Okay ladies, it’s the moment we have been saving on our Pinterest accounts for the past 10 years – trying on wedding dresses. I seriously was so excited to find my dress that I passed BHLDN a couple days after getting engaged and went in by myself to try on 3 dresses. This was probably my favorite part of the entire wedding planning process and I was lucky enough to share this special moment with my mom, sister and close friends. So here is how I found my wedding dress and hopefully my experience will provide you with some insight for when you look for your dress for your big day!
Finding My Style
I am not going to lie, I had no clue what I wanted in terms of style for my wedding dress. I could see myself doing 3 dress changes on the day of my wedding. So to get a feel for my style, my mom took me to the two local bridal salons in our hometown. I went into the appointment with zero expectations. My mom told me to just try everything on and to “not fight her” on her recommendations. lol I am sure other ladies reading this can relate.
I tried on everything from mermaid to lace, dresses with pockets and strapless. It was so fun! The gowns were pretty but I didn’t feel “special” in any of them and I felt like it was still early to make a decision on a dress. I thought I wanted boho chic, but every lace piece I tried on didn’t give me those butterflies in my stomach. I ended up appeasing my mom and trying on a high neck dress, that was a very traditional Catholic Church style. I thought it was beautiful, but I told my mom we should wait. After our appointments, I decided to book some in the city.
Winnie Couture
My first appointment was at Winnie Couture on Wells. I walked by the salon almost every day and they had gorgeous, southern style, glamorous gowns showcased in the windows. I decided to invite my friends/bridesmaids Liz, Monica and Natalie.
We were greeted with champagne and a lovely bridal consultant. After asking me a couple questions about my style, my vision for the big day and my budget, she took me around the store and pulled a few styles. She also told me to pick a few dresses I wouldn’t normally try on. I went into the dressing room with 10 options to choose from – I was so excited!
The first gown I stepped out in was one of my favorites from the window display. It honestly brought tears to my friends eyes. I felt so beautiful and confident in it ( as it showcased all of my curves and made my waist look defined). My bridal consultant had me try on a veil with the gown and that’s when I realized – this wasn’t the dress. So back to the dressing room I went.
I stepped out in a couple options that were big NOs from my peanut gallery. The second to last dress I tried on was something from a dream. I felt like a princess in a crystal corset. It was perfect. I felt like this was the dress. I found my dress. We popped some more champagne and took my measurements. I couldn’t believe it!
As we headed to lunch, my friends reminded me I had one more appointment that day and to not make a commitment yet. I told myself I wouldn’t officially say “yes” to the dress until my sister and mom were in town. So keeping that in mind, we headed to the next appointment.
Lovely Bride
As soon as we walked into the store, I could tell the dresses were more my style – a touch of boho with classic and elegant choices. We were greeted by another bridal consultant and I will be honest, I wasn’t pleased with the service at this salon. The consultant told us not to touch any of the dresses and was very short to all of us. We had to ask for champagne and drinks and just felt unwelcome (compared to the other experience we had).
After the consultant asked me a few questions, she took me into the showroom and pulled dresses for me – I was not allowed to touch the dresses, which was so weird! Some of the styles she pulled I immediately said no to. At this point I was on the verge of wanting to leave and so were my girls.
That’s when the consultant brought in a dress that “wasn’t exactly in my price range” but something she thought I would like….well the girl was right. As soon as I slipped it on my body, I was overcome with a feeling. I didn’t cry but I envisioned myself walking down the aisle in this gown. I got the chills, I knew this was the dress. My friends agreed – this was the one.
I told the consultant I wanted to come back with my mom to make the final decision and we set up the return appointment to be on Mother’s Day weekend. I was so excited I couldn’t even contain myself. I couldn’t believe that even after such a negative experience, I was able to have this feeling in my dress.
I started stalking the dress on Instagram and followed the designer. This is when I knew I had definitely found my dress. My mom asked if we could make one more appointment at another salon before making a final decision. She made a good point – when else can you try on Vera Wang than your wedding? I was sold.
Vera Wang
Mother’s Day weekend David and I had both of our families in to celebrate. I made an appointment for Sunday morning after brunch at Vera Wang on Rush. I went with my mother, sister and future mother-in-law. We we’re greeted with champagne by our bridal consultant. Similar to the other appointments, she asked me questions to help pick the perfect style for my day.
My mom was insistent that we only looked at dresses that were within our budget, which I was aligned with since I felt it in my bones that my dress was waiting for me at another store. My consultant pulled a variety of gowns for me to try on. I think my mom was in absolute heaven and I am not going to lie, I felt so special.
I tried on traditional Vera gowns and more modern looks. I loved the horse-hair mermaid dress and it fit me like a glove. I was almost nervous I was about to change my mind on my dress! As our appointment wrapped up, my mom asked if she could pick out a gown for me to try on. She walked around the showroom until she found “the one”. She was so excited as our consultant pulled it from the rack. As she took it to the dressing room, she mentioned that the dress was about $20,000 over our budget. LOL of course my mom picks the dress outside of the budget. But it was stunning.
After the appointment, we made our way to Lovely Bride to make a final decision. As much as I loved Vera, there was something special about the way I felt in my other dress.
Buying My Dress
We were greeted again by the same consultant when we walked into the store, I let it go because I was on a mission. I asked her to pull the dress from the rack for me to show to my mom. On the way to my dressing room, another dress on the designers rack caught my eye….it was my dress with a high neck. I immediately thought back to the dress I tried on at home and how flattering it was on me. I decided I would try it on “just in case”.
It was beautiful but there was something about my original dress that still made me feel out of this world. This was it. I had found my dress! YAY!
My consultant began to measure me and after 16 years of dance and being measured for my recital costumes, I informed her she was measuring me wrong. She insisted she wasn’t and I asked for a manager to come in and measure me. I was over a 18 year old prepping me for my big day, this needed to be perfect.
The manager came in and measured me quickly, again I just felt weird and that I wasn’t being respected – even though I was about to drop a ton of money on a dress in this store. I started to second guess my decision and as they left the room I began to look up if the designer was sold anywhere else in the city. Of course not, since it was out of Australia and this was the only vendor in Chicago. So I let it roll because I needed this dress.
They came back and told me my best option would be to split my size between the top and bottom of my dress. Okay great! They mentioned the size on top and then the size on the bottom. I asked if they knew the size of the sample dress because it fit me perfectly and they said they didn’t have it on file (weird). I kind of questioned it – and I know that sizes are different for wedding gowns, but having ordered things from Australia in the past, I also knew that sizes were majorly different in Australia.
I mentioned this to the consultant and vendor and they insisted they knew what they were doing and that this was the best way to order the dress. I gave in and said okay. I wanted to have buttons added to the back of the dress and they said this was possible. OMG WE WERE ORDERING MY DRESS!!
My mom gave them her card and the deed was done. I couldn’t believe it!! I left the appointment so excited and trying to not overthink the rest of the process. A couple days later my mom received the receipt for the dress and that’s when we realized something was not right with our order. They forgot to add the damn buttons they charged us for….
My mom said maybe it was a mistake. She tried to call and never got an answer. A couple weeks later, my dress arrived and although the top fit perfectly, the bottom was BEYOND HUGE. And I get it – having the dress be bigger is better than smaller, but this was insane. I am a size 4 and this was a size 10. My mom called Lovely Bride multiple times and they never answered or called back. She also emailed them, no answer. Finally I called and left a message and sent a very strongly worded email. The email also included details about my overall experience at Lovely Bride and this was just icing on the cake.
After a week, I received an email that apologized about the situation with the consultant and that she had been let go since my appointment. They also said they never received my moms calls or emails and that the dress was final sale. I replied with screenshots of mine and my moms outbound calls and expressed how disappointed I was and that if my dress wasn’t at the salon, I wouldn’t have purchased anything from the shop based on my experience.
I met with a seamstress at home and she ensured me that she would be able to bring in the dress and make it look as good as new. This was a wave of relief, since I had been dreaming of this dress for months.
After this experience with Lovely Bride, I highly recommend looking everywhere else in the city outside of this bridal salon. The staff at this store was a little young and very unprofessional. I love my dress but I hope to god I never have to go back to this store in the future.
Alterations
After shopping around the city for places to have my alternations done, I decided I would do them at home to save a little money. I asked my moms friend, who also made my christening gown when I was a baby and my baby blanket for me when I was 3, to do my alterations. I thought it was crazy how life had come into full circle.
Since my dress didn’t need to be altered on the top, I only had to make two appointments to have my dress fitted. I told my seamstress that I wanted to ensure the dress was fitting to my lower curves – which I will say are my best assets.
I can’t wait to show you the final look in my wedding blogs!
My Advice For Wedding Dress Shopping
- Shop online before you visit the salon. Find out what styles are available and look to see what the salon carries before your appointment so you have a better idea of what you like.
- Don’t limit yourself to one style. You guys, I thought I was going to go with a ballroom style dress – I went with the complete opposite and I am so glad I was open to trying on different styles.
- Measure yourself at home too! I learned the hard way and should have taken my measurements at home, I will never do that again. Do this so you can compare them to the measurements they take in the salon.
- Take a couple days before making a final decision. I totally believe in Love at First site when it comes to a wedding dress, but with prices rising and ever-changing styles it’s important to sit on it before making a decision. I waited about 3 months before actually purchasing my gown and I am happy I did because it affirmed that I made the right decision (regardless of my experience with the vendor).
- Eat light before your appointments. Look let’s be honest, you are not going to feel good in a white dress after eating a burger. So have something light and get some fries after your appointment to celebrate.
- Remember that you have time to change the way you look! If you look in the mirror and you’re not happy with the way your arms or back looks – you can take the first steps in making a change. Change your diet, set up a maintainable routine and take care of yourself! There is no need to stress, remember your body is amazing and you are capable – so don’t be too hard on yourself.
- Have fun! Invite your mom, sister and friends. It’s your time to feel special and you can have whoever you want in the dressing room. Don’t let anyone else tell you different.
