Saturday, April 12, 2008

i got a dress!!

ok so i think being pregnant and looking for a wedding dress, is easily one of the hardest things EVER!!! dave and i weren't planning on having a little one so soon, and knowing that i needed to find a dress that could be altered to fit a woman in her 26th week of pregnancy was really aggrivating. it was hard to imagine things on a prego, plus it was hard to find places that were willing to accomodate a pregnant bride with a very comfortable, non petticoat or train sporting gown.

After the horrid experience we had at David's Bridal, my mom and I ventured to Bridals by Valerie in Reading. She had driven by it on the way home from the gym and figured we should stop in and give it a try. And it was a great idea.

Now, as for what happened at David's Bridal...the first time Kerrie, Jessica and I went, and honestly it sucked. The lady we worked with was unknowledgeable about maternity wedding gowns and even tried to get me into a corset bra. it was aggrivating since at 12 weeks it wasn't like i was going to put that on...not to mention that she pissed kerrie off by even suggesting it (she just had a baby - 9 months ago, and is sensitive to all issues surrounding pregnancy).
Nevermind the fact that she told me that all wedding dresses have trains and that they would NEVER cut the train off a dress at their store...ok, you've GOT to be kidding me...so that went horribly and i went home defeated.

About 2 weeks later, my mom wanted me to go back with her and my sister to David's Bridal to try again, and truthfully, though we worked with a nicer consultant, it was still a no go. They had maybe 4 dresses I could try on and even those were not going to work for me...way to fancy with beading and trains, etc. nothing that would fit my style OR my needs. I feel like in a way David's is not a full service bridal shop. Now I understand that most brides are not pregnant, but those of us who are pregnant shouldn't be penalized or alienated because of it! I wonder how many other pregnant brides out there have gone through this!

So after leaving defeated again, my mom realized she drives by a bridal store everyday...she called them and they said they can help fit a pregnant bride no problem...so over we went.

Right off the bat, the staff at Bridals by Valerie was wonderful. They gave me nearly 20 dresses to try on and knew exactly what I was looking for when I told them I wanted something light, airy, with no train and that could be altered for 27 weeks along.
I tried on one dress that I absolutely loved, but sadly it was not really alterable without ruining the dress, so just as I started to feel defeated, one of the women there suggested I look at the bridesmaid dresses...so my mom and I ventured downstairs and looked...I tried on another 15 bridesmaid dresses and we found three we liked...tried them on again for the seamstress and the bridal consultant and found one we all agreed was perfect.

Here is the dress: http://www.watters.com/product.php?coll=watters&showid=479#

This is the color we ordered it in: http://www.watters.com/dress_popup.php?showid=546

We ordered it a few sizes too big and extra long so that we have more material to work with for the alterations since i will be growing before the wedding! i am glad to have the dress out of the way...and the bridesmaid dresses too...now it's on to suits for the guys and actually finalizing all the people we are going to invite!