landlocked bride™ | midwest + mountain west wedding inspiration

So this weekend I was able to spend some time with some great friends of mine.  It was absolutely fantastic to see two of my absolute favorite people.  I took off work on Friday just so the three of us could go dress shopping.  The idea was to take all of my favorite dresses, show them to the girls and then narrow down my choices.

Now, after my last post, you all found out I had a bit of a dilemma seeing as how I had added five more gowns to my favorite list (ahh!).  I left that shop last Saturday with a dress in mind that I loved.  However, there was two other gowns at two other shops that I really liked as well.

My first appointment was at Town & Country Bridal.  I had mom tag along to this one, as she did not see me in any of the gowns I tried on last weekend because I shopped by myself.  We got there a little early, before my mom, so we browsed the bridesmaids dresses for some options/ideas.  Once mom got there, I went back to try on the five favorites from last weekend.  I saved my favorite dress for last.  After coming out in each dress, they all liked most of them for one reason or another.  Here is one that I tried on:

This dress was an absolute great fit.  The bustle was beautiful too.  If I had gone with this one, I would  not include the halter piece.  That part un-hooks from the dress, so you don’t have to use it.

Source

There were two others I tried on (which I cannot find photos of).

It was not until I came out in the last dress (the favorite) that they figured out which one was probably “The Dress.”  I had loved this dress last weekend when I tried it on, but I loved it even more when I tried it on again.  Not only that, but the girls loved it, mom loved and everyone could tell I really felt good in it.  And the bonus?  The dress really fits me and my personality and style.  And the second bonus?  There some cute little old ladies walking by the window when I had that gown on, and they gave the thumbs up and said through the window that it was “beautiful.”  Always a good thing!!  Don’t think you’ll find a picture of that one on here…you’ll have to wait until the wedding.

As for the rest of the day, the girls and I visited The Ultimate Bride and Demetrios so they could see the other two dresses that were my favorites.  They both loved these two, just like me.  So now the choice is down to three dresses (not quite a dilemma anymore)

Each of the three gowns are unique and “me” in three different ways.  I feel beautiful in all three of them, yet I also feel different in each of them.  As much as I sit and think about the gowns and what I want, my head and heart keep going back to that dress at Town & Country Bridal.  The dress fits great, it’s unique and fun, I feel great in it AND I just have this glow about me when I wear it.  No, I did not purchase the dress this weekend, but I am 99.9% sure that I have found THE DRESS.  Now all that is left for me to do is go try on those three dresses again, just as a reminder.  But, I’m pretty sure I have already made my decision.

I’ll post the two I don’t choose (which ever two they are) once I have actually purchased the dress…no worries.  You still won’t get to see “The Dress,” so don’t get your hopes up!

Did any of you find some great dresses?  Was it hard to choose or was the decision easy?

First off, can anyone say “slacker blogger?”

So this past weekend I decided to spend my Saturday morning by trying on gowns again.  I made an appointment at a different shop than the two previous places.  I mostly made this appointment, 1. to hit the shops by myself.  Most people that know me know that I prefer to shop alone.  I get more done and I can weed through the stuff that is not appealing to me. 2. It gave me a chance to try on some different designers, which I wanted to do.  Considering the wedding is well over one year away, I have plenty of time to choose a dress.  And, again, most people that know me know I am a planner.

Before I made this appointment, I only had two dresses on my favorites list (for the sake of keeping the dress a secret, I won’t be showing pictures until after the wedding, so those of you who are dying inside, I am sorry).  I just have no had much luck finding more modern, contemporary gowns.  Most of the shops, seeing as this is the midwest, carry fairly traditional gowns with heavy lace and beading.  As I even mentioned in an earlier post, my dress consultant apologized for not having more modern gowns. AND after meeting with a wedding coordinator (more on that in a future post) last week, she even confirmed the above point, that this is the midwest and people still have fairly traditional wedding values.

Okay, back to my point.  So I get to Town & Country Bridal Boutique (which I highly recommend), and am greeted by a super-friendly staff.  My consultant, whom I loved, was so helpful and sweet.  So much so in fact, that I made an appointment for her this Friday so my two best friends can join me on our dress shopping extravaganza (we’ll be visiting the two other shops that day as well).  So, my consultant and I sat down to talk about budget, look & feel and the style I like.  After she took some notes and got some personal information, we both browsed the gowns together.  I was the first appointment of the day, so we managed to grab about 10 or so gowns for me to try one.  After the first four (not kidding), I had given them all a “Yes” and she wrote them down on my file.  I did manage to finally say “No” to a few.

So, in one dress shop visit, my list of favorites went from two to seven.  Good thing the girls are coming in town this weekend to voice their opinions.  The problem?  All of the gowns just look so good on!  It will be hard to choose.  Very hard.

Any of you have a similar experience?  Did you think you may have your gown narrowed down, only to find some more great options?!

And for those of you DYING to know what gowns I tried on, here are links to the designers websites.  That’s all I’m giving you!  And for the record, some of my “favorite” gowns are not listed on their sites.

Demetrios

Marisa

Martina Liana

Watters