Dress Shopping Day I

I had my first real day of dress shopping yesterday. (We're not counting that quick stop to try on the Watters & Watters Lasara as dress shopping.) I had a great experience at Felice Bridal Shop. I was a bit skeptical because it was located in the Cherry Creek neighborhood. I would say Cherry Creek is home of the high end shops for pretty much the entire Rocky Mountain region. I work about 4 blocks from the bridal shop so it was a plus.

I've had a vision of my wedding for as long as I can remember. Doesn't every girl? I think as I have gotten older, I have become more realistic. The vision for the dress came when in the form of a magazine with Avril Lavigne and Derek Whilby's wedding on the cover. I held on to the magazine through the years, hoping that I would be able to find Avril's Vera Wang dress. But unfortunately, Vera Wang dresses available for us commoners to purchase look nothing like the dresses custom designed for the Avrils, Jessicas, and Mariahs of the world. I tried looking for the dress and found it on one of those Chinese dressmaker sites. I really didn't want to risk purchasing a dress from an unknown dressmaker, so I started looking for sweetheart neckline dresses and dresses with scalloped details.

I then fell in love with a Watters & Watters dress in the Lasara style. I almost bought it without trying it on. I tried it on and liked it but didn't love it. A-line dresses don't do anything for me. But the dress is gorgeous. I also didn't like the ivory color with my skin tone. The bridal shop I tried it on at had it for $3,090.

A friend convinced me to not buy the first dress I try on so I scheduled at appointment at Felice Bridal Shop. I had a really pleasant experience with the girls there. We walked in and I showed her some photos of the Watters dresses I wanted to try on. Before we walked the entire store, she asked if there was a price range that I wanted to stay within. Obviously the consultant did not want to pick out a dress for me that was too expensive for me. She told me the range and I told her that I wanted to try them all on. Nothing was off limits. If I really liked a dress, I will find a way to pay for it. I even joked about serving popcorn and pretzels at the reception so that I could buy my dream dress.

She brought out the dresses I picked out and brought a few others that she thought would look good on me. Surprisingly, many of the dresses that I ended up liking were the ones that I had picked out online. The only dress that I probably would not pick to try on was the Amsale dress. I think it looks awful on the designer's website.

So the results of the day:

This is the Watters WTOO line in the Delphine style. I really liked it. The lace was really pretty. I keep on thinking I want lace but I also want plain taffeta. I think it was under $1,100.

The dress below is something I would never even think about trying on but my friend said to be open-minded about dresses so I printed a picture of it. I figured I was in the store, I might as well see how terrible a mermaid or trumpet dress looked on me. I tried it on and it ended up being the most flattering on my body. I'm a short girl and I'm not thin. But because of my lack of hips and a butt, the dress really worked. It's a Watters WTOO in the Sorella style. The best part? It's the cheapest dress I tried on so far. $898.

The last dress I tried on was by Amsale in the Serena style. I think the dress looks awful on the model but is gorgeous in person. It is made out of the most luxurious silk taffeta. It was also very flattering on me but not as flattering as the Sorella above. It does hide the body a bit so I don't think it's not a good option for women who want to show off their bodies. It did make me feel like a fairy tale bride.

I think we left day 1 with some good options. My experience with Felice Bridal Shop was great I would definitely buy a dress from them. Today we have appointments at two other bridal shops: Priscilla's of Boston and Anna Be.