A Dress! At Last! (Click "Read More" to see the actual dress)

We have a winner! The trigger has been pulled! And other metaphors indicating happiness at having finally made a decision that had been plaguing me for, admittedly, long before Jay got down on one knee. (Yes, I had clippings at brides.com. I know.)

It's different than I expected. I'm blaming it on this Anne Barge you see here -- which is NOT my dress. I saw this dress in a magazine and was enthralled by it. The 50's styling on the model; the floaty English net on the skirt; the delicate embellishment; the non-straplessness. The problem? Uncomfortable top, $1500 over the price range, and the realization that the delicacy of the details that really make the dress (pintucks on bodice, etc) weren't visible from more than 3 feet away, so it just looked plain, rather than than intricate. Sigh. Oh Anne Barge, LF150. The coulda, shoulda, woulda dress.

BUT, it made me deviate course, just a tad, just enough to find my dress. Before Anne Barge LF150, I was not aware that English net over silk creates a dreamy, floaty look without the cupcake effect of layers of tulle. I had been shunning sparkle and beads and embellishment, fearing the dreaded "Jersey princess effect." 

And so, by opening my eyes a bit, and getting back on the horse after the sample sale of which we shall no longer speak... I was able to find my dress.  After the jump, of course, to dissuade Jay from peeking!

Emily's Dress Shopping Breaking Point

If you know me, you know how much I enjoy a good fashion deal. I used to live in Filene's Basement in college. I count scoring my Burberry wool coat for $140 (mistakenly marked down from $1100), as one of my greatest personal achievements. So the concept of scoring a designer gown for $300-500 at the Filene's Running of the Brides immediately appealed to me. ...Until I went to a tiny microcosm of such a sale: the sample sale at Carine's in DC, and it nearly broke me.

Let's begin with Tiffany and I waiting in line to even get into the salon: rain-bedraggled, me in glasses, no makeup, and old jeans. Surrounded by gorgeous, coiffed, tanned girls who are already wedding-ready, and whose hair is somehow miraculously straight despite the rain. And then they all squeal and clap whenever a girl came out with a dress. Yeah, I don't get it. I felt so out of place and insecure.

Then we get up in there, and it's a madhouse. People grabbing dresses, stealing mirrors, and Tiff was such a trooper, stalking a gorgeous Rosa Clara dress that another bride was waffling on, until she took it off.



Now, here's the thing about this dress. Gorgeous. Very different -- dropped waist, layered skirt that alternated between thin bands of lace and thicker bands of this crepey, antique looking fabric. The picture doesn't do it justice, unfortunately. Very different, very gorgeous, but very much in need of tailoring, and right at the top of my price range (tailoring not included), and very...big. One of those dresses that no doubt everyone would remark upon and remember, but I couldn't get away from the feeling that people would see only the dress, and not me in it. And as much as I love fashion, I'm not going to be that girl who makes the day all about her. Boo to that girl. Our wedding is to be about us, our friends, our families.

And so the dress stayed behind, as did my enthusiasm for dress shopping. I admit it. I came home and nearly burst into tears on the couch with Jay. Suddenly I felt like I would never find anything right. Never become that perfect bride that had surrounded me. That somehow I would never be able to pull this all together. Thank goodness for wine. And no kidding, the next day, I found the dress that would become mine! :)

Hannalore's: Dresses Part 2

So onwards, we went -- this time with Mom in tow, and attending the Rosa Clara trunk show at Hannalore's in Old Town. The 2010 Rosa Clara collection is ridiculously my taste -- ruffles; organza; and lightness, lightness, everywhere. There were several contenders: Cache was the closest: the skirt = amazing. Not ruffles, but rather the look of layered handkerchief corners. Graceful, whimsical, elegant. But...

The neckline just wasn't right -- too flat, too harsh, and not able to be altered down to a sweetheart because of pleating. Now, the sales lady starts talking about how in the 2009 collection, there was a dress exactly like this in a halter. She didn't have it, but said she would call the design house and get me pictures, then we could bring it in if I liked it. So perfect, right? Um, yeah, ask me if I heard from her again. Boo.

She also offered a similar dress from Pronovias: the Huesca, but... eh. Just wasn't right -- even with the crazy halter ruffle removed. Suddenly the ruffles in the skirt looked cheap and wedding cake-y. Not what I was looking for.
So we began to look around the store, and came across a couple more Pronovias dresses that caught my eye: looking for shapes I hadn't really examined before, but still had some of that whimsical quirk to it. Mansion: gorgeous dress, very different way of pairing tulle and lace, but just not quite for those of us with the small bosoms... Such is life.







Then there was Mariona, and I will tell you, this very nearly became THE dress. I didn't see it at first, but when I put my hair up with a headband, I got the long, elegant Grecian feel and it looked lovely. But, a night of sleeping on it only increased my concern that it wasn't special enough. Lovely, graceful: yes. Flattering? Very. But, I couldn't get out of my head that I can wear this dress anytime (and not spend $1500 on it!). It didn't make me excited to get married. (Not that I need any other reason to be excited, but still! :))
I will also say. The one shoulder thing: I love it. I've worn it before and it really works for my body type, but everyone is wearing it now! So I'd rather be fresh than trendy.

And so I kept looking...