My feelings on “THE dress:” my inspriation

Ahhhh, dress shopping. As little girls, we dream about the day that we can enter a bridal salon and try on beautiful dresses for our wedding day. It is supposed to be an amazing experience...and sheesh...we place such high expectations on it, don't we?

So...I wanted to delve into the story behind my dress buying experience...because...well, it wasn't the magical one I had imagined it to be. Let me explain...

For those of you who don’t know me or can’t tell from pictures, I am a small human being. I’m about 5’2”/5’3,” and I weigh just over 100 pounds. I’m “fun size.” I have a hard time shopping at a lot of stores; at some retailers their XS’s or 0’s are too big for me. So, when it came to dress shopping, I had a lot of things to keep in mind. I went into my dress search with a pretty distinct vision. I’d like to think that I know how to dress myself properly, and that when it came to shopping for dresses, I’d be no different.

I knew for certain that I had to stray away from dresses with “poof,” as they would completely swallow me alive. They aren’t my style anyway. Besides, I am confident about my body, so I did want to find a gown that showed off my figure!

Another thing I was sure of? Lace. There is just something so romantic about lace, and it is timeless. I just had to have a dress made of lace.

Finally, I knew that I wanted a sweetheart neckline if possible. I’m not ashamed to admit it; I am pretty much flat as a pancake up top…which I actually LIKE (gasp! What?!?! I know, who would think?). However, when it comes to clothing with strapless necklines, I start to look like a washboard when the top goes straight across. Not the most attractive thing you’ve ever seen.

So, what were my original dress inspirations? I sourced all of my favorite images from The Knot:

Raidis by Pronovias

I love the flowy nature of the dress…the babydoll shape would possibly be a good look on me.

Rocha by Monique Lhuillier

Sigh. Doesn’t need words.

Gwenyth by Renella De Fina Couture

This is one of the closest images to what I was going for in my overall look. Yum.

And then, I happened to come across Cymbeline, and I fell in love with some of the dresses…most notably Agadir…(both images are from their site)

The halter wasn’t what I originally wanted, but the dress was just so gorgeous…I wanted very very badly to at least try it on…

As for my budget? Honestly, I was trying to keep the dress itself around $1,000 or less. Did I succeed? Time will tell…

So…I had my inspiration (form fitting, lace, sweetheart neckline) and my price requirements…then it was on to the stores to make my dreams into reality!

What was your original dress inspiration? Did you stick to it, or end up with something completely different?