i found THE dress!

11 months before the wedding, I found my dress!!! [insert HUGE smile here] I know it seems wayyy too early, but I'm very happy that I already have my dress. Let me tell you how that happened.

I have a list of bridal salons that I plan to visit. Salons that carry Maggie Sottero, Demetrios and La Sposa gowns. Sometime last week, I was checking Demetrios website when I saw that they will be having a trunk show in Schaumburg, on June 18-20. Knowing that the place will surely be packed on the weekends, I called and scheduled an appointment on June 18, a Friday. I asked if the consultant that helped me before, Jackie, will be there. The lady that I've spoke to said that Jackie will actually be on the shop the day before, June 17. I then asked if the dresses on the trunk show will be displayed on the 17th, she said they will. I moved my appointment from the 18th to the 17th at 2:30pm.

I decided to visit another shop within the Schaumburg area so that I can make most of that day. I visited this shop called Marilee Bridal in Arlington Heights. They carry Maggie Sottero dresses. When I got there, the place was pretty empty. I was showed to the room where most of the bridal gowns are. The consultant who was assisting asked me to look around the room and then choose the ones I liked. To be completely honest, the selection was very limited. Most of the dresses that they have are shiny and of satin fabric. I took out about 4 dresses that I liked enough to try on. It was not a successful appointment, the dresses that I was looking for, they don't have it.

By 2:30pm, I'm in Demetrios. Jackie was already there with my file. I told her that I would like to try on the dresses in my file and a few more. I was actually very excited to try again the dress that I fell in love with. If it was the same dress that I picture it to be, because honestly, every time I go dress shopping, I compare every dress that I tried on to it. And IT IS. It truly is the same gorgeous dress. I still LOVE it. Now here's the situation, the dress was already discontinued. I cannot order the dress to be made for me. They called the main office and they said that the lace used with the dress is already discounted thus they cannot make any more dresses. They said I can buy the sample dress for 2/3 of the original price. I have no problems withe the sample since it fits me like a glove. But it needs to be hemmed and cleaned.

I asked further on how long the discontinued dresses stay in the salon, they cannot answer that since if another client liked it and decided to purchase the gown, they can. The dress cannot be hold for me. I don't know what to do. I've mentioned before that I have a list of bridal salons that I haven't visited yet. And I planned to visit Filene's Basement Running of the Bride. Yet, I haven't met another dress that I liked as much as this one.

This went on and on for a couple of minutes and I called Topher to ask him what to do. He said, if I really love the dress, just get it. He cannot fix the heartbreak that I will went through if the dress is not there by the time I'm ready to buy it. Still cannot decide, I spoke to the salon's manager and she told me that I can down 50% for the dress so that they can hold it for me. That's what I did. I paid a 50% down on the dress and will pay the other 50% when I get it on July 1st. I asked if they can fix it up a bit since there were some beads that was missing.

So without further ado, I will be walking down the aisle wearing this very same dress. I LOVE IT.

As far the checklist goes, this one is off the list! Wedding Dress = Check!

dress shopping at House of Brides and Demetrios

Last Sunday, along with 2 other brides-to-be (Jo and Ces) and Mylene, we went dress shopping. Jo is really nice to schedule all three of us for an appointment. It had been my first time to visit a bridal salon and browse  rows and rows of wedding dress.

House of Brides

I arrived at House of Brides at around 1:20PM, the girls at the reception asked if I have a schedule. After giving my name and confirming my schedule. I registered to their system. I was introduced to the consultant, her name is Metti. She basically explained how the dresses are arranged, she asked me if I was looking for a particular for a dress. I actually did come prepared, I've visited their website and listed all the dresses that I found pretty. My basic rule is, no satin. I want the dress to have beadings and sparkles, for it to be a satin dress feels like an overkill for me.

Since it was my first time to try on dresses, I still don't know which silhouette best works for me. So what I did, I chose a ballgown, an a-line dress and a trumpet/mermaid. I tried on the mermaid first, I actually liked it, it hugs all the curves, and since I do have a butt, I think it worked. However, I wasn't comfortable with it. The zipper broken and my undies is hanging out! Next dress please!!! The next one was a ballgown, it is a pretty dress specially on the upper/bust area. The appliques are real pretty, however I feel like the dress has swallowed me whole. It's too heavy and I'm sure that I won't be able to mingle and have fun wearing that dress come wedding day. Then came the A-line dress. From all three silhouettes, I think this one works best since it still has the fullness that I wanted and at the same time, it doesn't overpower me. The second A-line dress is actually very very pretty, it has sheer straps and I remember gowns created by Veluz when I wore it. From all dresses, it's the one I liked best.

The following are the dresses that I've tried on at House of Brides:

The mermaid. Not the exact dress but it's really close to the one I've tried. (Alfred Angelo)

The ballgown. If you look closely, you can see that the bust area is real pretty but the dress was just too bulky and heavy for me. (Mori Lee)

The A-line dress. It's very flattering, it also has a very pretty top. (Impression)

Now this is the dress that I liked best from the ones I've tried on! It's very very pretty and from their comments (it flatters me most) I love the sheer strap! (Mon Cheri)

Brides by Demetrios

We then went to our 3PM appointment at Demetrios. The appointments are originally for Jo and Ces, but Ces gave me her slot, since she have been to Demetrios before. My consultant's name is Jackie and she's really nice. She explained how the dresses are arranged, where the sales are. She further asked me how much I'm willing to shell out for the dress, any type of fabric I don't like to wear and if I have tried gown shopping before. I told her, I don't want silk. I love chiffon, tulle, net and organza, willing to try taffeta. The dresses that she chose for me are more on the fitted side. She said that the cut would best flatter me and make me look taller. I figured, she knows best so I let her choose. And oh boy, she did not disappoint! She definitely knows about the dresses. They are very unassuming at first, some I won't even pick out from the rack but as soon as I tried it on, they are gorgeous! Here are some of the dresses that I tried on:

Dress #1 (Super pretty details at the bust area and the pleats on the bottom are so nice, give the dress more oomph!)

Dress #2 (Same as the first one, have a fitted silhouette. I didn't think that it would be pretty, but it really is!)

I totally forgot what Dress#3 looks like, so let's continue. This is Dress#4 and I picked this one! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dress. I seriously felt like a movie star when I was wearing it. :)

Dress #5 looks a lot like this, I''m not sure if this is the exact one, but it pretty much looks like it. :) The first A-line dress I've tried from their store.

Dress #6. A taffeta dress, the one I tried on was Platinum in color (faintest of gray) and I think I liked it better as a platinum. Also pretty, the cut and the way it falls is very flattering, I just don't like shiny fabric.

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of me trying on clothes. They are pretty strict about that. One can only take photos after paying for the dress. I guess all bridal salons have that same rule.  I found some photos on what the shop (Demetrios) looked like when you enter.

Overall, it was a SUPER FUN experience. It's always a pleasure to play dress-up specially when the options are so many. What I really appreciate is that the consultants (from both salons) never push us to purchase anything. I guess they have been with countless of brides before, to know that we come back numerous times and play dress-up before finding THE DRESS!

We are again scheduled for another dress shopping on May 1st and I cannot wait. We'll be visiting Eva's Bridal in Orland Park and I'm excited since they carry Maggie Sotero dresses! Wee!