal boutique just to possibly send it back and get another color to wear for everyday life after the wedding!
I tried on 3 dresses at David’s Bridal and they were all ok but not awesome. The rep asked me what would make the dress awesome so I described what I had in mind and she said, “ok I think I have one dress that would fit your idea”. She came back with the dress and it pretty much fit and looked fine. I didn’t get all teary though, the dress to me wasn’t a big aspect of the total picture. As a matter of fact the only thing I kept from my dress was the corset strap. The rest of it was donated to Brides Against Breast Cancer.
I’m going dress shopping for the first time this coming weekend. I’d love to get a dress locked down but I just keep thinking, what if I don’t have THAT moment, even if there is a dress I really like? Thanks for putting it in perspective.
(Besides, I think I might feel a little silly looking in a mirror and having to hold back tears due to my overwhelming beauty, know what I mean?)
I’m not a “teary-eyed squee!” girl, so it helped to have guidelines as to what I needed in a beach wedding dress. Once I found the sweet spot of “light, breathable, and fun” I fucking bought that bitch. And then high-fived my mom. No tears necessary.
I am a fashion designer and I LOVE to make wedding dresses. I have made over 10 for dear friends, and I made mine too! When you are getting a custom dress there isn’t an “Ah ha!” moment until very far along in the process. This can freak a bride out.
I worked with a bride who was very freaked out about the possibility of not likeing the dress that I was makeing for her, even though I was giving her exactly what she asked for. In the end she was stunning, and LOVED her dress.
I guess what I am saying is that there are many ways to get, “the dress”, and it is not always the way TV shows say it will be.
“I guess what I am saying is that there are many ways to get, “the dress”, and it is not always the way TV shows say it will be.”
Exactly, since we can’t edit real life.
I love that you made your dress 🙂
I am currently in the process of having a dress made for me… and slightly freaked out. The designer is being very nice, but I think she is thinking: Don’t worry, I get it, just choose the fabric and let me start sewing.
But at the same time I keep thinking: Oh god! Did I make the wrong choice???
Having a dress made is not for everyone. You have to be willing to trust the person making your dress, and you have to make sure the person you hired really knows what they are doing.
I like to shop with my brides for their fabric, I will sketch with them until they have a drawing that they like, and I also send them photos of the progress. This helps them to see where I am in the progress, and can calm some fears.
What most brides don’t expect with a custom dress is the time line. Unless negotiated, most dresses are not finihed until just a few weeks before the wedding. I had two dresses that were not finished until the night before (as I was making the dresses long distance, and needed last minute adjustments).
The best part of having a dress made is you can get what ever you dream up, and it should fit perfectly!
BLESS THIS COMMENT. I recently got married and my mother (who is a very talented seamstress, though she won’t admit it) made my dress. And you know, she gave me exactly what I asked for, but it wasn’t until the thing was basically done that I knew it was perfect! It was really hard to make the leap to visualize the finished product when all I kept seeing was fabric pinned here, tucked there, etc etc. So my advice would be to be patient, and don’t be to hard on yourself if you’re struggling with enjoying the process.
Nope, no tears, no knowing this is the one, none of it. I actually only tried on 4 dresses at one store and never tried on dresses again, it was the most miserable experience ever. I am not a dress lover and I lean more towards tomboy than anything else. So, instead I found a dressmaker who could take all the details my (now) husband and I loved from other clothing articles I owned and make one dress that I would feel comfortable in.
So much of it is WIC created expectations and personality. I’m just not a crier, my sister-in-law on the other hand totally cried and knew that one was the one she wanted, but that’s what I would have expected from her personality. There’s no right or wrong way to pick your dress or even to feel about your dress. Just know yourself, trust yourself, and have the dress that’s right for you.
I never had that moment as I never went dress shopping, bought my dress on ebay and it was a sample reduced to about $200.00. However, I felt a little giddy when I found it under a search for “black and red wedding gown” and knew I could totally pull off the style. It just needed a little altering and a hoop skirt to make it work. Go with your instincts, tear ducts are so overrated lol.
I didn’t even try on my dress until I ordered it! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a plus size sample in tea length? I just picked one I liked on the straight size model and hoped it worked out. I was so nervous because I never had that moment either, but as long as my husband was at the end of the aisle, nothing else mattered. Good post!
I found my dress almost completely on accident. I was just hanging out with a girlfriend at a vintage store she hadn’t been to and just started grabbing wedding dresses and prom dresses to “see what I liked”. I saw my gown hanging on the wall from the back and just thought it was pretty. The friend convinced me to try it on. The moment it was zipped up and I looked at the mirror I thought “Well, crap, I wasn’t expecting this.” No tears, no jumping up and down, just the friend coming over and saying very matter-of-factly “I think that’s the one” and then calling my mother to send her pictures and have her assure me I wasn’t out of my mind. Even she was very calm and having me make sure the dress (a 50’s wedding gown) was in good condition.
It’s interesting, because I also didn’t tear up when my Fiance proposed. He was worried because he’s seen me cry at plays and movies and at friends’ weddings, but no tears from me as he serenaded me at work with the help of our best friend and my coworkers (it was epic) Good thing the snog I gave Gibby as soon as we were home assured him I was very happy.
I think that when something exciting happens to me I go into “writer” mode and start recording everything as best as I can so that I don’t forget anything. On the outside this looks like I’m apathetic, but on the inside everything’s so exciting that I must focus on every detail.
I also found my wedding dress entirely by accident. I ended up in a bridal consignment store because my anatomy lab got cancelled and I had a free afternoon, and I found this Renaissance-style destination wedding dress for a hundred dollars. No tears, no alterations, and a sweet price tag. I don’t think it could have gone any better.
I found mine by accident too. I was at goodwill looking for clothes with my mom and grandmother, and I saw it on my way to the dressing room. I thought “that looks like its my size”. I decided to try it on after the other clothes, but as soon as my mom saw it she was like “try it on now”. I did and it fit perfectly. there were no tears, no real “this is it!!” moment; it fit, was pretty and the price was great. ($30 for the dress, which was brand new.) Grandma said “it fits, lets get it.” and that was that.
I totally get that. I’m often told that I look too serious when I’m just what I call “processing everything.” To each, their own. Oh and when I found my dress all that happened was that I nodded my head to myself and went, “Yep.” So, yeah.
I tried on about 6-7 dresses also. I tried on 2 of them twice, both extremely different. I liked them both but didn’t have a sob-fest moment.
One dress I tried on was elegant and form fitting, I felt sophisticated and glamorous. The other was bouncing and funky and fun.
I could’ve chosen either and been happy with my dress. The one I chose fit the mood I want for my wedding day – fun and funky and happy.
So, without the ah-ha! moment I went with the feeling I wanted to have on my wedding day. I wanted to feel giddy and silly and happy and bouncy and the dress I bought reflected just that.
Your life isn’t a half scripted, corny reality show.
When I went shopping for dresses I brought just my mom. Nobody else.
We went to 4 places the first day, and I tried on a ton of stuff. After like 4 or 5 dresses, the consultant took my mom out to a rack and they picked another out. I tried it on, I loved it. I loved it more than the other ones. I could picture myself in it. I did not cry. My mom did not cry. I did not jump up and down (though I have a bad knee so that would have been terrible anyways). I just liked the dress a lot and so did my mom. It also wasn’t the FIRST dress I really liked. I just liked it more than the others.
We went to 3 more places where I found a lot of ok dresses, but none as nice as that one.
The next weekend we went to 4 other places in a different town. Since that dress was the best from the first day, I just compared everything I tried on to that one. I didn’t find anything I liked more.
So I decided on that one.
No “Ah ha!” moment, I just went with the dress that I really liked, was very comfy, and that my mom liked too.
I found a dress I thought was alright online. It was affordable and cute. My mom made a few additions to it, and while it wasn’t the perfect, most beautiful dress I own, it was comfortable and my husband thought I looked beautiful in it, and really…that is all that matters.
I had a moment when I tried on my dress, but it was because trying it on reminded me of *why* I was going to be wearing it. It’s a pretty dress, but he’s an even better guy 🙂
Yeah, I’m in the minority here, but I had a little cry. This comment is why. I was very quiet when I put on the dress I thought I loved, and I quietly examined myself and it in the mirror for a long time in front of 4 girls and my mom. Then I put a few more on, went back to this one, quietly examined myself again and then sat down in the dress. And thought, this is the dress I’m going to be wearing next to my husband on our wedding day, and started to cry. I did the same thing the day of the wedding, though when my bridesmaids saw me start to tear up one of them yelled “chicken dance!” and for some reason that was the greatest thing ever and we went with it and I was all better and ready to meet my handsome man down the aisle!
my wedding dress shopping trip was on a whim- a friend and I went to browse for dresses and MAYBE try some on. Since it was the winter season in the evening hours, business was slow, so I actually got to try on a few dresses! I loved the very first dress I tried on, but tried on a few others to validate my choice. There were no tears, just screeches of excitement and “oh my god, this is the dress!” I was able to personalize the dress to fit my wedding theme- a little Green Bay Packers football- adding a green color inset to the dress, and selecting ivory over white for the dress color! I also had to order it with over a YEAR to go til my wedding, since the style was going to be discontinued at the end of the month! I’m glad I said yes to that dress, and I cannot wait to wear it on my big day! 🙂
I looked at HUNDREDS of dresses online, but only tried on maybe a dozen in person. I’m short and curvy, and when I put on longer dresses I felt like a f’in cupcake with my head sticking out. I would stand on those stupid platforms and the dresses were still too long and billowed out around me. I’m sure it was comical from the outside, but to me it was just frustrating. Then I realized I needed to give up finding something that would make me look taller, enter the tea-length (AKA, twirly) dress. I searched and searched online, made an appointment to go try on what I hoped was my dress, brought my best friend, and then made myself try on 2 cheaper dresses just to be sure before I stood there, twirling in the mirror, for 20 minutes. I -still- wasn’t convinced, no butterflies, no tears, just a happy, twirly, swishy dress. So I went home and ordered shoes to wear with the dress, and accessories (all returnable!) and made another appointment to try on the dress. I was that girl that needed to see the whole 9 yards on me, but in an affordable way (it didn’t feel real in a borrowed $200 veil with $300 shoes), I needed my very own $45 veil and $70 shoes to prove to myself that I could afford the look I wanted for our wedding.
Three years after our wedding and I still love my twirly dress and am a little sad that it doesn’t fit anymore (had to loose weight for health reasons and now my dress is too big). I was really hoping to dye it blue and wear it to some fancy bitch-worthy event some day!
All the tea length dresses went the whole way down to my ankles and would have required lots of alterations!
Speaking of alterations, maybe you could get it taken in? Dyeing it would be awesome.
Rachael, I had the exact same experience! I wrote a blog post about it http://asweetstart.com/blog/2012/2/24/the-wedding-dress.html. I never had that a-ha moment but ended up being very happy with my dress. The most important thing about it now is that it’s a timeless dress and I realize that when I look back at photos of my wedding (from 7 years ago) it’s just perfect!
I had mine made for me, and had the fitting on a hot, sweaty 34 degree day in Bangkok when I was trying to rush them so I could catch my train to the airport to fly out to France. I’d been up all day, walking, I had a 20kilo pack on my back, covered in sweat and grime, and my FH was grumpy and snarly. Not exactly prime conditions for crying. I was happy with it though, and it was beautiful, exactly what I wanted. When I got home and tried on the finished product they’d sent to me, again, I felt happy and beautiful but no OH MY FREAKING GOD moments. And I LOVE my dress!
“Then I had a reality check. What did it matter if there were other dresses out there that I might like better? I liked this one.”
This has been more or less my motto throughout my wedding planning so far. Wedding planning is 50x easier when you’re not fixated on getting the absolute best of 500 options. I am wearing the second dress I tried on and we only looked at one venue before signing a contract. Is there a better venue out there? Probably. Will this one be lovely? Very.
As someone who hasn’t spent her whole life fantasizing about the perfect day down to the very last detail, who also has a lot going on in life outside of wedding planning, I am so happy to be taking this approach. Checking things off the list. I didn’t cry when I put on my dress, but I did sigh in relief – this looks lovely, now I can cross the dress off my list.
Thank you for this comment. I planned my wedding to Orlando Bloom as a tween ( we were going to get married in Ireland next to the ruins of a windmill on a sunny day with only our parents present) but before and since then have yet to think about wedding planning. Many, many times during this process of planning a wedding I feel a mix of guilt, isolation, stress, and confusion as to what I am supposed to be feeling, doing, thinking about, etc. Yesterday I talked to my fiance about it and felt a ton better, but I sometimes still feel uncomfortable and out of my league when it comes to wedding planning. Reading about other women who haven’t really given much consideration to their wedding before getting engaged helps a lot, as does visiting sites like OBB.
Basically, I appreciate this:
“Wedding planning is 50x easier when you’re not fixated on getting the absolute best of 500 options.”
Amen!
One dress and I was done, and I even bought it before trying it on. I knew exactly what I wanted–ivory, beaded lace, halter-neck, open back–and found that exact dress (on sale, no less!) after about 10 minutes of searching online. I ordered it, it came, I tried it on with my mother there as a witness, and we both said, “Yep, that’s it” with not a tear in sight from either party. I still look, but nothing’s come even remotely close to how much I love the dress I already have. It’s like what people say about their partners: “When you know, you know.”
I had two dresses and two shopping experiences (things beyond my control took dress #1 out of the picture with one month to go). Both times I chose the dress that didn’t make me cry. I was a street size 18, and finding anything I could really try on was a challenge. There were a lot of ‘nothing fits, I feel like a failure’ tears, or ‘this might zip but I look like one of those crochet toilet paper cover dolls my great grandmother loves’ tears. When I found a dress that zipped up, didn’t bulge in weird areas, didn’t require massive alterations, fit, was pretty, and I still looked mostly like myself only fancier? The moment of ‘oh yeah, it’s just a dress’ was such a relief. It might not have been the dream dress I would have described, but it worked – and the whole saving me from Bridal Fever + body insecurities made me like it even more.
I knew from the start I wouldn’t have a Moment[TM] with my dress, and I warned my mother. I knew she probably wouldn’t either. She’s on her third marriage and for the last wedding, she wore jeans and got married in her living room. We aren’t too sentimental about weddings around here.
I didn’t even have a Moment[TM] when we got engaged, because I ‘planned’ (for lack of a better word) it… bought the ring, picked the date and location… all he had to do was show up and say things that sounded like a proposal.
I’m just not a person who has Moments[TM]. (Except on behalf of fictional characters… I am definitely a crying-while-reading type of person.) And to the credit of my dress consultant, she admitted that she didn’t have a Moment[TM] when she got her dress either, and she said she liked that I knew what I wanted, no muss no fuss. So I didn’t have to feel weird about my Moment[TM]-less-ness.
I need to start looking for my dress soon and I’m worried that this will happen to me too. I’m really nervous
I didn’t have a ‘moment’ either but I hadn’t set myself up for one. I went to Gallery Serpentine after work with my bestie and tried on giant pouffy skirt/corset combos. Because mine was going to be made for me it wasn’t a complete matching ensemble I tried on. I liked a different corset style so tried one on in a different colour. What I had to do was imagine what it would all look like when it came together and trust the people who were making it for me.. Even once it was made it wasn’t till it all came together on the day with all the extra bits that I finally got to see what I had imagined! And over a year after the wedding I am still over the moon with my choice 🙂
I found my dress on Craigslist; it was listed for $100. The dress had what I wanted; off white (very pale person here…who looks even paler in pure white), straps that were not spaghetti straps, A-line, simple, squared neck. My mom and I went over to the very nice lady’s house , I tried it on, low and behold! It fit! I liked it, it flattered me, it was in good shape. As I was looking in the very nice lady’s full length mirror in her hallway wearing the dress, she informed me out of the blue that “she was willing to negotiate some, but would not take less than $50.” I was like “will you take $80?” She said yes, I gave her the $80, and that was that! No tears, no OMG! THIS IS THE DRESS! moment…but that was fine. I needed a dress, I found a designer dress for $80…..Writer Boy thought I looked beautiful in it, mission accomplished. It was the only dress I tried on.
Was it my “dream” dress? No. My dream dress cost more than my entire wedding budget. I’m quite content with the choice I made. 🙂
No “a-ha!” moment here either. I went to 5 or 6 stores (by myself, which felt curiously lonely) and tried on loads o’ dresses. Some were laughable. Some made me feel like a meringue. Some were really lovely. Some made me think, “maybe this one?” But I frequently didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror staring back at me. I looked online and found a jaw-droppingly gorgeous dress…for a price I couldn’t and wouldn’t pay. I was grumbling to my mom about the difficulty of finding a dress and she shot back with, “You’re not marrying the dress, are you? Why are you worried?” Nope. No, I am not. So I ended up buying a perfectly nice dress from an online wedding dress resale site and asking a seamstress to make a few alterations. I still feel kind of meh about it. But it fit the budget. And that makes me happy. And while wearing it, I’m going to cry my way joyfully through marrying the person I adore…and that is going to feel amazing.
(I’ll note that my mom asks me about the dress every time we talk, though. Grrr.)
My experience was pretty different. My mom helped pay for college by designing and making wedding and formal dresses, so I grew up sewing, and made both of my own prom dresses. I had fully intended to buy my wedding dress, though, and went to several shops to try them on. What I discovered was that I liked this part from this one, and that part from that one, and a different part from a third one. . . I started sketching and putting together an idea of what my ideal dress would be. I looked everywhere, and every dress I tried on just wasn’t quite right. I finally took my sketches to my mom, and asked, “Can we make this happen?” She was thrilled! We drew, we designed, we selected off-white matte satin and vintage-y lace, and together we made a dress that was “the dress.” No teary moment or screaming involved, since it was a slow process, but in the end, I had exactly what I wanted, made exactly to fit ME. It wasn’t how I thought it would happen, but I wouldn’t change a thing!
I think that a magical moment can be authentically had in any situation but that doesn’t mean you HAVE to have one. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get a dress that flatters you just because you didn’t SWOON when you put it on.
I didn’t have a teary eyed magical moment. It was more of an – oh crap this thing makes me look amazing – moment. It was more of an eye roll because I honestly wasn’t expecting to have and didn’t really want any kind of moment at all. And the fact that I sort of kind of had a moment made my friends laugh since I was so anti – The Moment. So I rolled my eyes at myself and told them that, well, heck, can’t believe I’m saying this but it looks like this is The Dress and you can stop with the laughing and told you so’s already.
It took me 40 mins and trying on 4 dresses for me to pick one. It’s a nice dress and I’ll look pretty. Wish it cost $200 less. I also didn’t cry. For me, it is just an expensive pretty dress. My prom dresses cost less and, though they were less fancy, made me more excited. I’m missing the part of the brain that weeps over wedding stuff. BUT I totally have the part that creates tears for especially touching kleenex commercials or those damned abused animal ones. (F-you McLachlan)
Thank you! I needed to see this today. I may find a dress that I like very much, but no fabric is going to make me cry unless there’s a winning lotto ticket in the pocket 😀
“how did you know it was “the dress” without the reality TV moment?”
Silly as it sounds, I knew it because I wanted it very much and I bought it.
If I hadn’t bought it, it wouldn’t be “the dress” !
Just as if I hadn’t said “yes” to the proposal my husband wouldn’t be “the one” for me.
I really feel that your actions and decisions strongly affect that sort of thing, so, I knew it was the dress because I knew I wanted to buy and wear it. Yes, I look at other dresses and think “ah, what if?” but really, I bought this one because I wanted it to be ‘the dress’ and so it is.
Did I kno
We had a similar situation. We bought a red satin rockabilly style dress online. We knew enough to know the cut suited her body shape, and the colour would pop against her fair skin. When it arrived I helped her try it on because her best girlfriends live interstate. It sat okay, but it wasnt until she bought some shapewear to wear with it that it finally came together and looked great. In the end her dress looked amazing and she felt comfortable in it.
I haven’t even seen my dress yet! I ordered it from a designer on Etsy. I had already known of her and was a huge fan of her work. When I saw the picture I thought to myself, ‘this is it’ but continued looking at styles online. I kept going back to look at that dress, sometimes dozens of times, a day for about a week. Finally I polled my bridesmaids and they agreed that it was definitely my dress. I hope I actually look good in it haha! The funny thing is I am a shoe freak, and I had my heart set on Charlotte Olympia pumps and a less expensive tea length retro type dress. I ended up finding a good sale on different, perfect Charlotte Olympias and spent much more than I planned on the dress. I’m not sure if I will have that moment when it finally arrives, but if I don’t I will be fine.
I totally had a teary-eyed “THIS IS IT” moment with my wedding party and the woman who helped me pick my dress. I tried on 5 dresses, and the first one I tried on was the one for me. I didn’t want to settle on the first, so I went on to others. Didn’t like them near as much. The lady who helped me try on my dress (Jackie!) said she got chills the first time I put on the dress I bought and had to walk away because, “You look like a totally beautiful bride.” It was amazing, and I’m glad I got to experience that moment. (:
Mine was a largely rational decision – I looked great in it, it was probably the best deal I was going to find, and I knew I needed to get dress buying off my plate, since I fret over things (this was 16 months before the wedding, which is now 9 months or so away). I had my moment when I went back for my fitting after I bought the dress: my girlfriends were there, helping me with the dress, and then my mom made me try on a veil (which I was against at first). I put it on and went, “holy shit. Bride.” School girl faces ensued, complete with doubled-over happy smiles.
Trust your gut and don’t worry if you’re making a thinking-choice instead of a feeling-choice!
This was basically me. There were tears but not for the dress. We saw one we liked online when my FH and I were looking but it was slightly higher than what I wanted to pay; he said I should just try it on anyway. I tried on about 7 or 8 dresses and looked at thousands online but I think I tried that one on 3rd. It fit the best and flattered my figure the best. I do love my dress and think it’s beautiful. But this being my second marriage and I’m many years older than the first one – I feel like too much pressure is put on “the dress” moment. I’m a bride regardless of what I wear. I actually went with my FH and my MOH to get it. I didn’t get teary until I saw my FH goofy smiling grin. Even then, it wasn’t over the dress and more over the realization that I have a pretty awesome relationship and this is actually happening. So, to me it feels less like I said yes to the dress and more like yes to the goofy grin it gave my FH.
This is funny, because I just noticed Say Yes to the Dress was on Netflix and started watching it for shits and giggles. I am buying my dress online. I did a lot of research, read a lot of reviews and I am totally comfortable with my decision and absolutely love the dress I picked out. No tears, no nonsense. Which, no nonsense has been my approach to planning my wedding. I have two jobs, so my time is precious and I simply don’t have enough of it to go out and try on dresses. And for the tears? I am saving those for the ceremony because I know I am going lose it then.
I cried a lot before finding my dress. Why? Because the dress shops I visited seemed to have variations on the same five plus-size poof dresses that I didn’t want, and it was driving me into multiple anxiety attacks. I knew that being a bigger gal was going to make dress shopping a bit more stressful than it should be, but I was really dismayed by the sheer amount of crazy emotions I felt. I wasn’t expecting an OMG THAT’S IT!!! moment, but I was expecting to find at least one dress that I didn’t hate. I’m not sure what the dress shop ladies thought when I said ‘something simple, not outrageously priced, and not Cinderella-y,’ but the dresses they brought me were so huge, with so many layers of tulle, I thought I would die under the weight of them. And if the tulle didn’t kill me, the price tags definitely would have done me in right then and there. I was about ready to throw in the towel and resign myself to wearing a freaking bathrobe to my wedding. But before that, I decided to just take a break.
When I relayed the story of the shop hell I’d been going through to my FMIL, she took it upon herself to look around and see what she could find online. She sent me a couple of links to dresses she thought I might like, and the last one had this comment next to it: ‘The others are nice, but I think this is you.’ Sitting in my high-rise office, I clicked on the link and saw a simple, flowy but not too flowy, a-line dress with sleeves (!) and a v-neck. And it was $200. The online shop had free returns, so I said ‘what the hell’ and ordered it. When it arrived two days later, I put it on in my little office and asked a colleague who’s a good friend to come and see it. When she came in, she took two moments to size it up on my and replied, ‘yeah, that’s your dress.’ She took a couple of pictures for me to be able to see it on myself and for me to send to FMIL. It was comfortable, looked nice even sans shapewear, and most of all, it felt like me. Very soon after I sent the picture to FMIL, she called me crying saying how gorgeous I looked and that she absolutely loved it. I told her I liked it, too, and that was that. So, no tears from me after finding the dress, but plenty of FMIL happy-tears and my own overwhelming sense of relief.
I spent far more time looking for a dress than I had intended. I wanted something knee length with fluttery sleeves that didn’t cost a fortune. I could not find that! I did try on a couple of dresses that were more formal, had the “Damn, I look goooood” thought. But then I couldn’t wait to take them off. The 5-10 minutes they give you to parade around in front of the mirrors was way. too. long. There was no way I could get through even our super short ceremony in one of those.
In my quest for a simpler dress that still looked wedding-y, I ended up going to Alfred Angleo because, unlike David’s Bridal, you can order their bridesmaid dresses in white. And I think they are much higher quality than David’s anyway. I tried on my dress in pink, and made the leap of faith to order it in off-white. It fit off the rack because it was a simpler dress. The one size fit me PERFECTLY, skimming but not hugging. But the saleslady was trying to get me to order the larger size because my hip measurement was actually the larger size. But when the dress is an A-line and flows out, the bust and waist measurements are more important. I guess she was just trying to get me to pay for alterations anyway? And at the counter, they kept making odd comments like “Enjoy your bridesmaid dress, oh, I guess wedding dress…for you.” So, whatevs, I spent about $120 on my wedding dress.
So I basically hated the entire wedding dress shopping experience. And I found a dress I tolerated. With my long hair down and a bouquet you can only the parts of the dress I liked. And I wasn’t having extensive photography work, either. But I was comfortable on my wedding day and nothing could distract me from the excitement and the rush of the ceremony! No jabbing stays or tripping over a train.
My mom and I cried when I tried on the dress I DIDN’T buy! I was torn between two very different dresses, and ended up getting the one I wasn’t emotional about because of Comfort and Fluffy-ness rather than an emotional moment. At the time I was worried I’d be saddled with regret, but two months later I have my dress and I know I made the right choice. Can’t wait to wear it!
The very first dress I ever tried on, made my mother cry. I’m her oldest, so I knew it was coming. But then the rep was sniffing and telling me how pretty i looked. It was like all the elements were there, but I looked in the mirror and went “eh”. I just didn’t feel it in the dress. I never had a moment, but I had a light bulb when I found one that worked for me. It was more like “oh! this one isn’t poofy, and I feel better in it, not like a pumpkin wrapped in tulle” so that’s what I thought was important, feeling the dress, not the emotion.
I just bought my dress a day before this article came out and I wish it was out sooner because I went through the same thing. I had gone with a close friend to look at dresses before I went with my mom and whole entourage. When I did go with my mom and such I tried on a few dresses that I had tried on with my friend. I really liked one of them and I was considering getting it. My mom wanted to see me in a floor length dress, specifically one she saw me in during a previous impromptu dress shopping experience, but they did not have it or anything similar. I was put in a floor length dress which I really likeed but I had my heart set on tea length. When the consultant pulled a tea length dress I immediately liked it and when I put it on I really liked it. But I was waiting for that feeling of THIS IS THE ONE! It did not come and I was slightly disappointed. Everyone was asking me what I liked and didn’t like about each dress. My sister in law even said that I must be good at hiding what I am really feeling. I think I was nervous that my mom would find out that I had gone dress shopping with out her. I went the dress I did because I felt comfortable in it. After leaving the store is when I got really excited about my dress.
My mother and I had the messy, crying moment in David’s Bridal over an Oleg Cassini trumpet dress. When the consultant put the veil on, we both lost it.
I went home, looked at the pictures, and ended up buying something else.
I was the same way. I didn’t cry or feel overly emotional. I liked the dress and I looked really good in it so we got it. I later found out my future sister-in-law was the one who picked it out for me and the design of the dress was Celeste which is my oldest sister’s name. There is an awesome connection to my dress now. Every time I look it up online to look at it I just think to myself, “that is MY dress.” Still no tears but I am more in love with my fiance than any piece of clothing.
I didn’t actually feel like a bride in my dress until my final fitting. I non-emotionally chose it for all the right reasons, but was (needlessly) worried it would somehow end up disastrous. Finally, once all the alterations had been made and the custom touches added and my vision was reality, I really fell in love with it. I DID cry at our first look. “Its exactly what I was hoping for” he said… and I felt the same.
I found my dress almost by accident…there was a bridal salon going out of business and having a big sale about a month after I got engaged, so my mom and my best friend and I went out for an afternoon so I could try on some dresses and just get a feel for what styles looked good on me. I didn’t really intend to get a dress that day. I tried on about six or seven dresses. There were two that I really loved, but one was an all-over lace gown. As I’m very very short, I would have needed to have it hemmed about a foot, which would have required me to sacrifice way too much of the dress. The other one, which had a very heavily embellished bodice but a plain silk skirt, would be relatively easy to alter, and looked amazing on me. It’s also very unique and insanely beautiful. None of us cried, but we were all very excited that the dress looked so nice on me, and my mom and friend both agreed that it was very “me”. I’m THRILLED with my dress and I can’t wait to wear it 😀
After telling her that I found my dress, my future mother-in-law asked multiple times if I had cried. When I replied that I just got an inexpensive dress that I didn’t hate, she immediately stopped talking, and hasn’t brought it up since. I can’t help but feel like I totally disappointed her, but I’m not sorry for being honest about my feelings.
I had a very similar experience. I was in my third of fourth dress shop and I was tired and sweating. (It should be an arctic in those stores; those dresses are like miniture saunas.) My cousin, who was with me, said she thought it was the dress, and it did have many of the attributes I was looking for (lace, ivory, a little quirky). But I didn’t tear up or feel instantly like a bride. I did feel my best in that dress compared to the others. I liked it; I even maybe loved it. And it was more than 50% off. In the end, I wavered between it and another. I went with it because I liked it the best out of all that I had seen that day. And if anything, I’ve actually fallen more in love with my dress since we’ve gotten closer to the wedding.
David’s Bridal, where I bought the dress, has a tradition of sorts where you ring this bell when you find THE dress. So when I decided on the dress, they handed me the bell and instructed me to close my eyes, make a wish, and ring it. I questioned if the dress was my dress because I felt to awkward ringing that bell in a store full of people. Now, I realize that the bell is just an awkward situation, no matter what dress you’re in.
It may not be THE dress for me out of all the dresses in the world. But it is definitely the dress for me in my budget in Louisiana, where I was shopping. I love my dress, but I’m also sure I could love other dresses out there. And I think that’s the case with everyone.
No tears. Overall the experience was anti-climatic, even a bit tiring. I tried on a lot of dresses. Most of them were pretty, but not flattering for my body type or my style. At the end, there was only one dress than 1) made me look good and comfortable in my body, and 2) appealed to my sense of style. So that’s the one I went with. Very pragmatic. After I had decided upon it though, I imagined myself walking down the aisle in that dress towards my partner, and that certainly gave me chills! Not because of the dress, but just because “omg I’m getting married to the love of my life!!!! I can’t wait!”
I tried one dress on and it was MY dress. I knew it and I didn’t try any other dresses. I was just teary when I saw my mom. She had this look on her face like “OMG my daughter is getting married!!!”. And then I felt the same way. It made me realize that I’m actually really getting married. I was overwhelmed. I knew it was perfect for me because it felt like a pyjama. Comfortable and soft. I felt pretty and awesome. It was the first thing that I had in my hands from my wedding. Of course there will be food, music and party but it will come together on my wedding day and the dress gave me the glance of it. And after I tried it on I saw no reason to look for more dresses. Easy.
I didn’t have the moment but then again I have never actually seen myself in my dress. I went to a bridal salon that was having a trunk show of a designer that I liked. Part of the trunk show was that they had the sample dresses from their runway show. I tried on quite a few dresses but could not fit into the sample of the one I really like because well I am much bigger than the size 4 or 6 (don’t remember) that it was in. I tried on a similar dress by the same designer to make sure the cut would look good but other than that I ordered it blindly. No opportunity to have the moment, but I guess that’s something you have to do if you are a bigger girl. I’ll finally get to try my dress on in 2 months but I don’t think I’ll cry then either.
This article couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. I’ve been having some anxiety due to worrying about a dress I will see in a few days that is also out-of-date sample so it’s a love it or leave it deal. Even if I don’t get that ah-ha moment, I think I’ll be ok.
I ordered my dress back in April and it comes in from the designer in December. At this point, I don’t really even remember what it looked like on, and all I have is one picture on my phone of the back to remind me so I’m in the same state of anxiety about my dress. The shop I ordered from required half the cost be paid up-front so if I get it and hate it, I’m already committed financially to it but I just keep telling myself that I loved it once, I can love it again…I’m sure you’ll be okay!
I didn’t buy a bridal gown, so there weren’t any of the traditional dress shopping moments for me. As a plus-size bride, I didn’t expect to enjoy the shopping experience anyway. I came across my dress while browsing through a local thrift shop. Since it caught my eye on the rack, I showed it to my mom & daughter. They both thought it would be good to get for the wedding, even if it didn’t work out, it was a pretty cheap chance to take! I didn’t even try it on first.
When I got it home and tried it on, despite the fact that it was just a bit too small, I loved it! Simple, flattering, it totally suits me! I’d been working on weight loss even before I got engaged, so it almost fits me now.
I didn’t cry either when I chose my dress. I tried on four other dresses and then one of the sales ladies pulled a dress that was a blend of styles that I liked and it just worked. It wasn’t what I envisioned at all, but then I realized my dress didn’t have to follow the theme (sci fi) or the venue (a library). It was marked down 50% and it was a designer I hadn’t heard of, it couldn’t be ordered and it was almost exactly my size. It felt like it was meant to be even if I wasn’t bawling my eyes out. I figured I would be a wreck on the big day anyway.
I am definitely in the same boat as the writer. It was more of the situation where I kept narrowing down the dresses at the one shop with lots & lots of plus size dresses, narrowed down to 3, then down to 2, and chose between those two. I told my mom “this is the dress”, we ordered it, and that was one more item crossed off my list.
Sometimes I wonder about that other dress, but I know that I was beautiful when I married my husband, and I really do love my dress. I just never cried over it.
I had a ‘Wow that looks surprisingly good!’ moment, but no tears from anyone! The dress I went with was totally not what I expected as although I love the 50’s look I didn’t think it would suit me. I was looking for a slim fitting red dress and got a pouffy 50’s ivory one, because it was flattering and the bridal shop were willing to sell me the sample.
I’ve had a few gasps when showing pictures to family, but mainly because they are in shock to see me in an ivory puffy thing.
Of course now I own it, it is ‘the dress’, because it’s what I’m wearing… If that makes sense. But without the drama.
I went to one shop and only one shop. I had plans on looking around more but I found my dress at the first place I went. I didn’t want to spend more than $100 but ended up spending about $400. Still well below what most wedding dresses cost so I feel I did good. I tried on four dresses that were cocktail dresses (and under the $100 mark) and then for the hell of it I tried on ONE wedding gown. It wasn’t the right size but we cinched it up and it looked pretty on me. It is a simple gown and I didn’t cry or feel any crazy “THIS IS THE ONE!” things that you see on tv or read about in wedding articles…I just felt warm and satisfied. I didn’t have any expectations about how to feel. I mostly was focused on it not costing a crazy amount of money and I didn’t want a super fru fru dress. I’m very happy with it 🙂
So glad I found this blog post, and I’m not the only one! After trying on what felt like hundreds of dresses in many shops, I was frightened to admit it, but I was BORED of dress shopping! I felt like a fraud of a bride to be! Ended up going for one of the four or five dresses I liked, mainly as I didn’t have the energy to try on any more. Have to admit, am really excited about the thought of wearing it now :-). I think I went for the one I chose because I spent the longest twirling around in it. That must mean something!
I didn’t have the tv show moment when I found me dress either. What I did have was a “OH MY GOSH A DRESS THAT ACTUALLY FITS ME!!!” moment. I am what I call a healthy size with curves that I am proud of (Aussie size 12), and when I went dress shopping I found most shops only had floor stock to try on up to a size 8-10. I felt horrible when the zip/buttons/corset wouldnt do up and they would need to get the comically large clips out to strap me into the dress. How was I supposed to get a clear picture of the dress and if it suited me if the darn thing doesnt sit right on me? I felt ugly and awful in each and every one of those silly dresses. Heaven help the brides who are a larger size than me who try on those tiny dresses!! (What is the wedding industry playing at, making brides feel awful about themselves?!) Thankfully I found this shop/warehouse that had dresses of most sizes on hand in most styles. I picked a dress that made me feel beautiful, comfortable, and didn’t need an army to get me into.
My yes moment wasn’t in the shop. Yes, I did love the dress, no I did not have a “THIS IS IT” moment right then. I think the matter of looking through hundreds of dresses and playing barbie doll, trying so many on, I was so overwhelmed with options to ever have that moment. My moment came later when I was showing my bridesmaid some photos of the dresses I’d tried on (I only took my mum shopping), and flicking through, she had a few dampening things to say about one dress, it really upset and offended me. That’s how I realised how much I loved that dress, I just hadn’t allowed myself to see it before, and having someone say that it wasn’t their idea of a wedding dress made me realise that. So I went and bought it, knowing that I loved it and not caring about what anyone else thought!
I am so glad this article came out when it did.
I bought my dress yesterday. I went with my two nanas because my mum stays too far away. It was the second shop I’d been to. In the first one I’d been really put off the whole dress shopping experience but I’d seen a dress I liked online and found out that a shop relatively close to me stocked it so I decided it couldn’t hurt to try it on.
I picked it out and tried it on and there were no tears from me or my nanas but after remembering this article (and a quick picture message to and a reassuring phone call from my mum) I bought it. It’s exactly what I was looking for and it turns out the sample was a perfect fit so it’s been ordered in that size and hopefully won’t need much altering once it gets here. As a bonus it was 15% off too.
I did kind of think that I would end up having a “moment” because I get super emotional over a lot of stuff, but I think I’m just saving them all up for the day.
The dress I bought, I tried it on, and my first reaction was: Oh my god, my boobs look amazing.
No crying for sure though. I do cry over really random stuff, but clothes? Clothes. Eh.
To be honest, though, the first time I tried it on I wasn’t actually looking to buy a ‘wedding’ dress. It just sort of happened, later, when it kept playing on my mind. That might have dulled the crying? I just think women on those shows are prone to tears. Must be why they show them!
I cried over a dress I knew I didn’t want (even though it was flattering), but was my mother’s favourite. I cried because I was concerned about caving to someone else’s vision. The shop-lady helping me the dressing room was great, and reminded me that it’s my wedding to plan.
A few days later, I dropped my mom off at the airport and went dress-shopping without her. I bought a dress neither of us previously experienced because I loved it. I didn’t cry. Instead of making me feel like I compromised, I feel like a winner. The dress is fun, fabulous, me, and I look pretty. Definitely, no tears. Just joy.
I was adamant about not making a big deal about the dress — after all, it’s the marriage that’s the important part (even if you lose sight of that in all the wedding prep sometimes).
I went to David’s, gave them some parameters, tried on a few things without any family or friends around, found a couple I liked, picked the one I’d be able to dance in, and then went back a couple days later and bought it with my mom and a friend, just for a second opinion.
They have a stupid “tradition” there manufactured to get young girls all in a tizzy over a dress, wherein once you’ve found “the one” you ring a bell and make a wish and your true love hears it. I told them, politely, to take their bell and stick it where the sun don’t shine.
I’d like to think of my husband, more or less, as “the one,” not a dumb (though very pretty and flattering) dress.
I didn’t have that moment, of course I tried on a bunch of dresses I liked, but I ended up getting one designed. I did feel a little emotional once we were done designing the dress and agreeing upon everything. Then it really felt real. But I think it’s because I wanted something unique and didn’t find anything on the racks that fit my needs. But designing one, was awesome!
The first one I tried on I thought was the one. I had put it on layaway. Then after a few months I realized it wasn’t going to work. I was going to have it custom made in China and that fell through as well. Then I called my sister cause she had been telling me all along I could have her’s. I was sceptical cause she is an odd duck. I was pleasantly surprised. Her gown is my ONE. I almost had the crying thing but still didn’t. Maybe after it’s altered to fit me better maybe.
I was SO sure that I would simply find a dress, try it on, and it’d be in my budget and wahay, sorted 🙂 FOOL!! I naively assumed that the dress decision would be as laid-back and easy as every other one we had made about the wedding. But when you are on a tight (and small) budget, options seem to disappear. I can’t stand the thought of having silk or satin, and tulle and lace immediately hike the prices up. I’ve searched through all my local – and not so local – bridal boutiques (in the UK) and every dress that I thought was close to what I had imagined is way (and I mean WAY) out of my league!! It seems that here in the UK if money IS an issue, you’re expected to want one of two things: a) a 1990s white satin strapless pintuck creation or b) a vintage/vintage styled shorter dress. Neither or which appeal/suit me.
Ultimately it looks like I’m running a risk and order my dress online from the US. I’ve seen the dress both in photo and video form, and the movement is exactly what I was looking for, the design not quite what I had envisioned, but I’ve come to realise that in reality you don’t get a ‘OMG this is the one it’s PERFECT’ moment. Like with every other part of the wedding there’s compromise and at the end of the day, as I keep reminding myself, it’s just. a. dress!!
I am also a designer and have made literally thousands of wedding dresses. I adore making them and I love the ritual and specialness of the occasion, however as someone who is not emotional in any way, I get really freaked out when clients cry after putting on their dress. It’s just like, “nononono, don’t do that! why are you doing that? please stop that, please don’t hug me” lol!
I didn’t have the tearful this is it moment either. DH and I got engaged and planned to have the wedding six months later. I knew I couldn’t afford to dress shop for weekends on end, and I knew that I had a very tiny dress budget.
I was silly and went to the more expensive place first… the only bridal dresses in my range were the clearance dresses that were the only ones left of that style… and none of them fit my very short and rather round figure.
My consultant then suggested looking at bridesmaid dresses because I wanted a short dress that was not stark white. The second one she brought in from the bridesmaid collection was the dress I chose. I never went to Davids Bridal. I chose my dress on the first dress outing.
No one had tears (well, maybe my mom a little bit). I didn’t freak out and have the “holy shit I’m getting married” moment. But I loved my dress none the less and it was perfect for our wedding 🙂
I tried on probably 6 or 7 dresses before I decided on my dress, and it took two times of trying it on to decide that it was the one. The crying moment happened the second time around and only after I thought to myself that my fiance would absolutely love the dress…then I cried and declared that I was done. I didn’t think it would happen for me and it almost didn’t. None of my party cried but they certainly told me that I was being dumb to try on anything else and they ultimately were the ones who forced me into trying on the dress a second time…I think we all want that absolutely positive moment because your wedding day is the biggest day of your life and the dress is supposedly the most important part but as long as you feel beautiful and you can afford to eat afterward, then hey, you got it. There aren’t any more rules to dress shopping then there are for weddings in general.
Late to the party, I know, but since this site came up in the top five for what I was searching and this particular post up in the related links, thought I’d add something in from a bridal consultant’s (I’m not one, but I have several family members in the business and I grew up playing in the alterations room) point of view.
“Say Yes to the Dress”, while entertaining, is probably the worst show to watch for soon-to-be-brides on the hunt for the dress. I can’t say for sure, but I personally suspect that a lot of the tears you see on the show aren’t totally genuine. It’s a TV show, the brides-to-be know they won’t get their ten-fifteen minutes of fame if they don’t make it interesting. This puts a somewhat unrealistic expectation for brides-to-be that when they find ‘the dress’ they’ll break down crying… and also that they should bring a half-dozen (or more) spectators.
As a lot of the people who commented here already said, they didn’t break down crying. That’s totally normal. You know when you’ve found “the one dress” when you put it on, smile, and feel both pretty and comfortable. And let’s face it, if you’re feeling pretty when you put it on, then your husband-to-be is going to think you look stunningly beautiful (that’s the nice thing about husbands, isn’t it?). Sometimes you do have to shop around a bit, but don’t wait for that moment where you burst into tears. If you’re waiting for the tears, you’ll likely exhaust yourself and then feel like you’re just “settling for a dress”, when you’ve already tried on and passed over the dress that really was for you.
When you go shopping, bring one person. Bring your mother, sister, closest cousin or aunt, grandmother, best friend… but only bring one. One person is all you need to give you support, morale, and constructive criticism. Two, if you’ve got a pushy person who absolutely insists on being in on the process (but don’t take their opinions too close to heart. You wanted someone else’s opinion for a reason, and if this person won’t respect your wishes they’ll likely shoot down the right dress for you for something that -they- like), or if the person buying the dress for you insists. Anything more than that is just setting you up with a whole line of Hecklers (from the Muppets) and that’ll just drain out your energy having to listen to all their arguing. Also, don’t bring someone who’s been married in the past year or is currently planning their own wedding… unintentional (and, unfortunately, sometimes deliberate) sabotage happens.
Your budget is important. Know what it is, understand that there’s always alterations, add-ons, veils, shoes, jewelry… many things that can make that expensive dress that you’re not entirely fond of suddenly out of your range, but that pretty dress that was half the price suddenly, undeniably, The Dress. And don’t even look at (nevermind try on) dresses that are completely out of your budget. It’s an energy and focus drain for you.
Don’t stress if you don’t find the right dress the first day. Often the hunt for the dress is more of a marathon, sometimes you just need to take a break. Go have lunch, go sleep on it for a day or two… or better yet, go look at bridesmaid dresses. Personal story here: I grew up playing in the alterations rooms of some of the higher-end bridal boutiques in my part of the country, so when it came time for me to get married you’d think that’d give me an edge in finding The Dress… nope. It took me months of looking, only to get so frustrated one day that I started looking at bridesmaid dresses just to cool off. And that’s where I found The Dress. It was a simple A-line halter-top bridesmaid dress… and it was chocolate brown. It was perfect. I didn’t cry when I walked out of the dressing room, I just looked at my reflection, turned to my mom, and said “This. This one.” That’s all, and I never regretted it.
I am so happy to read these comments and to know that I’m not the only bride who has had this experience or one similar.
I knew when I had found my dress that it was the one I was going to wear on my wedding day. It was more than I wanted to pay, but it was beautiful and I could put it in layaway. I began to research the designer and fell in love with his work. I never had a teary eyed OMG this is my dress moment. It was more like a declairitive moment of clearity, like “Yup, this is my dress alright. I don’t want to finance it, tell me about your layaway!” I didn’t realize how much I loved my dress until I had come close to not being able to pay it off and thought I was going to have to switch it for different dress. There were some tears then. Thankfully my Grandma’s came together and help me pay it off. I was able to get it.
I did have the ‘this is MY dress’ crying moment. It wasn’t over the top like in SYTTD sometimes can be, but it was emotional for me. I was without my mom and was so overwhelmed with crazy emotions. Thankfully, my future mom-in-law recorded the moment and it really was simply beautiful. I was just so happy! …Blessed to be married this April!
I most definitely did not cry and I never really thought I would. For the most part I’m a pretty practical person. But I did think I would finally try on one and somehow “know” instinctively that this was “the one”. But then a wedding consultant told me… “If you’re generally a practical person you will probably make this decision in that way too. And that’s Okay!” In the end I went with the dress that everyone agreed looked the prettiest on me and went well with my vintage Halloween theme. Now that I’ve finally made the decision I am very happy and looking forward to wearing it!
This is exactly what I was thinking, I love that I found this article today. I didn’t get a teary/overwhelming happiness moment when I tried the dress on, I didn’t realise the lack of “moment” until my maid of honour saw the picture I sent her and said ” aw your mum must be in tears” I mentioned it to my parents and my dad said “no tears, but I farted, does that count?”
I know that’s the dress I’m going to get married in, its the first one I saw ( of about 7 ) and it goes with me, simple, beautiful, drama free 🙂 and my friends said it looks like Princess Leia’s formal dress. Perfect
Thank you!!
I didn’t cry when I saw my dress either. In fact, my dress was totally not what I was envisioning for myself. I went in thinking I wanted a non strapless, Great Gatsby type mermaid dress (having a garden, vintage type wedding). I ended up with a strapless ballgown. I went home the night I tried the dress on, checked online, and found out that since I went shopping during the weekend of Black Friday/Cyber Monday, the dress (which was already on sale) was an additional 50% off. Went back the next day to try on more dresses and kept going back to that ballgown-y dress and finally decided a) I looked and felt awesome in it, b) It may not have been Gatsby, but it still fits my theme (the Garden aspect), and c) it was only $450, which was WAAAAY under what I was expecting to pay.
Best. Decision. Ever. But I did feel weird that there were no tears. . . .
Oh thank goodness I found this article. I seriously went through the same thing (no tears, no OMG I FOUND THE ONE) and I’ve been questioning my excitement since. I didn’t cry. I felt good in the dress. I could imagine myself wearing it at my wedding and it’s a beautiful dress. The most indicating reason for me that this might be it was when I came out of the dressing room and my mom gasped. That pretty much told me the type of reaction others will have and that was good enough for me. But I am really excited to wear it again after it comes in (I actually had it on a few days ago dress shopping with my bridesmaids and I really liked having it on again).
The bride in the dressing room next to me was obnoxious about me not crying. I appreciated her input about how much she liked my dress and how great it looked and when I said I was going to go with that one, she kept asking, “are you going to cry, is that a tear, I think I see a tear?” I wanted to snap and say, “some of us don’t care about the dress, I just want something I feel comfortable and beautiful in and don’t need to try on 100 dresses or cry”
I think the problem is the expectation that this has to happen while standing on the dressing stand in a boutique while you’re wearing £5000 worth of beads and lace.
Eureka moments are not just about aesthetics (money apparently being no object) but about finding the dress that meets all of your needs, including the more practical ones.
I tried on two dresses that day that I really liked. The second one was a gorgeous lace dress, long lines, beautifully finished edges, tiny buttons, the elegant late victorian dream dress. Four figure price tag. My mother wept.
The first one was a dress from a high street store that was marked down to £70 (originally £220). It had nowhere near the construction quality and only a fraction of the beauty of the other. But this was the one that gave me the “aha” moment, because I realised I could get something that was 90% what I wanted style-wise without the added stresses and guilt of paying for an obnoxiously expensive dress.
It was fun to try on better dresses but I’m much happier in a dress I don’t have to freak out about staining!
My advice for people still shopping would be to cast off other people’s expectations about what a wedding dress is supposed to be. Look in high street stores, online, or at independant creators. I’ve seen great wedding dresses in charity shops more than once, that would be very serviceable after dry-cleaning. Look at white dresses that don’t say “bridal” on the tag. Look at dresses that aren’t white.
My freind is getting married in a champange satin pencil dress from Coast. Looks spectacular. Was not sold as bridal wear.
I did have the crying in front of the mirror and friends moment but it was more about the fact that getting married finally felt real. Up until that point it was a lot of talk and signing a contract or two but when I put the dress and veil on, in front of those I loved, the water works started. I didn’t buy that dress even though I was overcome with emotion which I’m glad I did because 5 dresses and two shops later, I found THE one that made me feel beautiful AND like a bride.
I only went to one bridal shop to try on dresses. I thought I would cry as I am emotional anyway but I didn’t. I liked them dresses and felt like I looked amazing in one of them but I felt I couldn’t justify the price. Even with my mom offering to pay I just did not want a dress over £1000 (and I thought that was quite a bit!!). I then found a dress I like online and bought it as it was £100 but it doesn’t make me feel ‘bridey’.
Then last week my mom and I went to visit my grandmother (we live in the UK, my grandmother lives in Alabama) and we found my mom’s wedding dress (that my grandmother made for her), which I have decided to wear now. We are going to a seamstress to get altered and updated but it feels so much more special and for the sentimental value I am willing to pay more for my dress. Maybe once I try on my finished dress with the veil my aunt is making I will cry but it’s not happened yet.
same for me. i tried on several dresses at several places and kept going back to one that i couldn’t get out of my head. it is fairly plain but i fell in love with the fabric (feels like starchy cotton), the bow, and the low price. everyone thought it was too simple but it really felt like “me.” so the next day i went to the bridal shop by myself on my lunch hour, tried it on, and bought it without any fanfare. i didn’t need anyone to love it but me, and i didn’t need bells rung or tears to know it’s the right choice.
I found mine online and never tried on a single dress. It fit our idea great and looked amazing. The dress was not even close to be the most important part. Plus had to keep it budget friends. I love SYTTD but definitely TV made.
i saw my dress in a movie, liked it and thought it fit the idea of what I wanted to wear. So I found it online for cheap ($125), ordered it and will be getting it altered to fit (shortened and bust taken in) next month. No moment of any kind, since I just saw it online and bought it. It doesn’t matter to me what I am wearing as long as I’m happy. Who cares what anyone thinks, since I get to marry someone so amazing…. I’d be happy to do it in my jeans and tshirt….. 🙂
I had a similar experience. I found a dress the price was right and I really love it. After alterations maybe I’ll have that moment but it’s ok as long as at the end of the day I’m married 🙂
I looked at a ton of dresses online, I had ideas and back-up plans and I went into the boutique knowing three things:
1) I wanted a short dress, thick straps for a real bra, not fucking strapless, x-straps so I can show off my tattoos is great but not required, something that shows off my boobs because they’re my favorite part of me without inciting my mother’s wrath, full enough skirt to put a colorful petticoat under, adjustable at the back with elastic or lacing because I bloat when I get stressed, and not fucking white or anything close to it I was getting black or a COLOR.
2) I was already looking at rush fees for formal dresses online and a few other places that I’d otherwise rejected, but I was not paying a thousand fucking dollars on a dress.
3) I was going to keep an open mind and not reject anything out of hand, mostly out of politeness and also out of wanting a fun dress-buying experience (I figured if they were awful it would be fun to laugh about)–and thus if I didn’t find anything I liked that day, I had an appointment for a custom dress for the next afternoon.
I tried on the dress with almost all the characteristics I had in mind. I HATED IT. I mean, I felt old, frumpy, ugly, awful, it was a color I’d considered and was allllll wrong. it was a beautiful dress on a manikin one size smaller than me but on me, it looked horrible. And thus, my “I’m going to try to keep an open mind” suddenly became “Fuck it, I have nothing in mind, show me everything you’ve got. No, no, ignore my no strapless bras caveat from earlier, nothing is off limits but white.”
The other thing was that I had this niggling feeling at the back of my mind. A foreboding, a voice in my head that piped up every single time the topic of dress buying came up. Nothing with words so much as this feeling: SOMETHING is going to happen to my dress at the first wedding, and because we only have a week until the second one, I won’t be able to get the dress repaired or cleaned or even replaced with anything similarly tailored, and that I’d end up wearing a homecoming dress off the rack of JCPenney’s. And don’t get me wrong, if that happened Im sure I’d end up in a dress I liked well enough and was happy with. But it would be SUPER stressful. And so I kept hearing that little voice saying, “Buy two.”
The first one I tried on was a short strapless chiffon dress. As she was getting me into it, she discovered it came with wide straps that can be put on in tailoring to cover a specific bra, so it could be x-strapped. I loved it, I was sold, and giggling that it was breaking a couple rules but still cute. The second one was the one that was basically everything I wanted, but didn’t show off my tattoos–and it was awful, as I mentioned. That’s when all my caveats except Not White went out the window. Third was satin, floor length, way more formal than I was planning on getting, corset back, and definitely strapless. Suddenly I felt absolutely bridal. I was surprised, and I didn’t think that I was going to go for that dress even then, I just thought that maybe I was more open to strapless and form-fitting than I’d originally believed. So we put me in a few more dresses in ranges of strapless, one-shoulder, floor-length, form-fitting, but none of them made me feel as good as that satin one and first chiffon one did. We put me back in the chiffon and hung a dress in the same color around my waist so I could see it long, and it was like, yeah, I like that too.
My helper hung them up in front of the couch and I sat there with my partner, my friend who’d come along for support, and the color swatches and started dreaming. Did I want satin or chiffon? What colors was I looking at? I like this one for these reasons and that one for those reasons and what if I just bought them both? Yep, both. Everything in my brain is screaming yes, and every time I say “IF I buy them both” I tense up involuntarily but when I say “Then I have options and a backup plan” it’s like soothing everywhere. The shop owner tried to get me to just buy one, by saying “if I told you you couldn’t have one of them, which one would you be disappointed about?” and I said, “BOTH! I mean I know which one I would put back because the other is a little more practical, but I’d be sad.”
And that’s how I ended up buying the first and third dresses I tried on which barely meet any of my original requirements AND a blingy rhinestone sash that cost as much as one of them, at my very first dress appointment. LOL. I liked them a lot, they are very different and I like them for very different reasons but they both look fabulous on me. The blingy sash takes them from pretty to beautiful, it’s handmade in America, and the quality is guaranteed (so if I get it and have any issues with loose rhinestones they will replace it). The one is too formal for any non-formal event, but the other is in that nice in-between space where I could legitimately wear it without the bling to someone’s backyard wedding and not be too terribly overdressed. I didn’t have any tearful “this is it” moments, but I did have that moment where I was ever so grateful that I was having two weddings so I didn’t have to choose in the end after all.
For practical reasons, because everyone who’s heard this story has asked, I’m wearing the more form-fitting one to the first wedding. It will be slightly less comfy, and thus wearing it earlier in the two stressful weeks is a good idea. The more casual one will also travel better, so if forced to save one for the second wedding, it’s the better choice all around.
I went through the same thing. No tears, and I had been watching shows like “Say Yes to the Dress” for months. I know I will love my dress the day of and I will look beautiful but I also know that the wedding isn’t about the dress, it is about the commitment. Thank you for posting this article.
I went to loads of different dress shops and tried on loads of different dresses and eventually wound up buying my dress online, like you I was restricted by budget and the dress was on sale. And I never felt that moment at all even in my current wedding dress, It is beautiful and I am happy with it but I was expecting the moment you see on the television, kind of like a beam of light from the heavens and harps playing and everyone crying including me but I still don’t feel that. It is really reassuring to know I’m not the only one and you are completely right, on the day the only thing that matters is that I am marrying the man I love and that is what I will always remember.
I knew when my mom cried, which made me cry. She picked up the dress at a flash sale here in town and I felt a punch to my gut. I knew it was my dress. I have my doubts, but I go in and put it on and know in my heart I made the right choice.
Ive always been a tomboy. I NEVER pictured myself in a huge wedding dress, actually I never pictured myself in a wedding dress at all. We went to the bridal shops and I didn’t see anything I felt comfortable trying on. Finally we went to a really small, local bridal shop and since no one else was there my mother-in-law shoved a dress into my hands and made me try it on.. It was white and purple and had a corset top with a poofy skirt. I was terrified and felt claustrophobic.
So we went to look at Deb. I tried on 4 dresses. I found a white dress with rhinestones and pearls and a flowy skirt, it wasn’t gaudy like some of their dresses are, and it wasn’t big like at the bridal shops. I went home and thought about it and the next day I bought it. Every time I tried it on after alterations I almost cried, because I could picture us saying our vows and I was so excited and happy to be getting married to my partner.
I don’t think that buying your dress should be purely emotional or purely logical. It should be what fits you and your day, and what makes you excited. It doesn’t have to make you cry BUT you should be able to see yourself getting married in it.
Yup. I actually ordered my dress online because I already knew that I was unlikely to find a dress that suited my tastes and requirements in a typical bridal shop.
I wanted a green dress to go with our “colors” because I had no interest in a white gown or a floofy one and given that anything labeled bridal is immediately marked up as a result (my parents offered to pay for my dress and they don’t have a ton of financial assets), I knew I was going to have to go the evening gown route. I found a lovely and sophisticated green Tadashi Shoji evening gown from a couple of seasons ago that was already reasonable by wedding dress standards, but was marked down to only $200-something dollars.
It was a no-brainer. I ordered it, tried it on, and although I loved it, no tears. Mostly just a profound sense of relief because everything had worked out just as I’d hoped, I knew I could feel beautiful in it on the day, it looked great, and it was one less thing to worry about over the next 9 months of planning.
I saw it as just one integral part of the whole planning experience.
I tried on quite a few wedding gowns and declared 4 different ones “the One”- the first I fell in love with was a clearanced sample that was a few sizes too small that I was convinced I could make work with a little sweat and alterations (and I’m still not sure that I should have given up on it….) but was told no way by my grandmother’s seamstress friend. So I continued shopping, found 2 others, the one was way below budget and was very light- the other was dramatic but kind of heavy and right at max budget. I shopped with my best friend a few times, my mom and grandma another time, then with just my mom. The irony of the dress I actually bought is I tried it on when I was with my mom and grandma at one salon, but the sample was very small and looked terrible on me- I had been drawn to the drama of the ruffled skirt, the detailed bodice, and the shape (a fitted A-line) so we moved on. My mom and I went to a small salon (across the street from where I first tried on the dress) and I pulled it from the rack simply to see if she recognized it. I put it on and felt good, but not necessarily better than some of the others that I’d been in. There were no tears, no OMG moment- it was a “oh, that’s pretty” agreement between us and the other entourages in the building, but I think I said yes mostly because I was just tired of looking. My father passed away a month after my husband and I got engaged and I was struggling with that loss; I’m definitely a full figured woman and had a smallish budget and felt like I had exhausted all my options. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my dress and 2 years later still pull it out of the bag to bask in its glory, but my experience was just not the glory hallelujah chorus and tears that I had been brainwashed to expect. I stood at the counter at the bridal salon calculating and thinking “do I really want to keep looking?” And that made my mind up to order the $1200 Christina Wu gown. I could have literally walked across the street and probably saved a couple hundred dollars, but I was just so ready to have that aspect of planning complete I didn’t care. I felt good in the dress, it wasn’t super heavy, but it was really detailed and had aspects that reflect my personal asetheic. Don’t get hung up on having the “bridal experience” because at the end of it all you get to marry the person you love 🙂
I was in a very similar situation…the wedding shop in my town is going out of business, and they had a beautiful, retro-inspired tea length dress, for 75% off! I tried it on, and thought, “This is great” if it was my size and had sleeves! I tried on a few more dresses in a few more shops…and even though my bridesmaid got teary…I didn’t. Not once. So I thought to myself… I like the tea length, it can be altered easily, it’s an absolute bargain, and I can dance the night away in it, which is super important! So, I bought it, even though my wedding is a year away! If it feels right, do it, don’t let the industry tell you you HAVE to cry when you try on your dress, or you HAVE to spend lots of money on something you’re going to wear once!
I found my dress via pintrest. I showed it to FH as a “what do you think of this one, isn’t it pretty?” and he replied with “that’s my favorite.” About a month and several other dress pictures later, I ordered it online. It was beautiful, but to big. I’m currently waiting for the smaller size to arrive. Other then the slight stress of waiting, I find this much preferable to going to a store and trying on a bunch of things.
I didn’t have that moment when I put on my wedding dress for the first time. Of course, it’s beautiful and I love it but there were no tears. I did however almost well up when I put on my reception dress for the first time. It’s a much simpler dress. Go figure.
I had 2 custom made dresses. The first one – I chose my pattern and went to a dressmaker that I loved and asked her to make something vintage for me. I saw the dress 2 weeks before my wedding and felt like this was the cutest dress I’ve ever seen…The second one my mom suggested to be a crochet dress, so we asked a friend who crochets dresses if she could make it. She did, and it was too very cute and very ME. The sum for both of the dresses is 2/3 of the sum of the cheapest salon bought dress.
Before that I tried shopping in bridal salons, but here they are awful and I just didn’t feel the dresses to represent myself.
I am currently having this problem. I was pushed into a dress by a sales women and bought a dress I hated. It was more than I wanted to spend and I tried to like it. Finally I gave up and I am looking for another dress.
*happyjoygasm* WITH THIS DRESS shown on this article. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. so coolio.
my dress experience:
i live in a pretty big city – and maybe looked a shop or two – but ended up at a resale shop. Funny my sister told me she had a dream about me IN “the one” dress…and I just knew I wanted LOTS of tulle, and straps. (at the time i felt every single dress made was strapless and i did not have boobs or the desire to have something altered or wear spanx) So i ended up at the resale shop…and took my coworkers with me (because i had zero family there) and let us do happy dances and smiles and i plopped down the $99 bux to get that sucker. Did i cry? nope. Even on my wedding day i was just happy to be off the market and marrying someone i knew was IT for life. I didn’t cry and I was just giddy. Overall, had a good experience already VISUALIZING what i wanted…and then finding what i wanted. I consider myself lucky….I still have no idea how I found it. When I showed my sister, she verified THAT was the dress in her dream. Yay. I still have it…and recently had a corset put into it so i can contract and expand all I want. P.S. even more so about the dress ARE YOUR SHOES………………I get so sad that within 5 minutes most brides are regretting their tall sexy heels. So i settled for comfy platform skechers. It was amazing. Now, go be you!!!! <3 🙂
I only went into a couple of local stores with my mum. The first I looked, but never tried on the second store I tried on a couple of dresses (without an appointment – so no staff to help out) that were way too big – was sort of hard to be into it when I couldn’t really tell what it would look like in my size. I didn’t really love anything there, but it really helped me realise 2 things:
1. That I didn’t care much for the whole “experience” I was supposed to have trying on dresses – It really wasn’t a special moment for me.
2. That all of these dresses were out of my budget.
A week or so later I was looking online at some Grace Loves Lace dresses, which I had seen everywhere on Pinterest before I was engaged. They weren’t too dear (about $1.5K), but we’re planning a super simple, non-traditional backyard weeding so I didn’t want to spend that much.
I ended up finding a Grace Loves Lace dress on eBay second hand in my size for 1/3 of the price. It wasn’t the dress design that I loved most from the designer, but the one that I liked most seemed like it would be too hard to wear anyway (possible wardrobe malfunctions!), so I just took a leap of faith and just bought it.
I received the dress today in the mail and I really like it. It’s beautiful and I feel like myself in it. Plus no one on the day will even know that it’s been warn before and I saved a ton! I didn’t have a tears moment, but I really like the dress and I know that’s the dress I’ll be married in. No regrets!
Found a beautiful dress at David’s Bridal at the high end of my budget, in a style I hadn’t considered previously, and fell deeply in love. Spent a few months figuring out how to afford it. Made an appointment at a different salon, tried on dresses for an hour and started getting tired. The consultant came back with COLORED dresses. I was overjoyed at the sight of bridesmaid gowns. I tried on a red one that had a beautiful silhouette. It was half the price of the fancy bridal gown with the Swiss dot tulle. I was so done looking at dresses, and it was *pretty.* Mom and I nearly cried, but mostly because we were exhausted. Ordered it in white and have money left for alterations ^_^
I bought my dress at a wedding show with my sister. I hadn’t planned on trying anything on; I had planned on making a day trip out of dress shopping with my sister, mum and mother in law to be. However, there was a gorgeous dress that my sister insisted I try which fit very nicely but wasn’t really the style I was after. Encouraged, I nearly tried on two others at different vendors but the queues were too long. We rounded the corner and both my sister and I ran (seriously) towards an unusual floral number. It was there that I saw the most gorgeous dress…which I tried and loved! It was so pretty and the fit was awesome despite being two sizes too big. I couldn’t stop smiling, everyone who saw me in it couldn’t stop smiling. My sister looked up from her phone when she realised I had come out of the changing room and immediately said “get it”. I am so indecisive I had to send pics to my mum to also get her approval (though secretly knew I really ought to get this one!). So…I ordered it. No tears. I cry when I’m sad or hurt, not when I’m happy. I didn’t cry when I got engaged so I’m not sure why a dress would make me cry. There was much hugging and I think I let out a girly “squee”, but no tears. We saw lots of other pretty dresses but I haven’t regretted my decision, even after revisiting my Pinterest board to tidy up. I shoved all the dresses and flowers etc that I know I no longer need into a folder named “wedding research” as I know I don’t need to look at them but have followers who would like to. Sure there are many other dresses that could suit me but I have made a decision and am sticking with it 🙂
This was so great to read! I was getting a little nervous that I never had that, crying perfect moment. I like my dress a lot, but don’t have that oh my god this was meant to be, soul mate type thing and that’s okay!! I tried on maybe 5-6 dresses, and ended up finding one on sale that only cost 500 dollars when I saw the exact same dress at another store that was 1400 dollars and I figured I couldn’t pass it up! I’m on a fairly tight budget so would prefer not to spend an arm and a leg, but I do want to look beautiful, be comfortable, and look back on my day knowing that I felt beautiful, but also so incredibly happy that I am marrying the love of my life!