Working at David’s Bridal for almost two years provided me with a great deal of experience with gown shopping. Even though I had experience with designing and working at a bridal shop, I still didn’t know exactly what I was looking for. As you get to know me you’ll find that I love almost everything just at different times. I have always been in love with an Israeli designer named, Berta Bridal. Unfortunately, they do not have that many shops near me and their price range is roughly $5,000 to $15,000. I needed to decide what was more important for budget reasons, decorations or my gown. Decorations won. (future post coming soon!)
I set up my appointments with the local bridal shops and awaited the day that I was able to try on my first gown as a bride-to-be. The first shop I went to allowed me to step into the gown area and actually pick what gowns I wanted to try on. (David’s, they frown upon that) Unfortunately, I did not have such a great experience at this shop because I wasn’t able to try on a single gown that was my size and the stylist did not make me feel very special (meaning, no veil was put on nor did she make any effort to make me feel like a bride) So, we moved on to the next shop.
The second shop we went to felt very much like home; could’ve been because it was in a two story house or because they made me feel like a bride. The room they had me in was named Florence so there is another win for this shop. My best friend, (my maid of honor) ended up picking out a dress on a mannequin. I tried it on and eventually it ended up being the dress I chose. The bridal boutique was extremely kind to me throughout my whole experience and the memories will always be there because I took a lot of pictures throughout the process.
Here are some of my favorites:
What I would’ve done differently:
Here’s the thing, I absolutely loved my gown and every moment I had in it. Looking back, I would have gone slower and taken the time to really be sure about my choice. Being that I only had two appointments and I chose my gown at the second shop isn’t like me. I would have also given myself a chance to try on my favorite gown designer Berta Bridal. Even if I didn’t pick a Berta gown at least I could’ve had that experience.
Thank you for reading about my wedding dress shopping journey. Please comment below to tell me about your gown experience; I would love to hear about it! Keep following along to read more about my story!