Wedding Dress Shopping... Attempt 1

My oh my... I never would have imagined the task at hand when it comes to wedding dress shopping!  Not only was it time consuming and exhausting, it was completely overwhelming!  All the time I searched online has proven to be a wasted effort.  The dresses I never took a second glance at are the ones that seemed to fit me and my body type best.  That was a surprise.  The prices of these 'one wear' outfits was an even bigger surprise! 

My new gal pal Heidi, who is also getting married this fall, and I decided that it was time to start the big search for that perfect dress.  In Denver, there is a little bridal shop called Amanda's Bridal that has an outstanding reputation - a logical starting point.   Without an appointment, we began our big hunt for that perfect white gown. 

When we arrived, the consultant instructed us to pick 5 dresses from their selection.  It was like an ocean of white!  There were so many dresses!  Both of us admitted to being completely overwhelmed!  How do you really decipher one from the next...  ? Heidi plans to have a traditional, elegant ceremony, so her dress options seemed to be endless. I, on the other hand, would like to have an understated dress that fits our casual, beachy wedding theme.  Within a matter of seconds of explaining to the dress consultant what I was looking for, I found that this style of dress is far and few between.  With the specification of - 1. No beading, 2. No lace, 3. No train... there were 2 dresses that fit my "needs" and somehow they were still nothing of what I'd envisioned myself in.  I quickly widened my search criteria, if only for the sake of not making Heidi feel uncomfortable.  By doing so, I at least found the style that seems to flatter my figure best - one I never would have tried on in any other circumstance - so the day was not lost... it was certainly an eye opening experience!

After finding several amazing gowns for Heidi, we decided to take note of them and move on to a bigger store - David's Bridal.  Our spontaneous shopping didn't work as well for them.  We were unable to get in.  We promised to call ahead for an appointment next time.  Instead of searching for more bridal boutiques, we called our boys to meet us and headed out for a relaxing and laughter filled dinner at Ruby Tuesday.