wedding planning (pt 4)

i said yes to the dress! i still have over eighteen months until we say “i do” but we’ve gotten quite a lot done already (with even more slated to finish as the months pass.) i’m glad i’m a super planner because it’s given me a lot to do despite the pandemic. i also love checking things off my list and feeling like i’m that much closer to accomplishing my perfect wedding day!

before the pandemic happened, i booked my first wedding dress shopping appointments. i went online and searched the boutiques in the area and went through their different collections. i booked two appointments on june 13th, but no more than that since my girlfriends said it can be really overwhelming. well, as you know, covid hit, and i wasn’t even sure if things would be settled or reopened by then. it caused a lot of anxiety. i was really excited when virginia went into phase 1 of reopening at the beginning of june so i went ahead and called both boutiques i had appointments at to see if they were going to be open for my appointment.

one of them wasn’t allowing more than two people, so i decided to cancel my appointment for now. the other one, white swan bridal, was allowing a max of eight visitors, which was perfect since i had a bridal party of six. i was honestly really sad my mom couldn’t come since she’s at risk during this time and it’d be safer for her to stay home, but it was an easy choice to make.

the day came and we all arrived, masks on, for the big event. i always had an idea of what i wanted in a wedding dress, but there was nothing really concrete yet. we pulled a couple off the racks and the boutique staff insisted i try on styles i didn’t like so we even picked out a few designs that i would have never considered.

now i know this sounds absolutely silly, but i didn’t realize how heavy wedding dresses are! just taking it off the hanger and putting it on was a workout on it’s own! i tried on five dresses in total. the first dress i tried on, which was also the first one i picked out based on design, gave me the feeling. i had this incredible moment where i realized, oh my gosh, this is real. i’m getting married!

i wasn’t sure if i felt that way because it was the first dress i tried on or if it was because it was the one. so i went ahead and tried the other dresses but felt nothing. i decided to try the first dress on one more time to see if i still felt really strongly about it, and when i put it on again, it felt right. of course i was waiting for that really overwhelming moment that you always see in those shows like say yes to the dress, but it never came. i wondered if it was me.

but then the boutique staff brought out a veil – and when i put it on, everything changed. i completely broke down in tears! i honestly blacked out for a moment, i just remember putting the veil on and then next think i knew, i was crouched on the ground crying. i’m going to be a bride. it was such a strange moment, especially as a girl who’s dreamt about her wedding everyday since she was little. i definitely needed to make a few adjustments but this was the dress.

i was advised that you should never buy the dress on the first day. make sure you go home and think it over and then go back to order it. so i did just that, and i’m so glad that i did! i was able to order without any second thoughts because i’d spent a week dreaming of it. the funniest part was, when i went to look the dress up online, i realized that it was one of the ones i bookmarked when i initially went looking for boutiques! i guess that just means it was meant to be.

the next week, i went back to the boutique to make my order. all my bridesmaids made time to come with me for this second appointment, and even tony’s mom came along! cammy took a ton of pictures of me, we popped some sparkling cider, and then everyone threw confetti (handmade by tiffany!) i was even able to get a deal on a matching veil for the dress. i can’t believe how lucky i am! i will admit, i didn’t like the sign at the boutique so i made my own, haha.

my dress is set to arrive december 19th, and i can’t wait to try it on and start the small alterations that i need to make. i’m going to add sleeves and adjust the plunge to make it a little more reserved.

obviously, i can’t share the exact dress with you, but i hope you enjoyed some of the highlights from that day ❤ Xx