In November I called my parents to see what they had planned for Veteran’s Day. I had the day off from work and thought it would be nice to spend my long weekend in New Jersey. My mom had other ideas—why don’t we visit some bridal salons? I thought it was a bit early in the game to start my dress search, but why not? I made last minute appointments at two bridal salons in NYC—RK Bridal and The Wedding Atelier. My aunt and cousin were visiting from the Philippines and came into the city with my mom for the whole experience.
I should say at this point that I tend to know what I like. I don’t mind if other people don’t agree with my fashion choices—after all, I’m not forcing them to wear my clothes. The only exception to this rule is my mom. I’m sure a lot of other brides can relate—I really wanted my mom’s approval on the dress. So hers was the only opinion* I focused on during our shopping adventures. Lucky for me, we’ve got similar taste.
Before I continue…
The four of us headed over to RK Bridal before lunch. RK Bridal doesn’t actually accept appointments, but instead works on a first come first serve basis. They are for the more budget-minded, hands-on bride who is willing to comb through the racks herself to find her dress. There is a consultant that will pull dresses for you, but brides are encouraged to do their own hunting among the racks.
The scene at RK Bridal
Image via LMZ Blog
I specifically went to RK because I knew they had the Watters Jacinda.
Why did they have to style her with Bride of Frankenstein hair?
Watters Jacinda
I plucked that one off the rack right away, and the consultant brought in a few more dresses to help narrow down what shape I liked best. The verdict: I really liked Jacinda’s vibe, but my entourage unanimously agreed that the shape did nothing for me. I could see what they were saying. I’m a petite girl at 4’11¾” with a short torso and virtually no waist. The natural-waisted dresses made me look shorter and squatter—definitely not the look I was going for. After about 10 more dresses, I learned drop-waisted and fit-and-flare styles were the most flattering on me—I magically looked taller and leaner. Although I had to bid farewell to Jacinda, at least now I knew where to focus my search.
After our lunch break we made our way to The Wedding Atelier. Upon our arrival, we were asked to remove our shoes so they could keep the floors clean. The consultant asked to see my Pinterest board and then proceeded to pull dresses for me based on my pins. Honestly, what did the bridal world do before Pinterest?? Again, I tried on a lot of dresses, probably more than 10. And while they were all pretty, none of them really wowed me. I was constantly saying, “It’s nice but…” Finally, the consultant put me in this Liancarlo (the belt is an add):
There I am!! Bless that magical pedestal box.
Liancarlo Style 5855 | Personal picture
Whoa. My entourage was in love. But, was I in love? I definitely liked it a lot, but I wasn’t sure if it was love. It was beautiful and and had all the details I was looking for—texture, sheath-style/no waist—and I was obsessed with the lace back:
Please excuse my bra.
Personal picture
But was I really going to buy my dress on the first day out?? Were my wedding dress shopping days over?!? Say it isn’t so!! The consultant sweetened the deal by dangling a discount in my face—20% off if I purchased the dress that night. Gah! My mom was encouraging me to go ahead and buy it, but after hemming and hawing, I said no. I didn’t love it enough to stop looking. And if it did end up being the one, then I was willing to spend the extra money to have peace of mind. With that, day one was over.
Spoiler alert: This dress isn’t the one. After seeing pictures of the dress online and scrutinizing the ones of me in it at the store, we decided the dress didn’t photograph well. Photos didn’t capture how stunning it was in real life. This was a major issue for me as we are more likely to revisit our wedding pictures than have me prance around in my wedding dress for years to come. From this moment on, I paid particular attention to how a dress photographed.
How was your first day of wedding dress shopping? Did you find your dress on day one?
*My mom was not shy at all about giving her opinion, especially on dresses she didn’t care for. A few of the consultants were taken aback by her negative reactions and were quick to make sure my feelings weren’t hurt. I constantly had to assure them that her expression of distaste was directed toward the dress and not me. Eventually, I had to tell my mom to stop flaring her nostrils because it was making the consultants upset.
Tags:
brooklyn
wedding-dress
BLOGGER
Miss Squid
Birthday:
November 06
Location:
NYC / Brooklyn
Occupation:
Assistant Controller
Venue:
St. Charles Borromeo / ????
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