{Tip} Love Your Look
When I came up with the idea to “re-plan” my dream wedding, the question was raised (ahem, by The Hubs) as to whether or not there was anything I liked about our actual wedding day.
“Marrying you!” I said, without bothering to think. “… And my dress,” I added, after a moment. “I really loved my dress.”
And it’s true. I loved my dress from the moment it arrived from J.Crew. James had been dropping little hints that The Proposal was around the corner, on the horizon, coming my way soon– and then The Dress went on sale online. I took it as a sign of Divine Intention that I have it, and I ordered it– a 2 petite– without worrying about fit or cost or the fact that I was not yet engaged. It arrived two days before The Hubs got down on one knee, making it only slightly more timely to our impending nuptials than my husband.
All images courtesy of Jayd Gardina Photography
It was a great dress. It hung the right way and swung the right way. It was just modest enough for me to feel pretty– not stunning, not ravishing, not glamorous… Pretty. Plain. Simple. Natural. Like I looked like myself. It may sound weird– odd, even… Keep in mind, I have always felt a little displaced when I’m all dressed up. I clean up well, but I’m most comfortable in jeans, tees and sneakers. And a ponytail. Oh, how I love my ponytail.
I didn’t want to look like a Princess, a Diva or a Goddess on my wedding day. I wanted a gown that made me look me, that enhanced all the things I love about myself. I found it, and I loved it. I loved every moment of wearing it.
I would wear it all over again. I would love it just as much.
My super-pregnant Matron of Honor buttoned me in.
And then my mother sewed me into my sash, so the boning in my corset wouldn’t show.
My mother sewed the sash for me, then sewed it around me. It was like wearing a hug from her all day long, which I highly recommend doing if you can manage it.
I couldn’t help laughing. It was such a great day, and I felt really comfortable, which is unlike me when I’m being posed and told to hold my head a certain way and whatnot. But Jayd was phenomenal and I was really at ease. Obviously.
I may not have looked like a bride from a magazine. But I looked like the woman The Hubs wanted to marry. And really, given the choice? I chose right.
But, for the sake of do-overs, if I had to choose a new gown… I’d go with this knockout from the Vera Wang White collection. Because why not!
Image repurposed from {here}.
What about you girls? What would you wear if your budget and your theme weren’t a factor? How did you choose your dress? Would you wear it all over again?
-MMV.
Since you married the right person and loved your gown, I would say a do-over is not necessary! I especially like the photo of you and your husband with the vintage cameras, there’s so much love in your eyes. If time and money were not an issue, I think I would still choose the same wedding gown, although I would have seeked a different makeup/hairstylist…as I wasn’t completely satisfied with that aspect of it. Also, I’d buy my bridesmaids their dresses so I wouldn’t have to hear them complaining about the price. ($110-$125, they were same color, different style.) I loved our wedding day, because I married my best friend. I’d do that all over again even if we had twisty tie rings and a potato sack dress.
I had no idea what dress I was searching for. I went on 4 trips to try on gowns, and nothing felt right or like me. I was starting to freak out about it, when I asked the fiance what he sees me wearing. He said, "Something fun, not traditional, not huge with a long ass train, something that says: party!" So I started googling party dresses and then short wedding gowns and then 50's style dresses. And then I found it. And it's short and fun and makes me want to twirl. I can't wait to wear it in 2 1/2 weeks!
My daughter tried on that vera wang dress, she also wears a 2 in Vera, and is petite, unfortunately she looked like a five year old playing dressup. The dress is only going to look right on tall girls.
She actually bought the Ella Rosa style BE93, fit her like a dream and its also pink and ivory and silver. She looks like a princess in it, even though she is short and petite, and with a hoop slip, no alterations will be needed.
For my first wedding, the dress situation was a near disaster. I was living about 500 miles from my parents in Riverside and took a trip up to Fresno (from one crap town to another) to look at dresses with my mom. We put the deposit on the dress and veil and before the dress could come in, the store went out of business and I lost the money and the dress. So, with very little time, we headed to JC Penney to check out their catalog (I'm dating myself here) and picked out a pretty looking dress that I wouldn't see until two weeks before my wedding. Thankfully, it all worked out and I didn't even need alterations.
This time around, I let my bridesmaid (who also happens to be my ex-husband's fiancee) take me against my will to David's Bridal a week after my mom had passed away (one month prior to the Vera Wang launch) to at least look at silhouettes. I couldn't find anything I like in my price range when BM holds up an Oleg Cassini dress that is perfect and I asked her if she was going to pay for it. She shows me the tag and the darn thing was on sale, $850 off. Fine, I'll try it on because I love it on the rack, but we shall see once we get it on my plus size butt. Well, lo and behold the damn thing fit and I was in love. I hadn't planned on buying, so there wasn't a budget to put this flawless sample on layaway. That was when she leaned over and told me not to worry about it. She figured since I was gifting her wedding planning and design, she would do what she could to gift me the dress of my dreams. She then proceeded to email pics of me in the dress to my dad and had me call him. Dad said, "If you don't get that dress, I'm going to kick you!" So, long story short, she put down the deposit and it was now my time to worry about how I was going to pay for the rest of it. A couple of weeks later I get a call from my sister (my Matron of Honor) saying how she and my brother in law wanted to give me an engagement gift and make a payment on the dress. Then a few weeks after that, my dad called to tell me the dress was paid off as my mom's insurance money had come through and that her wish was to make sure that this time I got the wedding dress of my dreams and not one rushed from a catalog. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world. My dear friend, my sister/greatest friend, and my parents- even my mom who had passed at the end of March gave me an amazing dress that is truly a dream and the gift of not having to worry over what I could afford. BM and I had a great time shopping for it and totally floored the entire shop when they found out our association with one another. We laughed, we cried and my family gave me a wonderful gift.
My best friend, who is the most fashionable person I know, picked out the dresses I needed to try on. Two of them were a hit…I love both of them and would be happy in either. However, I didn’t buy either of them. The purpose of us trying on dresses was to figure out what looked good on me so we could then find a pattern that was similar so my mom could make my dress. She promised me almost 20 years ago that if I waited to get married until I’d finished college, she’d make my wedding dress; I finished my PhD last year.
We couldn’t find anything remotely similar to one of the dresses, so it got crossed off the list. She’s sewing now, and I’m sure it’s going to turn out wonderfully, although if there was perfect harmony in the stars, I would have had the option to have both.
I totally, totally bought that Vera IN PINK you better believe little Miss Adderall did. THEN the divine Miss Wang came out with a SHORT VERSION of that wonderful pink cupcake frilly confection, and I bought that too. In two colors.
I tried on a million white dresses… I thought I wanted taffeta with sleeves/straps and POCKETS. I ended up with an enormous PINK strapless ruffly monstrosity and I'll NEVER want to wear any other dress on my wedding day… ever.
<3 Jess/Miss Adderall (I definitely need to come out of hiding on Bowie Bride, yes?)
Your dress is so pretty! Very simple and elegant. And you made it yours with a sash! Lovely.
After watching "Say Yes to the Dress," I would probably LOVE to buy a Pnina Tornai dress if my budget was limitless! I just LOVE her style and the way her dresses fit brides!