Dress Stress

Whenever someone I know comes back from a wedding, my first question is always: "So, what did her dress look like?" I don't think anyone's going toargue with me that the dress - let's make that "The Dress" - is one of thefirst things a bride thinks about when she starts planning her wedding day,and one of the most important to her.Whether or not you've had the whole outfit planned since you were five years old, down to the bows on the sleeves and the swarovski-crystal-trimmed strapless sweetheart neckline, or all you know is that you want to wear adress of some kind, The Dress is probably the first thing that a newly-engaged gal starts looking for. I know I did! And can I just say,"Thank goodness for the internet"? Because without it I'd be stuck looking at the five or six bridal magazines they see fit to sell in this country,and it's not like they have the biggest variety of dresses in those! But online you can search just by googling; you can search by local shops, youcan search by international designer - heck, you can even search by style of dress. And even if you never end up actually getting that Vera Wang runwaysample you fell in love with, at least you know what you like, and what youdon't. And then you can start actively looking for The Dress, with at least some idea of what's out there.However, there's one important thing to remember. I found this out almost immediately, and lots of other brides have said the same thing to me: Try on everything, because what looks good in the pictures won't necessarily look good on you, and what looks boring on a hanger might look gorgeous on you.So don't limit yourself to what you think you want, but keep an open mindand have a blast trying on things you think you might not want! That's what I did. I was convinced I wanted an A-line gown with side-draping, like this:







I tried a on a few, but, while they didn't look bad, they didn't look great either. I went back over to the racks to see what else there was, and I found a semi-A-line, empire-waisted dress with a split-front overlay and a lacy tulle train. I definitely didn't want a train, but the dress was rather pretty. I actually said to my mom, "It looks like a fairytale." So I tried it on and I just felt IT. That feeling you get when you're in The Dress. But, of course, it was my first day shopping, so I disregarded it. It wasn't the style I wanted, and it was only the third dress I'd tried on in my life! It couldn't be The One! But you know what? It was. Two months later, a few bridal shops down the line, and I was back there, placing my order for that dress - The Dress. It arrives soon and I'm so excited!

More next time on Bridal Shops and why I hate most of them...