Dress Shopping: Is there really "The One"?

[lurkyloo]

Oh my gosh, you guys - today I went to four different stores and tried on about 40 different wedding dresses, and I found 12 I like. And this is after I'd narrowed down last weekend's dresses to 2 choices...

This is a totally new experience for me - when I shop for regular clothes it's rare that something even fits me right, so my decision is easy: "Does this make me look like a ginormous mutant pear?" But with wedding gowns I'm finding all manner of flattering styles - I can't even narrow it to one type, like strapless or A-line or whatever.

What do you do if they're all "the One"? DF says "Buy the cheapest!" My friend says "Keep shopping!" but I'm running out of time 'cuz the wedding's in 6 months....

What do you think?

 

[Raspberry Bubbles]

Hmmm.... Well, I was convinced that I wanted a particular desiger and I had seen her work in magazines and I really, really wanted one. So, we travelled to London to meet her and I tried on dresses and they were lovely - but not me, when I tried them on. I was looking at myself in the mirror, trying to convince myself that this was what I wanted because I DID love the dresses, just not on me. They made me look really wonderful, but I had no emotional attachment to them at all. :L( Anyway, we came away and the next day my mum took me to a local bridal store and I tried on about 8 dresses. I narrowed it quickly down to two. The one I tried on I really liked and it was beautiful, but the other - when I put it on, I kept smiling. I couldn't stop! I knew it was the one - and I've never, ever gotten that feeling about a dress before. SO, as unbelievable as it was, I had that feeling - I hope you get it too! I'm sorry about your deadline, though!

 

[dmslush]

Hmmm.... Well, I was convinced that I wanted a particular desiger and I had seen her work in magazines and I really, really wanted one. So, we travelled to London to meet her and I tried on dresses and they were lovely - but not me, when I tried them on. I was looking at myself in the mirror, trying to convince myself that this was what I wanted because I DID love the dresses, just not on me. They made me look really wonderful, but I had no emotional attachment to them at all. :L( Anyway, we came away and the next day my mum took me to a local bridal store and I tried on about 8 dresses. I narrowed it quickly down to two. The one I tried on I really liked and it was beautiful, but the other - when I put it on, I kept smiling. I couldn't stop! I knew it was the one - and I've never, ever gotten that feeling about a dress before. SO, as unbelievable as it was, I had that feeling - I hope you get it too! I'm sorry about your deadline, though!

I was somewhat like you. I found a dress, fell in love with the dress. It was/is beautiful. It is ornate, it was just awesome. I loved it so much that I brought it home with me.

It was only after several months of second guessing myself that I had to realize that it was a beautiful dress, but not a beautiful dress on me. So, DF and I went shopping for another dress and found 'the one'. It is much more simple than the first dress, not ornate or elaborate.. but it is perfect for me.

 

[Raspberry Bubbles]

Two dresses! I think it's definately worth making sure you have "the one". I thought it was a ridiculous notion at first - a dress being that special that it affected my emotions, but there it was, and it was perfect, and it made me feel like a princess. Only one year and I can wear it!

 

[hmgolden]

I ended up choosing between dresses myself after trying on what felt like 100! The final two were quite different, and one would have been great for a FL wedding, it was much lighter than the more traditional lacy and poofy one. I of coures ended up in the heavy lace one! For me, if came down to which one made me feel moe like a bride, and the the lighter one felt too much like a bridesmaid dress in white with a small train. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Lisacope]

I went to two stores with some friends and tried on probably 20 dresses - I came away a little disappointed because I didn't ever feel like I tried on "the one". When I came home I was browsing on the internet - there are so many dresses out there! I guess I need to go try on more dresses!

 

[CutieBugNY]

I just picked out my dres this weekend. I went home to NY and went shopping with my mother. We went to 5 different places. After the first place I found I dress that I loved so from then on each place we went to I asked to see dresses of that style. In the 4th store I found the most beautiful version of the type of style I was looking for and it was NOTHING like I had pictured. It didn't look like any of the dresses I had ripped out of mags. But I also could NOT stop smilieing when I put it on. You just Know when you find it. It makes you look and feel like a princess and a bride and just beautiful! My advice keep looking If you have time, I was lucky I only had this one weekend with my mom to shop and found it but narrow downyour style choices and look for dresses of that type. GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[BayouPrincess]

You'll find that dress lurkyloo! You'll put it on and you'll just know it's "the one"

When DH and I got married nearly 20 years ago I felt like "I like them all!" but I finally found "the one". I have chosen a dress for my VR next year sight unseen (photos only). But it screams ME!

You'll find your dress that will make you feel like the princess you are!

 

[Ember]

I didn't have any initial magical feelings about my dress, I'm afraid. I didn't know it was "the one" or even how much I really liked it until later.

I tried it on, liked it okay, but wasn't ready to stop shopping and settle on anything. I tried on a bunch more but kept thinking I didn't like any of them as much as I had liked that other one. There was always something just not right, that my eventual dress had perfectly. ("That other dress has the bodice style I like." "That other dress had this type of skirt." "That other dress was beaded like this...") I finally worked out that I was comparing everything to this one darn dress! So I went back to the store, put it back on, and then I had the happy feeling. Then I almost didn't buy it anyway because it was too expensive, but I was able to find a sample for less than 1/2 price so that worked out!

 

[Moonpie]

My dress found ME! We had gone dress shopping in San Francisco...hoping to find a dress for me, but without any luck...each dress I tried on made me look like a little girl playing dress up...and that was exactly how I felt. We even tried looking in regular clothing shops to try to find a white dress, or a white skirt...anything! But, just as we were hopelessly lost in the city, we turned a corner and..."Hey look! A bridal shop!" We walked into the store without an appointment. It was a very expensive store...so we thought, "Oh, let's just try on some dresses to get an idea of what I'm looking for." Well, the attendant handed me a large book to look through so that I could show her the dresses that I liked, and she could go to the back and get some for me to try on. I tried on two dresses...one Justina McCaffry (sp?) who had a trunk show going on at the time, and Justina's brother was standing outside my dressing room telling me how lovely I looked in his sister's design ...and then I tried on a Monique Lhullier (sp again?)design...it had literally been the dress I had been staring at in a magazine for about two months, and as soon as I tried it on I KNEW it was the ONE! I also knew there was NO WAY we were even thinking of getting a dress that expensive! So I discussed it with my fiance, and my mother, and they said they would help to pay for it, and the "price wasn't so bad..." But.. it turns out the $2000 dollar price tag I was looking at was for the SKIRT part of the dress only! But it was way too late! I had fallen in love with it...and when my family saw my disapointment at the price for BOTH the skirt and top we just had to get it. Phew...after this long story...Yes, I believe there is "The One" dress...the perfect dress that makes you feel like a princess.

 

[figmentfan814]

I definitely understand your stress. I went to 15 shops in a 200 mile radius of my home and I never found "the one" even though I tried on over 100 dresses. I did find one that was pretty close to what I wanted, but like you I was down to the wire and needed to make a decision. I actually went back to the store to order a different one and they were having a trunk show, so I ended up finding a dress out of that instead. I found one that met most of my criteria, but never "the one." I completely understand never getting that feeling; although maybe I was just too picky because I had very specific things that I was looking for in a dress.

 

[CivilTwilight]

What do you do if they're all "the One"? DF says "Buy the cheapest!" My friend says "Keep shopping!" but I'm running out of time 'cuz the wedding's in 6 months....

What do you think?

It's funny I read through all the responses to your post and they're very foreign to me! LOL! I am a girly girl, I love dresses, I love clothing. I tried on gown upon gown upon gown for my first wedding in 1997, I loved them ALL! I loved this one for this and that one for that. I literally could have taken any of them home and been happy with it. I never put one gown on and said OMG, I just MUST have this one. Flash forward to current day, I am getting married for the second time and I went dress shopping again. This time I'm having a small wedding with 20 people not a big lavish affair. I tried dress upon dress and LOVED THEM ALL again! It was like deja vu. Every dress I tried on was stunning, absolutely beautiful. All different styles, all different colors..white, champagne, ivory...some with embellishments, some with big poofy trains...some with simple elegance. They were all gorgeous. I could no sooner pick a favorite star in the heavens. In the end I bought one off the rack that was on clearance because at that point, I just wanted a dress! I knew I would be happy with anything I picked out because I loved them all.

So don't feel as though you need all the heavens to sing and to get goosebumps when you try on "the one"....this never happened for me and if I waited for it, I would NEVER pick out a gown. Narrow it down to 3 and then picture yourself in it and the veil and the flowers and go for it. I posted my choices on this board and went with what the majority thought looked good on me. There are probably 10 more gowns that I would have felt beautiful in and I know that and am ok with that.

Take care

 

[disneygirl725]

For me I was particular. I am small, but wanted a bigger dress. I found my dream dress, but I said it was way too much. There was only one I liked as much that was $100 less. I still have a bit of sticker shock, but that's okay.

Honestly, I don't think I would have been happy in any other dress. So help me I tried on a hundered other dresses, and this was the last one I tried on. I liked it and it was a re-try by accident. But everyone agreed it was the dress for me.

 

[lurkyloo]

I love all these stories! It's great to hear how it happened (or didn't happen but was just fine that way) for you all. Hopefully in a week or two I'll be able to share my dress-shopping success story - and post a picture on the wedding dress thread!

 

[Raspberry Bubbles]

I hope that you find exactly what you're looking for! I can't wait to see it