(disclaimer: I will not be describing the dress or mention designers/styles/etc as Andrew can not know anything about it. If you'd like details I'd be more than happy to fill you in privately, so long as you raise your right hand and take oath to not mention a single detail to my groom)
I watch Say Yes to the Dress, I hear stories about finding your wedding dress and just knowing it's the one. But as an often indecisive person, I was skeptical that I would ever be sure about a dress. I fully expected to have two that I just couldn't decide between. And after finding a truly lovely dress at Celebrations of the Heart in Manhattan, then planning to continue looking in Kansas City, I was positive I'd be in love with two dresses and need a tie breaker. I was so wrong. Aside from my groom, I will not be more sure about anything having to do with this wedding. Here is the story of my completely decisive weekend:
My mom picked up my sister and I Saturday morning and we headed to the Kansas City airport to pick up my sister-in-law Andrea. She had flown in from Colorado just to go dress shopping with me. I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law (thanks, Logan). We headed straight from the airport to my first appointment at The Gown Gallery in downtown KC. After navigating a place to park, we walked to the door where we had to call and get buzzed up to the store which was a warehouse style loft. That warehouse style filled with gorgeous gowns was really a site to see. It was a fun atmosphere. I got started with my consultant showing her designs I like. While flipping through options that I knew they carried, she noticed another that I had quickly flipped through thinking they didn't carry that designer. It was a dress that I came across online and had fallen completely in love with just from the picture. She said they had it there. I was so excited, even though my next appointment had been made specifically for trying on that particular dress. But now I didn't have to wait another minute. It was the first one I tried on. She spent her time lacing it up just right and I think the whole time she was lacing my jaw was fully dropped as I stared in the mirror. This thing blew my expectations out of the water. Standing in this dress I didn't have a single insecurity, other than the chance that the little bit of eye liner I applied that morning might run off it I started crying. I had never seen a gown so unique, so flattering, and so perfect. It was mine. I knew it. I walked out of my dressing room and turned every head on my walk toward where Mom, Lyndsey and Andrea were seated. I may have even sold that dress to a couple other brides, I may need to look into getting commission. All three of them seemed to be equally "wow"ed. We looked at the dress for quite some time, continually noticing more and more beauty to it. It was unquestionably the one. Now, remember I said I originally had an appointment with another store to try on this same dress. So we decided to go ahead and head to the next appointment and try it on there as well and compare prices. We headed out and had the picnic lunch that Mom had packed for us with cucumber mini sandwiches and crab salad pitas. YUM! I had made two suggestions for what she could make and she made both, isn't she great? Then it was on to Ida's Bridal in Overland Park...
When I got to Ida's they brought me a long stem red rose with a little ribbon attached. That was a great start. I went in to my dressing room where my consultant handed me a very soft cozy robe to put on while she went and pulled my dresses. Then we got started trying on dresses. I went ahead and tried on two others, blah blah blah. They all just seemed so silly, I just wanted to get to "mine". Finally it was time to put the beautiful dress back on. It was even more beautiful. The lighting was a little different in this shop, less windows letting in natural light, more indoor lighting. But it showed the dress off in a totally different way. This thing was incredible. The price tag was exactly the same, so now I just needed to choose which store I'd rather purchase from. I have to say I had a much more personal experience with my consultant at The Gown Gallery (first appointment). So I started to lean toward going back and purchasing there. But, Ida's is so much easier to access when it came to coming back for fittings and such and they make custom veils and are able to actually make me a hairpiece out of parts of the dress that they will cut off when they hem it. Their price range for alterations was half the price of what was quoted to me at the other store, and they offered 10% off if I ordered that day. So it was a no-brainer at that point. It was time to place my order. I was then presented with a congratulatory gift bag for finding my dress that included a little sewing kit, a small wedding planning book, a couple wedding magazines, and a note to Andrew addressed to "The Luckiest Guy in the World". They really put a lot into those little things that really make it special. As I sat in the bridal shop I decided I had zero desire to continue trying on any more dresses that I knew weren't mine, so I made a call to my last appointment for the day and cancelled, letting them know I'd already found my dress. After browsing briefly at some bridesmaid dresses, snapping a picture of the four of us outside Ida's, and grabbing some fro-yo and a bottle of wine, we headed to the Doubletree hotel where we would stay the night. We relaxed in our room a bit and made dinner reservations for an Italian restaurant across the street. Not long after getting settled, we had a knock on the door and I went to check out who it could be. It was two hotel employees, one with a bottle of wine and glasses, and the other with an impressive tray of fruits and cheeses. There was a note addressed to my mom from one of the hotel managers that she knows (we've stayed at the Doubletree many times in the past for my dad's Marriage and Family Therapy conferences every year) saying that she hoped our special weekend of dress shopping was going well. It was such a fun treat. We headed over to dinner and shared meals since none of us were very hungry after our wonderful appetizer. After dinner we finished our evening with our wine down in the hotel hot tub. I could not have asked for a more perfect day. I'm so thankful for each person that played a part in making it such a special day and a wonderful memory I will think back on forever.
