written by: cyn knight
happy monday monday bloggywood!

let me begin this post by saying this…
i have never felt like the type of girl who relished in the whole wedding process… i have said many times that i lack the bridal gene, and i truly believe that.
well, until yesterday…

yesterday i had my appointment at DAVID’S BRIDAL to try on wedding gowns.
now let me be clear… i have never even stepped foot in a place like this. i have never tried on any type of gown and i was truly okay with that. afterall i lack the bridal gene…
or so i thought.

when i made the appointment i was told to shop their website and make a list of my favorite gowns so i had something to show my wedding coordinator when i got to my appointment.
and this is where my entire attitude about being a bride changed.
i had never even been on a bridal shop website – never mind actually shopped for myself. sure, i am a girlie girl and can appreciate a beautiful bride and/or dress – i have specific things i like and don’t like – but i guess i never really put myself in the place of an actual bride.

once i started shopping on the website, i couldn’t stop.
i looked at every gown, read the reviews of ones that sparked my interest and compiled a list of ten gowns i liked.
TEN!
this from a girl who was all set to wear something simple and completely underrated – i had actually almost purchased a white dress at the mall just days before making my appointment! it was my mom who insisted i at least look at and try on other dresses…
on my list of TEN i even had an absolute favorite in a style that was a COMPLETE departure from my original idea of what i would wear on my wedding day. a beautiful oleg cassini gown that left two of the redheaded posse on the verge of tears when i showed them the pic on saturday night.
and this is where panic set in.
i had went from mediocre to setting the bar REALLLLLLY high and i was terrified that i would leave the shop in utter disappointment from not falling in love with the perfect gown.
but i am getting ahead of myself.

so i had my appointment yesterday, mother’s day, at 1pm and i invited only my mom to go with me. what better way to spend mother’s day, right? plus she is the one person who i trust more than anyone to help me make such a big decision.

as soon as we walked in the door i felt overwhelmed. everywhere you looked were gowns of every style, color, fabric, detail that you can imagine and i loved them all… ha!
but i had my list and had a little chat with heidi, my wedding coordinator, and made it clear that i was willing to try on other styles than what i had listed, afterall she is the professional, and my only request was that i try on my numero uno dress.

so heidi started pulling gowns and the first one she suggested was this absolutely stunning gown on a mannequin that wasn’t even on the website or catalog. matter of fact, the dress on the mannequin was the only one they had in the entire shop and it just happened to be in my size! i loved it immediately (not as much as my favorite) and so did my mom, but it was a tad over my budget – but my mom insisted i at least try it on. so i agreed.

then she pulled my favorite dress which was even more gorgeous in person and i literally got chills when i saw it.

she pulled another off my list that they only had one in stock which was a size 6 (ha!! i am a 10 on a good day – and knowing gowns run small i was trying on 12’s) – but she said they could get it on me.
yeah… she actually said that.

and then she pulled two others that she picked on her own.

the first gown i tried on was one of her picks and something i never would have chosen to try on in a million years. but i have to tell you it was absolutely stunning on me (if i do say so myself) and the cut of the dress was just ridiculously flattering. the only fault was that it had to have weighed 20lbs or at least felt like it did. the bottom was covered in layered silk flowers and within ten minutes of wearing the gown i was sweating. as lovely as it was, there was no way in hell i could envision myself wearing this for an entire day and being happy.

the next dress was another of her pics and very lovely but i didn’t think it was as flattering on me as the first dress and a bit simpler than i was looking for.

the third was the size 6 dress that she did in fact get on me but of course in no way would zip up and seeing how i felt like i was wearing an apron i was NOT stepping out of the dressing room, which by the way has no mirrors inside it so you HAVE to step out to see what you look like. and even with that hurdle – i refused to leave the dressing room with half my ass showing.

the fourth dress was the dress pulled from the mannequin and it slid on me like a glove and felt fabulous on. heidi zipped it up and literally gasped and said, “oh wow”. at this point i haven’t even seen myself and i am thinking she is just being nice and doing her job. well, when i stepped out i saw my mother’s face first and her jaw dropped and then i turned around and saw myself in the full length mirrors (that line EVERY damn wall) and welled up. shit, i am welling up now just typing this.
it was perfect.
it gave me a waist – something i just do not have, fit me to perfection and was beyond gorgeous!
i actually had that moment i had been reading about for days in the hundreds of reviews i read on the david ‘s bridal website – i knew right then and there that it was my dress.
my dream dress.
i couldn’t have created a more perfect gown in my mind!
but i had yet to try on my favorite so i was trying like hell not to get too ahead of myself.

so on to the favorite… and honestly, the second she put me in it without even seeing myself, i knew it wasn’t going to compare to the previous one. but i did of course want to see it in the mirror. the dress itself is stunning but nowhere as flattering (the waistline cut me in the worst spot possible and made me look like i had a pooch) or beautiful on me than dress number four. and my mom totally agreed. so off with the fave and i put number four back on to doubly make sure it was THE ONE.
and after getting it on a second time i was even more in love and more assured that it was in fact, THE ONE!
my mom couldn’t stop gushing, i couldn’t stop staring at my reflection and every person who passed by made a comment about how beautiful i looked. one lady even told me i looked like marilyn monroe in the dress… ha!
so it was without hesitation that i said YES TO THE DRESS! and david’s bridal has this little tradition that when you find your dress you ring a bell, so i did, and heidi said that from now on every time i hear a bell i will think of the exact moment that i fell in love with and picked my dress with my mom.
and i will.

so dear blogosphere – i have my wedding gown and it’s amazing!!!

and i have to give a MAJOR shout out to david’s bridal and especially to heidi – the two dresses i loved the most were gowns she chose and so far off my radar and i am glad i had the insight to let the professional do her job – she was AMAZING!
the entire experience (minus putting on the size 6 apron) was sheer perfection and went way better than i ever imagine.
i truly thought i would walk out of there disappointed and without a gown – nevermind with my dream dress and beyond happy.
oh and remember how i said that my dress was over my budget by a wee bit – well when we went to put the 25% deposit down (which i paid with money i earned by being a beachbody coach – thank you beachbody!) the dress was actually marked down to the exact amount of my budget.
just further convincing me that the dress was made for me because all the circumstances to the exact size, the price, and how it was the only one in the shop and part of a very limited collection not available on the website or catalog prove it!

it’s official – i am a bride and i do not lack the bridal gene afterall. my wedding is going to be amazing and the epitome of where my life with dean is heading.
i couldn’t be happier!

and sorry for the lack of photographic proof of my amazing gown – i can’t risk dean or my guests seeing my dress before the big day – but i did show it to the redheaded posse and it received OVERWHELMING approval!

peace, love & carpe diem kittens!
xxoo
cyn

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