Wedding dress shopping, ughhh! I think I’m traumatized for life LOL.

Not really… well kinda… yeah sorta… YES most definitely!

You know, we grow up as girls thinking wedding dress shopping is all that and then suddenly it’s YOUR TURN. I can now safely describe wedding dress shopping in few words:

SCARY.

TIME CONSUMING.

CONFUSING.

OVERWHELMING.

I mean I know it’s supposed to be the most important dress of our life as a woman, for the most important moment of our life, and for the most important man in our life, but seriously, that’s A LOT OF PRESSURE! Not that I’m dramatic or anything ha ha, but to me, wedding dress shopping is a necessary EVIL more than anything else!

(I really do seem to bring the drama from my dancing days into all new and current situations. My mom would say I’ve been dramatic since birth but then that’s her being dramatic, isn’t it lol?).

I mean, seriously, who invented the idea of a wedding dress? There were some pretty insanely smart entrepeneurs thousands and thousands of years ago living in those caves, don’t you think?

Let’s begin…

If left up to me, I would have waited for the last minute. Shoot, I wanted to order online and had my faves on revolve.com’s website standing by.

My mother finally convinced me that I needed to get out there and start looking. (Not that she was the only one, mind you.) I had like 29017236 friends telling me if I waited another month, I wasn’t going to get a decent dress.

Manipulation I call it. I think it’s really a scam HA HA. You show up, fill out the form and give the bridal shop attendant your wedding date and they convince you that you have a week or two left before you MUST order the dress. Trust me, I heard the same line every shop and every new visit.

Oh please! I mean, I know I cut it close but I really do think 6 months out is plenty of time to order a dress, don’t you?

Here I go…

I wanted to hold out for my Mom to accompany me because REALLY, I mean REALLY, this was her dream day way more than mine. I mean, Mom was so cute talking about dresses and asking me a million bizillion times if I’d watched “Say Yes To The Dress” yet. Which, btw guys, I STILL HAVE NOT EVER WATCHED THAT SHOW. 

My Mom knew every style, every cut, every designer… I must be the worst bride ever! I knew like three including Oscar and Vera.

So back to visit one. NOT how I’d envisioned it. Somehow, I pictured things like they are in the movies. You know, with the bridal salon all to myself, champagne flowing, and the perfect dress immediately brought to my attention!

Reality check. Even my Mom would agree, she wasn’t overly excited with our first experience. We didn’t even bother taking a photo. Right on time, we were offered assistance a good 20 minutes after-the-fact! And the bridal specialist, as nice as she was, really couldn’t understand the style I was going for. It was as if this store was selling $25,000 prom dresses, NO BUENO!

On to our next destination in Orange County, we hit Mon Amie. Our bridal specialist Tina was amazing. SO knowledgeable and kind. Although the place was packed, we were still offered champagne, water and nibbles. We were also immediately helped and taken into a private room to try on dresses. Tina was so on it! She got my style right away. The sucky part? Mon Amie didn’t carry the particular designers I was dying to try on. SO… after two separate trips to visit Tina in 6 weeks, we still were out a dress!

A few weeks later I convinced my friend Heather to accompany me shopping. Now Heather is a professional. When she was engaged she would hunt down great buys on sample or worn once dresses, buy them, try them, and either return or re-sell them (for more money mind you) in her hunt for the “one.”

Together we scoured the internet. Hey, I’m SO not opposed to a brand new sample gown. A worn once dress I have mixed feelings about. I feel like since it’s my wedding and hopefully my only wedding, a new dress is the right energy and feel for me. New marriage, new life together, a new dress just seems appropriate don’t you think?

Okay so no such luck searching the internet but don’t worry, let me introduce you to The White Dress in Corona Del Mar. Talk about FABULOUS dresses! OMG I totally should have visited them first. The store is very me. Chic, organized and quaint with just about every designer I was hoping to try.

Again, NO CHAMPAGNE offered. What is it with these bridal specialists? haha.

I probably tried on six or seven different dresses. Of course I fell in LOVE with the Pallas Couture gown. But did I really want to spend 5 digits on a dress I was only going to wear for a few hours, during one day of my life? I had to think about it.

SO we left to “think” about the Pallas gown and headed to Beverly Hills.

Don’t bother with the Saks there. I hate to say it because I love Saks but the place needs a total remodel. It’s dingy and just kinda depressing. Sure they have some nice dresses, lots of Vera Wang if you’re interested her stuff, but to me dress shopping is about the entire process and experience (champagne, mood, lighting and all that jazz). Btw if Vera is your designer you may as well walk down Rodeo Drive and pop into the Vera Wang store. The vibe and atmosphere is a million times better, trust me.

I must admit, I really did like the back and material on this Vera Wang gown. I just wasn’t sure I wanted a dress that screamed “VERA WANG” walking down the aisle. It just looks soooo her design. You know what I’m trying to say?

Well, at least we had some girl time and enjoyed a nice lunch on Rodeo Drive.

I am a challenge that is for sure. Clearly when I know what I want it’s very simple. I go after it with everything I’ve got. When I don’t, I’m a complete disaster!

As you can see I’ve already tried on 15 plus dresses. Who does that? I mean really does that? Well, apparently I DO.

Stay tuned as I work my way through all of So Cal’s bridal boutiques. Part II to follow along with some simple tips to avoid 8347562987 trips to the bridal store like I made.

Any helpful tips from those of you who have been through this? Any questions from engaged brides-to-be? I’m here for you.

Off to walk my yorkies and fall asleep fast!

xx Shanna