I have always been really into weddings; watching the tv shows associated with them, adding pictures to Pinterest boards and flicking through the magazines. One thing that I did not expect, however, is that not everyone has this overwhelming day of joy when picking out dresses to try on. The films always go back to the person being young and dancing around in a little white dress or robe, with a bunch of flowers and pretending to get married. Having an extensive scrapbook that won't close properly because there are so many pictures taped into it. For me, there was on Pinterest board (albeit that is the modern-day scrapbook) with images for an entire wedding. I never once knew exactly what I was looking for because I had seen from Say Yes To The Dress that often 1. you don't know your own body type well and 2. that you have to try a range of different styles and fabrics. To add an extra point, I have seen from Facebook groups and sometimes people don't just find 'the' dress and are torn between a few because we're human after all and dress shopping is a one-time experience ideally. I got engaged in December 2017 so I did leave it almost two years until I went dress shopping as we weren't in any rush.
I went to The White Gallery, a bridal store that I found through a wedding show I went to last year. When I saw their dresses at the time I knew that they had a range of different styles and colour options and because I'm a very indecisive person, I knew this would be the best route to go. I did have a feeling I wouldn't want a ballroom gown/princess style dress as I'm 5ft 4" and my fiance is 6ft 4" so even with heels on I would look smaller and wider instead of trying to look upright and a bit taller. I also had a gut feeling that anything strapless wouldn't look good thanks to my larger chest so my options were slightly limited. I did try the most beautiful dress by Noya and it came in a non-white colour too and it was absolutely stunning but my chest just didn't work with it. I didn't fit in it properly there and felt a bit 'naked' in it.
I tried on a fishtail shaped dress that was suggested to me and I could barely walk in it. Comfort is a huge thing for me so I knew this shape was immediately in the 'no' pile. I tried a fitted dress and just felt so uncomfortable, picking out all my flaws and it was exactly what I wasn't looking for. After about 7 or 8 dresses I went back to the second dress. It is a fit and flare style with a little strap and a stunning train. I never even wanted a train but it was so pretty I couldn't pass on it. The reason I tried it on again was that I thought if I wore a strapless bra with it, it would look a lot better. And it did.
I didn't cry, but my Nan did. And that made me feel like it was meant to be. My best friend who I've known since our first year in primary school really liked the detail on the dress which reassured me. There wasn't an overwhelming YES moment but I should have figured it wouldn't be like that because I'm not a really emotional person. I probably get that from my Dad. Speaking of which, when I showed my little Sister my dress he wanted to see it. I showed him a picture and although he isn't a man of many words a lot of the time he said it was really nice, so that made me happy.
On the day there were a few mixed opinions and it gave me a huge migraine. I left the store not wanting to leave the dress behind, knowing obviously I couldn't bring it with me as it was a sample, but still. I couldn't enjoy the lunch we all had together because I felt a bit of pressure to look elsewhere and try other dresses. I didn't want to go anywhere else though. I cried on the way to the car after I had left the store because I don't like being indecisive and I thought everyone I took would love the dress but it was 50/50. Andy hugged me as we walked back and told me to pick whatever I loved best and it was my dress at the end of the day.
At lunch I showed him the dress on my phone in front of everyone and he really liked it. It's not to everyone's taste as it is a bit unusual but he liked it so that really meant a lot to me. We don't care about traditions in our house. The following week we went back to The White Gallery just the two of us, and I tried the dress on in front of Andy. He liked it even more than on the photo and said it was my style. Even Francis who dressed me said I seem to have a particular style, liking dresses from designers based in Australia and Israel. She said I looked my happiest in this dress. I decided to go for it that day and left a happy gal.
Last weekend I went back to try on my dress. It had come into the store earlier than expected so I got to try it on again and pick my veil. I went for a single-tier veil that is as long or a bit longer than my train. I can't quite remember as I didn't take pictures this time around. I don't have my seamstress fitting for a few months but I can't believe this part of the wedding planning is pretty much over! I couldn't thank Francis and the girls at The White Gallery more. They pay so much attention to what suits you best, what you seem to like, and gave some great recommendations for dresses to try on. They said when I tried the sample of my dress on I was the first person to order it so they've made the dress a permanent addition now. I definitely recommend going to the National Wedding Show and looking at bridal stores there because that is where I found these amazing women. I knew I had to get my dress from them when I saw their dresses. They show a lot of them over on their instagram too.
Once I've had my wedding in the Spring I will do a whole post on the dress itself and a run through of our wedding day. I do have my wedding posts and tips coming up so keep an eye out for them.
