Many brides stress over the dress. If you didn’t, I have mad respect for you for several reasons. You’re probably saving money and time and a headache. And you’re likely not focused on the material aspects of the wedding, but more on your partner and what it means to be married to that person.
I’ve been married before, though. My first dress was one of only two I found that I could afford. Thankfully it didn’t need to be altered. It was cute, but overall, the wedding was not very exciting. This time, I wanted to go all out as much as possible.
I set up an appointment at a bridal shop a friend had gotten her dress at. What I didn’t know when I set up my appointment was that they’d changed the way they operate, meaning they asked you what kind of dress you wanted and they brought you a few to try on – you didn’t get to look at any of the dresses. They didn’t have pictures or models. Your dress decision rested entirely in their hands.
I went during a sale, thinking at the time that it didn’t really matter what my dress looked like as long as it was pretty. So I found a dress I thought was fine and I bought it, taking it home and letting it hang in my closet for two years as our date inched closer and closer. As more time passed, I grew to really hate the dress. It was not at all what I wanted, I realized. I kept looking for something different.
Really what I wanted was a black dress. I mean, it’s a Halloween wedding. A black dress would be perfect. But bridal shops don’t really carry black dresses. Some of them carry dresses that have some black elements, but if you’re in the market for an actual black wedding dress, what the bridal shops carry isn’t going to cut it.
I looked all over Etsy, but I didn’t really want to leave such an expensive and important piece of the wedding in the fate of online sales. What if it didn’t fit right? What if it wasn’t like it was advertised? Most Etsy shops don’t accept returns, and it was just too important to chance it. So I didn’t buy anything on Etsy, though I did see some really gorgeous black dresses.
One day, I pulled out my white dress and slipped it on. Once it was on, I realized it wasn’t so bad. I could definitely wear this and it would be totally fine.
Then I went with my bridesmaids to get their dresses at a different shop than where I’d bought the white dress. After they’d all picked gorgeous gowns for themselves, I looked over to a rack and saw this elegant black gown. It looked just like a wedding dress but it was black. I looked at the tag. EXACTLY my size. I asked if I could just try it on.
The woman at the shop said of course, but what was my plan for the dress? I told her sheepishly about buying the white dress but secretly wanting a black dress the whole time. She zipped me up, and that’s all she wrote. The dress fit almost perfectly. It was definitely in my price range. And it made me so happy. One of my bridesmaids almost cried because she said she loved seeing how happy the dress made me.
The dress had to be hemmed a bit, but otherwise it was perfect. Now all that’s left is to sell the white one.
