I went dress shopping with my mom and sister back in September 2008 at the Wedding Shoppe and on the first try found the dress for me! I was originally thinking I would get a brides maid dress rather than an expensive bridal gown, but putting on those samples made me quickly change my mind. I was still able to stay within a decent budget though, so it all worked out.

I ended up leaving my dress at the Wedding Shoppe and having my fittings done there. It worked out great because I was able to find my jewelry there too! I had two fittings. The first one I tried my dress on and the hem/bustle was started. It was quick, but cool to see the dress! The second fitting everything was pinned as it would be sewn and so I got to see what the final result would look like! I also selected my jewelry on this trip so that got ordered. The last time I went it was just to try on the dress and I had the jewelry and my veil with! Both my parents were there for that one which was fun.

Bridesmaid Dresses
We had 2 bridesmaids, my sister Rebecca and Chris’s sister Tia. They’re both petite ladies so at first I picked out a blue dress from American Apparel. They both tried it on and it really wasn’t formal enough, even for the casual wedding we were planning. Next, we were at the Wedding Shoppe so Rebecca tried on a few dresses. We found some that were nice and would work, but nothing seemed great. I was hoping to find a dress that the girls really could wear again if the right event came up. So, one afternoon while out running other errands, we stopped in a few dress shops. Finally we hit the jackpot. I was able to purchase two fantastic dresses from White House|Black Market! I don’t have any photos from the adventures, but I am happy with the final result.

Veil Shopping
When I decided I wanted a veil, I started looking around and found out some veils are VERY expensive. Lucky for me, I found a person on Etsy who makes them for a very reasonable price. In fact, with shipping, my simple veil cost me less than $25! Also, here’s a great FAQ about Veils for any future brides!

Hair & Makeup
Both of the ladies in charge of beatifying me on my wedding day agreed that a practice would be a good idea. Yay! So, Rebecca met me at my parents house one evening after work and this is what we came up with. Pretty much what we did on the big day, except the whole ‘do’ was shifted up on my head:

And, Jamie met me at our house to do the makeup practice. It happened to be the same day as our first Marriage Prep class, so I was really fancied up for that! I felt really good after we finished the practice because we seemed to be on the same page and I knew I’d end up looking great!

FINAL PRODUCT
And, here’s how it all came together on the big day!

Leave a Reply