Bride-to-Be Blogger Danielle: Quest for the Dress (Part Two)

In my last post, I wrote about the challenge I faced finding a weekend that was mutually convenient for my mother and me to shop for my bridal gown. When we settled on a date I invited my future mother-in-law to join us, knowing that she and my mom would enjoy each other’s company. I plotted out the entire weekend like it was my job, and was very anxious for the two days to go well.

Mom arrived by 10 a.m. Saturday so we could make it to our first appointment by 11:00. Per Murphy’s Law, all the planning went out the window when we ran into backed up traffic due to two accidents on 676, and I was feeling super anxious (not to mention sweaty) when I arrived at my first appointment at Priscilla of Boston in Ardmore.

Luckily, the staff was very kind and helped me relax. I had already visited the salon during its sample sale in the spring and had met BJ, a sales associate whom I loved, so I requested an appointment with her for this hopefully memorable shopping experience. She sat mom and MIL down, made them comfortable, and then took me around the salon to pluck dresses from the racks. I loved that she listened to me about what I was looking for in terms of material, design and budget. She refused to pull anything that was out of reach for me.

When I put on the first dress and stepped out of the dressing room my mother, normally steadfast, practical and matter-of-fact, began to cry. I read about and heard of so many brides watching their mothers get emotional while shopping, but never thought my mom would be brought to tears. It was such a shock to me, but so nice to see her so emotional about my upcoming wedding and the vision of me in a bridal gown.

I tried on close to a dozen dresses at the first shop, some more than once — but I knew which was my favorite. It was a dreamy chiffon — far more form-fitting than I thought I’d like — with a little trumpet fit and a couple of other interesting details that made it very memorable while still remaining classic. Even though it was the first shop we visited, I had BJ take my measurements and draw up pricing. It was a lot to spend on one dress for one day, but I loved it.

We went to two other salons that day: L&H Bridal Shoppe in Northeast Philly and Nicole Bridal & Formal Shoppe in Jenkintown. The sales associates at both shops were so helpful, listened to what I asked for, let me take my time, and gave honest opinions without being pushy. Both shops are family-run and it shows with the personal service we received.

Day two of our shopping extravaganza began with a nice leisurely brunch before mom and I trekked out to David’s Bridal in Plymouth Meeting. I had originally agreed to try dresses there to appease my mom’s practicality, but I found myself pleasantly surprised at how spacious, clean and well lit the store was, and how accommodating the staff was. I did find a couple of dresses on my pre-screening trip that I thought were very nice, especially for the price. I did actually find a dress there that we both liked — and the head of alterations was willing to accommodate some of the changes I’d want to make to it, so I mulled of that as we drove all the way back through Philly and over the river to South Jersey for our last appointment.

The last appointment was a bit of a disappointment. This was the only shop where the sales associate really did not listen to the type of dress I was looking for. I heard myself saying, “It’s really lovely, but again, I’d prefer something less shiny,” for about the fourth time and exchanged a glance with mom. After six or eight dresses, none of which excited me, the sales associate walked out of the huge dressing room, shut the door, and left me there poised on a gilded chair in my panties. When she did not return after several minutes we guessed that meant we were done with that appointment.

After that fifth and final appointment we talked about the dresses over a glass of wine. I was leaning towards the more affordable, but less stunning gown from David’s Bridal, when mom uncharacteristically said, “I think you need to buy the one from Priscilla. You would look beautiful in anything, but that dress was perfect on you.” She offered to help pay for it, knowing that I was feeling guilty about spending money for our wedding on my dress. I was so touched by her gesture, and I went back the next day to order it.

The weekend was surprising in so many ways, but such a successful, special time spent bonding with my mother, with my future mother-in-law, and them with each other. It also made the wedding seem so very real, now that I can picture myself in the dress that I will wear when I walk down the aisle to marry my love and my best friend.

How long did it take you to find “the” dress?  Did you wrestle between a more practical gown and a more expensive one that you loved?  Did everyone agree about the dress you eventually chose, or were there dissenting opinions?

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