On Saturday, September 30th, I went dress shopping with my mother, wedding planner, and Matron of Honor, Heather. My sweet MOH flew in to Houston from Dallas just for this special moment, then immediately flew back to Dallas. She made cute signs with different phrases just for the occasion, and we had a glass of mimosa right before we started our day of dress shopping. She also gifted me with a personalized wedding date hanger, with my new last name, for my new dress. This was one of the most exciting and interesting days of my life. It was interesting because I didn’t know if I would find my dream dress that day. I had worked really hard on having my waist snatched for the fitting. I knew what style that I wanted but I had no clue what the dress would look like. Of course like most women, I looked online at a lot of dresses making a mental note about my likes and dislikes. I knew that I didn’t want a ball gown dress or a white dress. My personality and body shape just wouldn’t do a ball gown design any justice, and white just wasn’t for this non virgin woman. I guess I was a little non-traditional with that expectation.

My planner had made two appointments for me in the hopes that I would say “Yes to the Dress” at one of them. We arrived at the first location not knowing what to expect from this cute boutique. We sat patiently filling out a questionnaire while waiting for our turn to be serviced. After a brief waiting period, it was my turn to pick my dream wedding dress. We began walking around the store browsing, looking for what we believed would be the one. Now remember, this was only the first stop. I had another appointment later at another dress shop. Ok, now back to the search. My planner and I had selected about 10 dresses!!! I was truly overwhelmed and all kinds of emotions started to take over me. As I began to try them on, I would come out and let my circle be the judge. Of course I would make the final decision, but having them there to give input was helpful. Majority of the dresses that I tried on were mermaid style with a sweetheart neckline and a few were ballgowns with a sweetheart neckline. I was down to 3 dresses, but one really caught my eye. It was really different and something I wouldn’t have chosen just by looking at it.(lace ivory mermaid style dress at 1st location)

(white mermaid style dress at 1st location)

(blush dress at 1st location)

I walked out of the dressing room, and Heather’s eyes gazed at me and began to fill up with tears. If you know Heather, you know she’s not an emotional person, so when she cried I knew this was it. I turned around to look in the mirror and I was in love! I hadn’t seen that style and color on anyone, and that was a plus for me. At first glance, I didn’t know the dress color was blush. You really have to be in a certain lighting to see it. I knew it was a mermaid style dress, but had no clue it was BLUSH. The blush color looked AMAZING against my caramel skin. Even without the alterations, it looked perfect on me. I said over and over again, OMG this is the dress! This is it! It fit the theme and color scheme of the wedding. Our color scheme was Rose Gold and Blush. Who knew that I would fall in love with a blush dress?!?! Although I knew this was the dress, I still wanted to honor my appointment at the second location. I went there but honestly wasn’t moved by any of the dresses except two. One had a fitting top with a ballgown bottom. It fit me really well and I felt like a bride, but it just wasn’t the dress for my special day. I almost found the exact same dress at the second stop, that I loved at the first stop, but it was designed a little differently and it was in another color, WHITE! That was automatic no for me!

My mother had another vision for my special day, and WHITE was it. She wanted me to get the dress in white at the second location. We didn’t connect on that at all, it caused a little tension for the rest of the day, and my spirit shifted a little bit. I wanted to make my mom happy since her and my dad were paying for the dress, but on the other hand I wanted to be true to who I was. I totally get it, she always dreamed of her daughter wearing a traditional white dress, but that was just it, we had very little traditions in our wedding. I went back to the dressing room at the second location, a little flustered not knowing what to do. I think my planner and MOH saw the look on my face and immediately joined me in the dressing room. They both saw how my face glowed when I tried on the blush dress at the first location, they reminded me that it was me and Chris’ day, and told me that I should go with the dress that I felt was more me. They assured me that whatever decision I made, they would back it 100%. I thought it over and came out with my mind made up. I wanted the blush dress at La Reve Bridal Couture (the first location). That was my final answer! I thanked the ladies for their time and patience at the second location, and gathered my things so that we could go back to the first location.

(white ballgown dress at 2nd location)

I walked in at the first location, the sales representative recognized me from earlier and she got the dress for me to try on again. THIS WAS THE DRESS!! My mom saw my eyes glistening, smiled and eventually agreed that this was the dress for me. I was happy to have her blessing but I was going to get it anyway lol. On Saturday, September 30th, I said yes to the dress. The dress was perfect but needed something more. I’m not a long lace veil girl, so I wanted to go with a birdcage veil. I tried the birdcage veil with the dress, and it was magical. It fit the theme of my wedding and my wedding dress perfectly. My day had been made, and it only took me going to two locations. The icing on the cake is when I heard that La Reve Bridal Couture was a black owned establishment. Supporting black businesses was high on Chris and I’s list. The owner was actually there that day and really sweet! Thank you La Reve Bridal Couture for your amazing customer service, and making me feel like a Queen. Thank you to my parents for buying my wedding dress!

To catch everyone up on what I had checked off so far in wedding planning, here is a short list. Please refer to my last blog to learn what I did before leaving Dallas. So in August, I got to book the make-up artist of my dreams, Color Du Jour. In September, I found my dress, and had already told the ladies what days we would be going on my bachelorette trip in May, so that they could go to their jobs to request those days off. I made sure to tell them way in advance (8 months before trip) because I knew how costly the trip would be. I guess you can say when I moved to Houston in July, I continued hitting the ground running with wedding planning. If I could give present and future brides some tips about wedding dress shopping, my first would be go in with an open mind. Although I had been browsing at dresses, I knew the dress would look different on my body! Go with your gut and with the one that makes you feel like royalty for your special day. Yes, your wedding is just one day, but your pictures will last a lifetime and will make great memories. Also, if you’re unsure and want to think about it for a couple days, do just that. I was just lucky to find my dress in that one day. Don’t feel pressured into buying a dress because you want to make others happy. Another HUGE tip, please don’t get your dress altered two sizes too small or too big. No I didn’t do that, but I heard it’s common especially when you’re a bride who works out. Yes, I was working out, but I had realistic expectations for my body. All in all, my final decision was made when I closed my eyes and imagined myself walking down the aisle in that blush dress. That thought immediately made my stomach have endless butterflies. I knew that dress would have my groom smiling from ear to ear, hypnotized by how I was looking in it, and how it highlighted one of his favorite parts of my body. In the end, I was completely satisfied with my dress selection, and I don’t have any problems referring brides to La Reve Bridal Couture.

Writer: Mrs. Robinson
Editor: Mr. Robinson