You wouldn’t believe how strange it is to open up the closet to grab a pair of shoes and there be a GIANT white dress right in front of you. It looks like a ghost, seriously. I still can’t believe that MY wedding dress is in MY closet…right now.

I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want a strapless gown. Though they account for something like 95% of all dresses, I didn’t want one for a few reasons. 1) Brides are constantly having to pull them up. 2 )You look naked in headshots. 3) I want my wedding day to be about ME looking fabulous, not relatives freaking out over body art. 4) I just think they’re lamo (i.e. pretty on other people, but not on someone with my particular body type. 5) Once we solidified a wedding date for March, I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t freezing at our outdoor wedding.

I began my research the week we got engaged. On my checklist, it was one of the first things that you’re supposed to do, because of ordering the dress, alterations, how difficult it is to pick one out, etc. I especially wanted to start early because clothes shopping is the bane of my existence. I seriously hate shopping, trying on clothes, being around clothes. I have the worst luck finding anything, from shirts to shoes. This is why VANS sneakers are the staple of my wardrobe. I love them and know they will fit me no matter what. They are the rock of my wardrobe.

Of course, having the modest requirement narrowed things down a lot…maybe even too much! But it led me to The Yellow Rose, a shop that specializes in modest bridal and formal wear. It is about an hour and a half north of Milledgeville, but I was more than willing to make the trek. Once I found a few dresses that I liked and determined my budget, I sent the owner, Julia, an email and then later called to set up an appointment.

Derrick came with me. I know he’s not supposed to see the dress, but I don’t have anyone else down here who I’m really comfortable torturing with the experience of shopping with me. This weekend is actually our five year anniversary. We’ll have almost been together for six years when we get married. If we were going to have bad luck, it should’ve happened already, and I doubt the dress is going to ruin things. I was glad to have Derrick there for moral support, though Julia was really wonderful too. I felt very comfortable with her. The store is open for appointment only, so it was all about me. I tried on ten dresses, and there were three serious contenders, one ivory ballgown, one white a-line (a shape I hadn’t even considered. It laced up the back, and I ended up deciding that was too high maintenance for me), and a white ballgown. The last ballgown was it, and I felt pretty confident about it once I tried it on, but I still double checked and tried one other dress back on.

I didn’t cry. This surprised me. I cried when Derrick asked me to marry him. I cried when we solidified our wedding venue. I’ve cried about a lot of other stuff since getting engaged. But I didn’t cry here. I think I was/still am in shock about it. (Maybe it’s because there was a box of Kleenex right next to the trying-on-dresses area. I only cry when it’s inconvenient).

I couldn’t believe it when she said I could take it home. I thought I’d have to wait weeks for it to be made/ordered and all that. But she’s able to sell off the rack with that particular brand. And, just in case you were wondering/worrying, the dress I chose was on sale, so I stayed perfectly within/at my budget!

So yes, buying my wedding dress was the easiest shopping experience of my life. Very strange to me. Now I have to start the accessory shopping. I need to buy the veil, the shoes (oh jeez, how I’m dreading the search for size 10 flats. Yuck yuck), and the crinoline to give my dress the extra poof. If I’ve learned anything about myself during our engagement at this point, it’s that I really really really like poof.

For more information, check out:

The Yellow Rose
The Yellow Rose Blog
The Yellow Rose Facebook
Beautifully Modest
Bonny

For Derrick’s perspective:

Groom2Be