THE Dress

Ok, ok, I know that I held out on your for so long as to what dress I chose, so this is it. Now that the wedding day has come and gone, we can get to the good stuff.  

The Reveal.

(Please see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, & Part 6 for the posts about my dress search. I know, there are a lot of dresses.)

Now, if you made a guess from Part 6, and you guessed the Watters WToo "Yardleigh," then you are correct!

As extensive as my dress search was, this dress made me feel really, really pretty.  There were some things that I did want to change, however, and change them, I did.  First, you will notice the most obvious change - the pickups.  The pickups no longer exist, and this was something I was absolutely adamant about, despite the fact that both my mom and my sister wanted me to keep them.  

The other thing that I changed was the train.  I really liked the way that the train looked while walking and standing still, but I didn't like any of the bustle options at all, and knew that it was waayyyy too long to keep unbustled during the reception.  So, my incredible seamstress, Rose, worked her magic on the dress, and was able to accomplish both of these major changes.  

Here's a picture of me at my final fitting, but you'll have to wait to see the day-of pictures until recaps begin.

Front of Watters WToo Yardleigh Modified / Personal Picture

Side of Watters WToo Yardleigh Modified / Personal Picture

Back of Watters WToo Yardleigh Modified / Personal Picture

So, what do you think? Did you think this was the dress I was going to choose? Did you choose a dress and then make drastic changes to it, like I did?  

Chop, Chop, Chop, Ouch!

I'm assuming that by the title of this post, you thought I got my hair cut.  But you're wrong.  That won't be happening until after the wedding, although I do already have a style picked out.

Today I had my first alterations appointment.  I'm very cautious to tell you about what I have done to the dress, because I want you all to be surprised when you see the pictures after the wedding.  My seamstress, Rose, was so excited to make the changes that I wanted, and got right to work.  We did a lot of cutting, some stuffing (yeah, those of you who know me know that I need some help in that department), and some pinning.  The cutting went really well, but the pins kept popping out because they weren't long enough and the boning of the dress was so strong.

There is still some more cutting and some unsewing to be done in between now and my next appointment.  I can't wait to show you the before and after pictures. It's going to look so different!

My next appointment isn't until the middle of September, where my mom and sister will finally be able to join. I can't wait for them to see the dress!!!

Pick Me Up, Love

Saturday, FMIL and I took the trek up to Wayland, MA to pick up my wedding dress!!!

We got to the shop, I tried it on, and I loved it all over again.  It was beautiful! And to top it off, it fit! I was so scared that it wasn't going to (don't all brides fear this?).  But, I am happy to report, that it actually needs to be taken in in some places.  Phew!

So, now I have to hang it up in FMIL's closet so that FI doesn't get a glance of it.  My first fitting isn't until July 31st, so I have some time still before anything needs to happen with it.

Dress in it's garment bag / Personal Picture

I can't wait to show you guys my dress outside of the garment bag!!!

What are you doing this weekend?

Yes, I know it's only Tuesday, but still.  Got any plans?

I do.

I'M PICKING UP MY DRESS!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited, but really nervous at the same time.  I'm really worried that it's not going to fit.  But, since I'm not starting alterations until July 31st, I still have some time in case it doesn't.

I'm sorry that I can't entice you to check back later this weekend for pictures, because I'm still going to keep the dress a secret on here, just in case of wandering eyes :)

But, I took a trip to Joann Fabrics this weekend, and got some supplies to make the DIY Pocket Squares for the guys' suits.  So I will be taking out the sewing machine this week, and making those up, along with the pillow cases. It's really time to get cracking on some of these projects!!!

It's In?! It's Here?!

AHHHH!!!!

I got a little blue postcard in the mail yesterday notifying me that my "special order" has arrived!! AHHHHH!!!!

MY DRESS IS IN!!!!!!!

So, even though I have been working out lately, I'm not seeing results or changes, so I'm really scared that it's not going to fit.  The shop that I bought the dress from doesn't do alterations, which means I need to find a place that does.  However, this also means that I need to get the dress from the shop in a month...which also means that I have a new best friend - the elliptical.

I really need to get my rear-end in gear and get back into shape.

But I guess that the good thing is that I still have a little bit of time before I need to start alterations.

Time to get my act together! Jillian Michaels and Tony Horton, here I come!

Dress Purchased!

Bought the dress! But you'll have to wait till the wedding day to find out which one I purchased! I don't want FI to accidentally see, sorry!

But I can at least tell you about the story, and the FINAL chapter of this journey.

When my mom decided that she wanted to come up for a weekend, I made sure that we scheduled it around the Watters Trunk Show at the boutique I bought the dress from.  I had finally decided that it was going to be a dress from the Watters collection, so I figured it would be really worthwhile to buy at a trunk sale, where not only were the dresses discounted, but the entire collection was available to try on, even the new Spring 2012 collection!

I have been stalking the Watters websites and all wedding-related blogs for months now, staring at the new collections, and they are gorgeous! I was so excited that I was going to be able to try on all these new dresses, and even better, that I could possibly be purchasing one.

So, with the longest list yet, my mom, FMIL, and I drove up to the little shop I once visited on my own to try on some dresses.  Turns out, we were supposed to get some serious snow, so the hour and a half drive took almost two and half hours, so we were a little late for the appointment, but they still let us in. Yay!

The first dress I tried on was from the new Spring 2012 Collection, WToo "Gwyneth."  Beautiful dress, with a stunning belt, but the fabric was kind of scratchy, and it didn't do all that much for my shape, so we decided to scratch it off the list.

Watters WToo "Gwyneth" / Personal Picture

The next dress was also from the new collection, Watters "Alexandra."  This was a beautiful dress, and I loved the skirt shape and layers. The only issue that we saw was that the raw edges of the fabric were fraying, and while the Watters Representative said that that would happen on the gown with a lot of handling, it was more severe on this one since it was a trunk show sample dress and has been tried on a lot and traveled a lot.  That still didn't really make me all that comfortable, so we decided to cross this one off the list too.

Watters "Alexandra" with Watters "Coco" belt in Vanilla Bean / Personal Picture

 Watters "Alexandra" with Watters "Coco" belt in Vanilla Bean / Personal Picture

The Watters "Chrissie" dress was one that really caught my eye during my Internet search. The shape of this dress was fabulous, and the look of the fabric flowers all over was gorgeous too. The downsides to this dress were that it was heavy, and almost fluffy, because the outer layer of fabric, where all the flowers were was very thick, so I felt that it made me look bigger than I actually was. Although, looking at the picture again, I am reminded of how stunning the shape of the skirt is!

Watters "Chrissie" / Personal Picture

Staying with that same shape, I tried on the one my mom and MOH E loved from Thanksgiving weekend, that way I could see it again and make a decision of whether or not I liked it enough to keep on the list, and FMIL hadn't seen it yet either, so this was an opportunity to get her opinion too.  I tried it on with the pickups rolled up again, but I also took pictures of it with the pickups down, since I didn't last time.  We also tried it with another belt, and that really made a difference in the way that the dress looked.  After trying this one on, it was still on the list.

Watters WToo "Yardleigh" with Watters "Coco" belt in Vanilla Bean / Personal Picture 

Watters WToo "Yardleigh" with Watters "Coco" belt in Vanilla Bean / Personal Picture 

Going back to the original dress I tried on when I first started my dress search, Watters had a similar one, called "Carmel."  I tried on this dress, and really liked it, especially with a belt with a little more detail in it, but ultimately, it really didn't do anything for my body in the behind shot, and I wanted something that flattered my shape.

Watters "Carmel" with unknown belt / Personal Picture

I told the consultant that I had also previously tried on Watters "Lasara" and liked that one, although it didn't have enough detail for me, so she brought out Watters "Malibu," which is very similar, except the flowers are three-dimensional and have small little beads in them that make them glitter.  I liked this one a lot, but felt it was missing something else. I couldn't pin-point it though. Also, like the "Carmel," it didn't do all that much for my backside.

Watters "Malibu" / Personal Picture

Since I liked that shape, the Watters Representative told me I should try on WToo "Desdemona" which was fitted a bit more through the hips, giving me a little more shape from behind.  I really liked the flower details on this one - it was similar to Watters "Lasara," except this one had flowers on the bust as well.  This was quickly brought to the top three on my list.

Watters WToo "Desdemona" / Personal Picture

Watters WToo "Desdemona" / Personal Picture

Another bride was in the shop with us, and came out with WToo "Camilla" on, and my mom immediately gasped at that dress. She asked the consultant to pull that for me once that bride was done, and so I tried that on after she was finished.  I liked the dress a lot, and had seen it online with the other new designs.  When I tried it on though, the fabric was very scratchy, and not soft, like it looked in pictures and in person.  Whenever I put my arms at my sides, the dress would scratch me, and you can actually see me in the picture trying to avoid that. So, even though it is a gorgeous design, it wasn't the one for me.

Watters WToo "Camilla" / Personal Picture

When making this appointment, I made sure to try on the dress I had been obsessing about for months, that way my mom could see it in person. And I did just that. I tried it on, still loved it and showed it to my mom and FMIL, since she hadn't seen it either.  My mom was finally able to see the potential that the dress had and how much I loved it. I mean, can you see in my face how much I love that dress?

Watters "Sterling" with modified waistband / Personal Picture

That's it for the dresses that I tried on, but I will tell you - the dress that I chose is in the pictures above. One of the top three that I narrowed it down to, but you will have to wait for after the wedding to find out which one it is!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our sixth dating anniversary!  FI was working all day, and I took the day off to spend it with my mom since she came into town yesterday afternoon. We had dinner with my mom and FI's parents tonight, so it wasn't all that special, but we never really celebrate much more than a nice dinner anyway. It was still great though, AND it was the last dating anniversary we will have before we get married! That's crazy to think.

Anyway, today was a very productive day. Since my mom is in town this weekend, we have decided to do more dress shopping.  So, today, just she and I went to a few dress shops to see what we could find, and we found a lot.  The store that we went to had so many different dresses, and the nice thing about it was that you could look on your own through all the racks, and the consultant was there only if you wanted help.

We ended up pulling about twelve dresses, and some were immediate no's, so those didn't get pictures. The rest got pictures though. And I know what you're thinking...more dress pictures? I've tried on so many, and because of that, I've wanted to make sure I could get pictures of all the ones I thought looked good.  And I thought that I could share them, because, you know, what else am I going to use the pictures for?

So, let's get to the dresses.

First I tried on a beautiful ball gown that had gorgeous flowers all over the skirt, and a great pleated/ruched bodice with a sweetheart neckline.

 Allure 8866 / Personal Picture *Sorry about the timestamps - Mom forgot to turn that setting off on her new camera

The dress had some beading on the left hip that I wasn't really liking, so I tried it on with a belt and my hand covering it and it looked much better in my opinion.

Allure 8866 with unknown belt / Personal Picture

After deciding we liked this one better with the belt, we moved on to the other dresses.  This next dress looked really nice on the hanger, but really did not look nice on me.  It was an immediate no, as you can see I didn't even make it to the pedestal.  

Rina Di Montella 406 / Personal Picture *Sorry about the TERRIBLE face. I had no idea the picture was being taken

The next dress I tried on had the ruched bodice, a sweetheart neckline and a simple skirt, with some little beading under the bust line. It was very light, but the material seemed to be very thin and there wasn't enough oomph in the skirt for me, and it had a corset back, which again, I am not really a huge fan of.

Mori Lee 6725 / Personal Picture

Mori Lee 6725 / Personal Picture

This next one was my mom's favorite from the day, and while it had a lot of components that I wanted, the primary one that acted against it was the fabric - satin. I loved the shape of the dress and the ruching and sweetheart neckline, but the fabric choice was a big deal breaker for me.  I also didn't really care for the big bow on the back, but that could have been removed.

Allure 8919 / Personal Picture

Next, I tried on a dress that was waaaay too small for me, but I will post the somewhat embarrassing picture anyway.  This dress was a no mainly because of the shape, but also because it was a little too plain.  The skirt shape was somewhere between a column dress and an a-line, but it just didn't open enough at the bottom to look right.  

Venus Bridals 6705 / Personal Picture

We're going to call this next dress the booty dress. It was a liiiitttle too tight, but man, it made my booty look pretty nice.  I originally liked it because of the one shoulder and the little details on the strap, but, like the last dress, the skirt just didn't open up enough at the bottom.

Venus Bridals 6673 / Personal Picture

Venus Bridals 6673 / Personal Picture *Check out that booty! Yikes!

The last dress I tried on today was another mixed column/a-line not-enough-opening dress, and it was just ok. I didn't really care for the shape, as you know from the other dresses I tried on, but this one in particular had pleats in random places throughout the length of the dress, and I felt like they just seemed like mistakes and that the dress hadn't been pressed correctly. It also had a corset back, which I'm not going to show you, because the panel was missing, and so it's really open. In the end, that dress was removed from the list.

Alfred Angelo 2034 / Personal Picture *Sorry for the blinking

So, that concludes today's shopping trip. It was pretty successful, but I can't say for sure how I feel about the Allure 8866 until after tomorrow's appointment.  I'm happy that my mom and I decided to go look at some dresses at the last minute, but I am even more excited about tomorrow's appointment and what it could bring to the table.

An Awesome BM

BM A is awesome. And she knows it, but she should.

When she was planning her wedding, I was living 1000 miles west of her.  Even though I was part of the bridal party, I was unable to make it to both her bridal shower and her bachelorette party since I was so far away and didn't have a lot of vacation time from work and one of the events coincided with FI's graduation from graduate school.  She understood completely, although she did wish I could have been there for the activities.

Now that I am planning my wedding and she has done hers, she knows what I am going through, and is trying to be as accommodating as possible.  BM A and her husband work crazy schedules and have a lot going on in their lives (including just buying a new house!), so I knew that getting them to visit for a weekend was going to be a difficult task.  We originally planned a weekend for October, then that fell through with our schedule. The weekend in November we planned after that fell through on both ends, so then we tentatively scheduled a weekend in early December.  And after thinking it wasn't going to work out, BM A rescheduled some things she had planned and devoted herself to me for the weekend. I am so glad that I have a friend that cares so much about my planning, especially since she just finished doing all of hers.  So finally, after some finagling about the time and place to meet, we met at a little bridal shop in Connecticut, and FI drove back to the house with BM A's husband.

The trip was primarily to get BM A to try on dresses in the same color and fabric that my MOH chose.  We found a few that could be contenders and tried them on.  Now, while I didn't care if my MOH and my BM chose the same dress, I wasn't expecting them to, so when the dress that my MOH chose didn't look right on my BM, I was fine with it.

BM A thinks that she found a dress, but since it didn't fit well, it was very hard to tell whether or not it was really the one.  We didn't end up getting any pictures of BM A in the dress, but here is the one that we think is it.  We don't need to order until the spring, so hopefully we can get together again to dress shop.

Watters Bridesmaid Dress 7111 / Personal Picture *Not in this color

After looking at the dresses for her, we decided to pull some dresses to try on for me.  They carried a lot of different designers, including Watters, and more specifically, the dress that I tried on by myself a few weeks ago.  

I tried on only dresses from the Watters collection, as that seems to be the designer that fits me the best.  The first one I tried on was suggested by the consultant because of the way that it sparkles, but I thought that it was too much for what I was looking for, and would have been better for a more formal wedding.  

Watters "Mackay" / Personal Picture

Next was an a-line with some light detailing on the skirt and a lace-like top. Since lace is a no-no, this one was tried on quickly, and taken off quickly too. Don't get me wrong, I really think this dress is pretty, but it's not me, and the tucks in the skirt just don't fall in the right spots for me.

Watters "Napa" / Personal Picture

I knew that lace was not something that I wanted in a wedding dress, but both the consultant and BM A wanted me to try on lace since not all lace is the same.  I obliged, and really liked the seamless bodice of this dress, instead of having a defined waistband, but thought it was missing something, so we added a belt and I liked it better. But, it was lace, and even though it was different from some of the other lace I tried on, I still didn't really care for it.

Watters "Devenport" with unknown belt / Personal Picture

We saved the best for last, the one I tried on by myself. I wanted to get someone else's opinion on this dress, and I thought that BM A would give me the truth.  She said that it looked beautiful, but that it was unexpected, and may be too conservative, but that if it was what I loved, that it would look perfect.  Here is the picture from my first time trying on this dress by myself, just as a reminder.

Watters "Sterling" / Personal Picture

We also decided that the waistband was in fact too thick, and that it would look much better if it were thinner.  I asked the consultant if she thought that it would be possible to make the waistband thinner, and she said that the designer wouldn't do that, but alterations could.  So, the head of alterations came up and we tried to figure out what the dress would look like with a smaller waistband, and I absolutely love it!

Watters "Sterling" with a smaller waistband / Personal Picture

So, what do you guys think about the smaller waistband?  Also, please keep in mind that this dress was a size 14, and was way too big in the bust, which is why it makes me look really broad.  Thoughts?

Do I Have to?

Anyone else play dress-up when they were younger? Did you ever get to try on your mom/grandmother/aunt/great-aunt/sister/cousin/etc's wedding dress?

I loved playing dress up when I was little. It was so much fun to pretend all sorts of things.

The day I went with my mom and MOH E, I wasn't really feeling it. Maybe because I have had my heart set on that dress that I tried on by myself first - Watters Sterling.  My mom hasn't seen me in it, and she doesn't really like the pictures a whole lot, and the closest place to where she lives that carries it os well over a six hour drive.  So, we are going to try to get her to see me in it, but while we were at the shop this past weekend, she and MOH E really wanted me to try on some dresses.

Since I originally made the appointment for MOH E to find her dress, I really wasn't prepared to try any on myself, and wasn't really all that excited about it.  But, I obliged, and tried some on anyway.

Since this shop was a Watters WToo carrier, we primarily focused on those dresses - I really loved the designer and felt that their style and fit was perfect for me.  The first one I tried on was a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline, ruching, and a skirt with some detail - sound familiar? Yeah, I think this is the point where I really started to realize what I wanted in my wedding dress.

Watters WToo "Dulconee" / Personal Picture

All three of us liked this dress, so we kept it on the list, but while it looked nice, it didn't really have the WOW! factor that I was going for. So, we moved on, keeping that one in mind.

This next one wasn't part of the Watters collection, but my mom loved the flowers on the skirt, mentioning that it was similar to the dress I ordered from The Limited, which we liked the fabric of, but not the shape.

Casablanca 2048 / Personal Picture

Casablanca 2048 / Personal Picture

It was a really nice dress, and the train was amazing, even though I don't really want a train, haha.  But overall, the beading under the bust was too ornate for my liking, and the sweetheart neckline was too deep. But, it was a really nice dress, and the sample fit really well - we didn't even use clips!

The last dress was one that MOH E chose for me.  As you know from my laundry list of things I do and don't want in a dress, pickups is pretty high up there as a no.  This dress had pickups, and I wasn't very happy about it, but MOH E teamed up with the consultant and made me try it on.  Here is the designer's picture of the dress, since you can't get a feel for what it's supposed to like like in my personal pictures:

Watters WToo "Yardleigh" / Image via Watters Website

Since I did not want pickups, and did not like the way they looked, I decided to roll that layer of fabric up to where the skirt started, since the pickups could be let out when purchased. The consultant also did not put the belt on me, and said that I could go without, and do a statement necklace instead. So, here is the first picture of me in the dress:

Watters WToo "Yardleigh" with no belt / Personal Picture

I thought that this dress looked really nice with the pickups removed, but I preferred having a belt to define the waistline, so the consultant removed the necklace and added a belt, which I don't know the designer of.

Watters WToo "Yardleigh" with unknown belt / Personal Picture

I liked this look much better, and my mom and MOH E absolutely LOVED this dress on me.  I really liked it, but I still had that other dress stuck in my head, and couldn't stop thinking about it.  But, I want your opinion. Do you like this dress better than the Watters "Sterling?" Do you like this dress better with the pickups or without the pickups?

Let's play dress-up!

If you remember from one of my earlier posts about dresses, my mom lives well over 1000 miles away.  She was able to be around for the first time I tried on dresses, and that was great, but having her miss out on the other shopping trips is going to be hard.

Now that we have decided a bit more about our wedding, and have an actual idea of what it is going to look like, my ideas on dresses have changed a bit.  While I still don't want the whole churchy wedding dress, I feel like the personality of the dress could come out a little more, and it could be a little more fun versus the plain and simple ones I tried on on my first shopping experience.

I asked FMIL to join me on this dress hunt, as she was there the first time, and is really the only person I have around that could go with me. MOH E lives in Indiana, and BM A lives in New York, so those options are kind of out of the question at this point.  But, FMIL said she would love to go, so we took a drive back to the first shop we went to, as they had they designers I was interested in.

I tried on more than ten dresses, but only got a picture of three of them, as they were the only three that were picture worthy.  Oh, and they let me take pictures this time since my mom wasn't there, so they weren't actually snuck this time.

Since this was the same shop I had visited earlier, I asked the consultant to pull the dress I liked best from the last appointment, the Jim Hjelm Blush 1103.

Jim Hjelm Blush 1103 / Personal Picture

I tried it on and really liked again, but then the bad news came from the consultant.  The dress was no longer available in white and could only be ordered in ivory. That was it for me, the dress was taken off of me and my list. I wanted a white dress, and while the ivory color looked good on me, it actually didn't look as good as white did.  So, we moved on.

This next dress we tried on was more for the style than the actual dress, as I wanted to try a one-shoulder dress to see how it looked.

Pronovias "Paris" / Personal Picture

This dress was very pretty, and I loved the one-shoulder look. It was very comfortable, but the dress itself was a little too drapey, and the pleats going down the middle of the back made my hips look really wide, and I wasn't too much a fan of that. They are wide enough as is, they don't need more accentuation!

The dress dress I tried on was a little more fitted, but had a fun personality in the skirt and on the bust, and a criss-cross bodice, which looked pretty good on me when I tried that on previously.

Pronovias "Papira" / Personal Picture

Pronovias "Papira" / Personal Picture

When I tried it on, we all agreed that the third boob (flower in the middle of the bust) would need to go, and that while the ruffles on the bust brought a nice detail to the top and made me look fuller, it was too much going on with the rest of the dress, especially since the bottom was so full.  After showing this picture to MOH E, she said the bottom scared her and looked like hair.  This one was officially off the list.

Last, I tried on another one with a fun full skirt, but less details overall. It had a corset back, and beautiful flowers on the skirt, with again, a pleated/ruched detailing on the bodice, and a sweetheart neckline.

Maggie Sottero "Alandra" / Personal Picture

Maggie Sottero "Alandra" / Personal Picture

Of all the dresses I tried on, the Maggie was the favorite.  It had some great detailing on the skirt, and the flowers fit well in with the venue, it being a Botanical Center, and the sweetheart neckline really looked great.  The only thing that didn't sell me about the dress was the corset back. I really don't like the way that they look, and while they do amazing things for the waistline, they just don't really appeal to me.  So, while we had another favorite, I still wasn't ready to commit.  

The start of planning

With our date chosen, October 6, 2012, I was finally able to start planning. Since my mom was in town for a few days more after the engagement, I decided to call up some bridal shops to see if they had any slots open for a last minute appointment. I was able to get one in for the day before my mom flew back to Georgia, which was great, because I wanted her to be there for the dress shopping, and her living so far away was going to make that difficult. I also invited FI's mom to join us, and she was delighted to. FI is an only-child, so the invite to join us made FMIL very happy because she wouldn't get any other opportunity to do this, as she doesn't have any daughters. I'm glad that our relationship is so great. Definitely no Monster-in-Law here.


So, the three of us piled into the car, and drove an hour and a half to the bridal shop. Now, if you are wondering, Rhody has quite a few bridal shops for being such a small state, however, I have had my eye on gowns by specific designers for a few years now, and the closest place to us that carried that designer was in Connecticut, so we took the plunge and drove over.


Having blog-stalked and designer-stalked for a few years now, I knew the general style and details that I did and did not want. I loved some beading, but did not want the traditional "Church dress beading," as I called it. I also did not want pick-ups, no halter tops, no lace, no satin or other shiny fabric, and not heavy. Aside from those not-so-minor requirements, I also wasn't so sure I was comfortable with strapless, so I was also looking for non-strapless options.


The first thing I decided was to try on different dress styles to figure out what looked best and was the most comfortable. I tried on probably fifteen dresses that day, but the unfortunate thing was that the salon did not allow pictures until you chose a dress. I was able to sneak a few with terrible lighting though, and I'm not afraid to break the rules every now and then (when they don't hurt anyone; that's important to mention).


I tried on a trumpet style dress with a lot of detailing on the bottom and decided that while I loved the way the dress looked, I wasn't all that keen on how it looked on me. I tried on a v-neck dress and really liked that shape on the bust, but then I tried on a ball gown.


This dress was gorgeous! It was strapless, and while I wasn't really that comfortable with the way my shoulders looked, it didn't give me the armpit-boob-fat that I thought it would. That's when I started reconsidering strapless dresses.

Personal Picture / Kenneth Pool "Amour"

Please ignore the face - was trying to get a picture before the consultant returned!

Now while this dress was gorgeous, it wasn't really fitting for a outside/backyard tent wedding, so while I liked the shape and the tulle made it very light, it wasn't the one.

The next one I tried on was more A-line and had some nice detailing that made it a little different than some of the other dresses.  

Personal Picture / Watters "Lasara"

I really liked the weight of this one a lot and I think it's a beautiful dress, but this still wasn't the one.

The last one I tried was another A-line, very simple, and by one of my favorite wedding dress designers.  It was light and airy, fell nicely, and it came in white - which was another requirement I had.

Personal Picture / Jim Hjelm Blush 1103

This one was the favorite of the day, however, with this being my first appointment, I did not want to commit.  So, we wrote down the style number and price thanked the salon and consultant, and drove back to Rhody.