Guilty as charged - I'm a two dress kind of bride!

So, the verdict's in and I'm SO guilty. I'm definitely a two-dress kind of bride. Before I get comments about how wasteful I am in this poor economy - let me explain ;)

So, in my endless search for everything fabulous in the wedding world. I came across a few dressed that exactly fit what I was looking for... romantic and perfect for a garden wedding. With my magazine photos in hand, I went to Priscilla of Boston with one of my bridesmaids (little shout out to LB), and there I found what I thought was 'the' dress. Keep in mind, I was aware that there were similar, maybe even more fabulous, Monique Lhuillier styles - but her dresses were MORE expensive and pretty similar. To be sure, I even went to a different shop and tried on a gown similiar to the one I was looking at at Priscilla of Boston. While Monique's gowns seemed to be silkier and made out of better fabric, it was hard to justify paying almost DOUBLE for a gown that was SO similar. So, with my budget in mind, I decided to purchase the gown at Priscilla of Boston.

Ten months later, my dress arrived, it was pretty, and all was 'okay.' However, in the back of my mind I always had a nagging feeling that I wasn't 100 percent happy with the dress. I am so excited about all of the details of our wedding... but I was still unsettled about my dress. Regardless, I tried to logic that the cost savings was well worth it - and you only wear the dress once, right?

Now, fast forward to last week. I go back to the shop where I tried on the Monique gown (Hannelore's) to pick up my mom's dress that she ordered. Standing there amongst all the fabulous-ness around me, it hit me ... I absolutely was not happy with my dress. It sounds SO silly - I mean, it sounds silly even as I type it- but right there and then I knew I couldn't wear the Priscilla dress. So I spoke with Pamela at Hannelore's - she told me that she could either help me fix my current dress, or work on ordering me a new one, should we need to resort to such drastic measures. I was excited about the idea of altering my dress ... maybe there was something I could do to it to make it more 'me'. So, needless to say, I met her back at her store the VERY NEXT DAY to figure out once and for all.. WHAT was the right dress for me. Long story short... it definitely wasn't my first dress. Despite my attempts, I decided it best to just CONSIDER trying on new dresses.. with the hopes that it would help sway me, finally, one way or the other. And that's when I met my dress. Once I put the dress on, I instantly knew there was no going back...not the Priscilla dress, nor any dress I'd seen could even come close to my new dress. And with that I closed my eyes and PRAYED that Pamela would work some price-voo-doo so that the dress was in my price range. And guess what? It was!!!

As luck would have it, I fit perfectly into the sample, which not only means I have the dress NOW but, I also got the most fabulous deal on the dress! So, while I'm not happy that through this process I've actually purchased two gowns, what I can say is that the pain was well worth the effort. In fact, had I bought my Hannelore's dress originally, I don't think I would have been able to afford it... the 'deal' I got on the sample dress was so fantastic that it made the impossible, possible!

So, what's the moral of the story?

• Take your time to shop for your wedding dress! Don't be rushed into buying something because it's 10 percent off. (PS: they can offer those 'trunk sale deals' anytime - so don't be persuaded by a measly 10 percent!)
• Don't shop for your dress during the weekend. Think bridal madness! When you're buying your dress you want to take your time, enjoy the experience and not feel like bridal road-kill (yes, I said bridal road-kill)
• NEGOTIATE! No prices are 'final' ... work your negotiating magic!
• Take it from me, wedding dresses can't be returned - so think long and hard before you 'show them the money' - it's harder to take it back then to just wait to make the purchase!
• In the end, it's YOUR day. Do what makes you happy and to heck with the rest!

Anyone else have any wedding dress stories???

PS: Anyone in the market for a brand-new, never been worn Priscilla of Boston Nora dress?? Email me! :)