Disclaimer: not including photos of the dress I chose or any I tried on, but best believe they are living in my phone hidden away from my husband and in my head rent-free.
So, to kick off some wedding blog posts, I thought I'd write about my wedding dress shopping experience. I'll start by saying that it was overall such a fun experience. And while I'm relieved to have found 'the one', I love playing dress up and I will definitely miss trying on gowns.
The first time I tried on gowns was actually in Italy with my now mother-in-law. We had just started the wedding planning process, so I was deep in my Pinterest boards and Notion database. And being the Type A Virgo I am, I already knew what I liked and (more importantly) didn't like. I have always preferred minimal to maximal. I love silk and simplicity, not so much lace and intricate beading. Ultimately I just wanted something timeless and classic. And with that, we went into the wedding dress shopping process. The shop assistant had me choose a handful of dresses that caught my eye, then I tried each one - sharing my feedback along the way. This allowed us to have a better idea of what I was interested and drawn to. For me, it's clean yet romantic all the way.
By my second try-on appointment at Lovely Bride, we had selected our wedding venue and date - which in my opinion is the ideal time to start your dress hunt. It helped me to fully imagine the day and the wedding gown that I'd wear during the ceremony all the way through to the reception. Keeping this in mind, I tried on a few gowns that I liked but something was just missing from each one. I kept mentioning how, for example, I liked the neckline of one dress, the back of another, and the straps from a third. It all proved to me that it wasn't going to be impossible to find my dress, but that it would take some time.
Over the summer, I went to my third appointment at The Dress Theory with my mom and sister. I fell in love with a dress that was nothing like I tried on before. I felt like a real princess, and that's when I knew I found the style I wanted. Since I'm living abroad, I was advised to choose my dress in the UK that way I could do all my fittings with ease. Although it would've been fun to ship my dress from San Diego, it is not practical and so I made it my mission to find my dress when I got back to London.
So, on a random Monday in October, I planned a solo date and made my way to Camden Passage with the hopes to try on a dress that I saw on Instagram. I ultimately did not go with that dress, but instead fell completely in love with the last dress I had picked out from Angelica Bridal's selection of gowns. And the best part? The gown came way under my budget!! I'm stoked because this means I can seriously consider a second reception dress ;)
I said 'Yes' to the dress which is arguably the most important aspect of wedding planning, and I'm looking forward to completing the day's entire look. Heels, veil, and jewelry shopping any one??
Did I cry? No I didn't, and to be honest, I didn't expect to. However, I did feel so much joy and could 100% imagine myself wearing the gown on our wedding day. And that's all that truly matters in the end.
