In typical military fashion, it’s not easy to get your friends AND family together for something. I wasn’t able to have most of my bridesmaids present for my dress shopping. I was lucky enough to have my mother, future mother-in-law, and sister in attendance. I planned my dress shopping around Jett’s graduation from The Basic School when both our families would be in town together.
Now, as much of a planner as I am, I really had no initial plan for dress shopping. After talking with some of my friends who had recently found a dress or gotten married I had figured out that one way to dress shop is to find a brand you like and then find a store that carries that brand. So that’s what I did. I begin messaging girls on Facebook and Instagram asking what brand their dress is and most of them said Essence of Australia. I went to their website and found a store near where we would be in town and booked an appointment.
Our appointment ended up being a little chaotic. Honestly, it was fun though. I started trying on dresses that were gorgeous, but I knew weren’t something I was actually going to walk down the aisle in. I don’t regret doing that, I mean how often do you get to put on a wedding dress?! It was fun trying on different styles, I wanted to keep an open mind to what I would be wearing.
Here are some of the dresses I tried on knowing they wouldn’t make the cut.
It’s not that these dresses weren’t beautiful, but I wanted a dress that reflected me, our theme and our venue. I’ve heard horror stories of brides who wore huge, thick gowns in the middle of July in a warm, tropical place. I knew from experience that fall in Texas can be quite hot and we were having an outdoor ceremony so I wanted to keep it lightweight.Here are a few dress contenders. The last one, I got pretty emotional in. Once we had stopped playing dress up and I started trying on real dresses, it all hit me. I was going to marry the man of my dreams, Jett.
I’m usually a pretty decisive person, and even though I cried trying on that last dress, I just wasn’t ready to put down my card. I had made another appointment at David’s Bridal for my sister to try on bridesmaid dresses and that’s where we went next.I had picked out a couple styles for her and while we were waiting for her to get ready the Moms and I were poking around the wedding dresses. I’m not going to lie, they were very different than the boutique salon we had previously been at. I wasn’t too impressed. But, somehow, I ended up trying on a few styles… and I’m glad I did because one of those dresses was THE DRESS.
Here it is. TA DA! Now, wait. I know what you’re thinking… really? The one I cried it was more detailed and ornate. How could THIS be my dress? Well, this really wasn’t officially my dress. I ended up getting the neckline converted to a sweetheart.
Now, THIS was my dress.
Long story short, the boutique experience was fun. I loved trying on all the big ball gowns. I think it’s a miracle I found this dress at David’s Bridal and was able to see it’s potential. Plus, it was on sale for $500 versus $2,000! But my favorite part was being able to add a military touch to my dress, Jett’s nameplate from his Naval Academy uniform. Something new, something old, something borrowed and something blue.
How did you incorporate your fiance’s military service into your dress? Did you use his nameplate? Did you put it somewhere else?
Share your stories in the comments below!
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