Not bad for the first time checking out the fluffy white gowns

I'm finally getting a chance to catch up on all those posts I've fallen behind on. Three weeks ago, I went wedding dress shopping. I went by myself just to check out different styles and to see what I really liked. As I already said before, I left loving the same style I went in loving.

Here are some pictures of most of the dresses I tried on:

This dress was WAY over my budget, which I didn't realize until after I tried it on. It's a couture dress. Pretty, but not quite what I was looking for.






































When I walked into the store, I saw this dress on a poster. I thought it was pretty, so I asked to try it on. I loved it. I'd been looking for a simple dress, and it was simple. It wasn't insanely expensive, and it was pretty. I liked all the details that gave it a special touch without being overwhelming.






































Still, there was the style I had really loved going into the whole day. I couldn't help but notice that it looked really good with my ring, too, since that style dress and my ring both have a bit of a vintage feel to them.

I found two dresses in that style that I liked. They were both a little overboard on the simple part, but they were pretty.

I liked this one, but it didn't have any train whatsoever, and I wished the back was a lace-up. For some reason, it never occurred to me that a wedding dress could just zip up in the back. I thought it had to at least take a few minutes to get on!






































This dress, which was the last I tried on, was on a mannequin when I walked in the store. It had the lace-up back and the little sweep train I wanted. But it had no details -- it was just solid white.

On the display at the front of the store, they'd tied a brown sash around the waist of the dress, a lot like the white sash on the dress in the last pictures. That was one way to add a little something to the dress, but I wasn't sure about that idea, what with the lace-up back. But it was definitely less than what I'd hoped to spend on my dress, which was a plus.






































One thing that surprised me is that I wasn't emotional when I was trying on the dresses. I always imagined that whenever I first put on the dress, I'd instantly know because I'd immediately think, "This is it!" I didn't have any moments like that, but I didn't expect to. It was my first time trying on. I didn't want to leave with a dress. Maybe I still will have that moment.

Another funny thing: The day she get married, the bride is supposed to look the prettiest she's ever looked in her entire life. I expected to feel amazing when I put on a bridal gown. When I looked in the mirror with the first dress on (which I really liked), I was surprised at what was staring back at me -- it was just everyday me in a fancy, fluffy white dress.

I guess it doesn't make sense to expect putting on a wedding dress to morph my whole appearance, and I realized that when I was trying the dresses on. It was just funny to realize that's what I'd thought would happen.

After looking back at these pictures, the last two in this post are my favorites. I've even thought about getting the last one and looking around at other dresses to get ideas for the top of it. I could have my grandma, who's awesome at crafts and painting and sewing, sew a pattern onto the bodice with either white or silvery beads. That would save me some money and make me love the dress even more, since it would be more personalized for me by her.

Obviously there's plenty more time to shop, and next time I'll probably take ER with me. It was fun to try on different styles to see what I liked. At least I'll have that out of the way before ER joins me for round two.

The hardest part of all of this is not showing the pictures to K to find out what he thinks. After all, he's the one who I most want to love the dress.

Knowing I have a while before I need to worry about buying a dress makes it nice. I can take my time and really shop around before I decide on the final one. I'd like to have one chosen by the end of the summer, but even that's several months away!