A year ago today, I picked out my wedding dress. It was an interesting experience. I was compelled to go to David’s Bridal to try on dresses because:
1. I realized on New Years Eve that I had 3 months and 8 days to get ready for my wedding and I didn’t have a dress yet. Granted, I didn’t really know what I wanted. I knew I wanted something vintage, with lace, and possibly long-sleeved and high-necked. I doodled a wedding dress design that was in my head one random day in college. It was a laced dress with a high neck and the groom was wearing coat tails and a top hat.
2. My old college roommate had just gotten engaged over Christmas and she already bought her dress at David’s, urging me to go as they had a $99 dollar dress sale. I panicked. She hadn’t even set a date yet and already had her dress. And here I was engaged for 2 months at that point, set a date, and that was about it regarding wedding planning. I didn’t realize that it takes about 3 months to make a dress and another month for alterations.
My Visit to David’s
So there I was at the place I didn’t want to be to buy a dress at trying on dresses. My dream was to go to a nice boutique in downtown St. Pete to do my wedding dress shopping. I wanted something unique, not something everyone else would buy. I brought my mom, my mother in law, sister-in-law, my sister-in-laws daughter, my Maid of Honor, Alicyn, and one of my bridesmaids, Nicole. It was way too many people to have with me.
With all that said, let’s see some of the dresses I tried on.
Though I had to try it on multiple times before I was ready, I decided that this was the Dress. I loved the lace and pearls on it. However, I couldn’t help but think of the other lace dress I had tried on. The other pearl dress flattered me better than the dress below. The sales rep said that if I thought of one dress while wearing another, that meant the other dress was “the one.” After trying on both dresses a few times, I finally decided on my wedding dress.
After Purchase Jitters
You guessed it -I did second guess my dress purchase afterwards. I went to David’s Bridal with no intention of actually getting my dress there. I wanted to go to a smaller boutique and I wanted something unique with a vintage feel. I ended up buying my dress on my first and only dress shopping trip; and I only tried on about 5 dresses, I was down to two lace dresses that I really liked. I didn’t have a “this is the dress” moment like you see on TV or in the movies.But, I liked the dress, and with the sale pressure on, I bought it.
With this doubt in my mind, I went online looking at Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, finding all these beautiful dresses. I sought out the opinions of my friends and family to see what the thought. I was convinced I made a bad choice and I wanted someone else to validate my suspicion.
I Made the Right Choice
It seems ridiculous to me now. I regretted not spending more time looking online before I went shopping, setting a date before even having a dress, and going to David’s first instead of a boutique as I originally planned. I confided in a friend that got married before me and she told me she second guesses her decision too. That relieved me a bit. Thankfully after trying on my dress for alterations, I saw how great the dress looked on me. I loved the vintage feel my dress had with lace and pearl embellishments. I realized then, it was exactly what I wanted. Most importantly, I was getting ready to marry the love of my life and he is going to love me no matter what I was wearing. Looking from the other side of things, I’m happy with my dress decision.
So if your second guessing yourself, it’s completely normal.
