Shopping for my wedding dress was one of the wildest things! In February of 2020, I had booked our August 2020 Charleston, SC wedding and I was very pressed for time, hoping I could order a dress & have it fitted in less than 6 months, in time for the big day! I was working days/nights and not sure of when I could make an official appointment to scope things out…. When a random Sunday was available luckily my Grandma & Mom were willing to venture out with me! Much to my surprise most bridal salons aren’t usually open on Sundays, so we checked out David’s Bridal who is open 7 days a week and were advertising a President’s Day Sale. (Sale & Wedding are 2 words that don’t usually go together, so I was definitely intrigued!)
When we arrived to the store I’m not sure what I was expecting… it was crowded and I was told to quickly pick out a few dresses and wait to try on. It’s hard to to shop for dresses when they’re all white and crammed on a rack but we picked through and found a few contenders. What I didn’t know about David’s Bridal is that the most expensive dress in the store is $2,000.00 and with a <2K budget, I can’t tell you what a relief it was to know I could have anything in the store! That instantly made the trip more enjoyable and I was motivated to check out my options storewide!
I knew I wanted a fitted dress either mermaid or trumpet style… and for me personally I knew I did not want a ballgown, A-line, short hem, tulle, empire waist, princess dress, long sleeves, or sheer netting. DB didn’t have a ton of choices for mermaid/trumpet but I tried on what I found just to see, I figured I was just getting my feet wet with this shopping trip anyway. I had a really sweet & kind sales associate who listened to my critiques & helped me try on my different looks, then she went & picked out my dress!
Going into this shopping trip I definitely didn’t expect to find MY dress the day of, I only tried on 5 dresses! Prior to this dress I was indifferent to lace, a train, capped sleeves or lots of beading… but I tried this dress on twice & something seemed to just click! 30 minutes later… I pulled the trigger, made a decision & it felt SO GOOD + EXCITING to accomplish such a big wedding task!
Wedding dress shopping is a big day and I am so thankful I got to share these memories with my Grandma and Mom, it made me feel so loved to have their support while making such a big decision! When I was shopping I was so preoccupied on if it would be delivered/altered in time since the average turn around time for a dress is ~8 months. I was even happier when my dress shipped & arrived as early as early March 2020!
As I left the store with my dress in tow, I had no idea that our wedding plans would be cancelled or that it would feel like the world was ending with the COVID-19 Pandemic… I also didn’t think a year would pass before I ever tried on my dress again?! Cue a few freak outs- Why did I buy this dress? It was a rushed purchase! Are we even going to have a wedding? Will this dress even go with our new plans?! but also a few Omgosh moments- WOW! glad I already have my dress, all of the shops are CLOSED! Phew! -glad my alterations appointment was the first to be cancelled, who knows when this will work out?!
Flash forward to- March 2021 and here I am at my official alterations appointment! Thank you to Sew 4 U Alterations in High Point, NC for such great work! The ladies quickly reconstructed the entire dress bodice, adjusted the sleeves, took up the detailed hemline, gave me an American bustle, and made sure I had the perfect fit! I realize it really doesn’t matter what kind of dress you have, the alterations & fit are what really make it all come together! After all this time, I was so pleased with the results & excited to show Dillon! I hadn’t ever kept a surprise from him, this long!
