Well, I finally did it. I have fallen in love La la la LOVE with a dress!!
In my love for wedding planning, I have never been one to focus on “the dress” – I preferred to focus on details like mini cheesecakes and witty cocktail napkins. Those days are gone….for now. I am 100% obsessed with the dress I found this weekend…accidentally at a designer trunk show. (No, really, I swear it was a legit coincidence).
I was lucky enough to have three bridesmaids and my mom be able to be along for the jam-packed day of intense dress shopping all around the metro. Seriously, they are saints – even willing to pose in different lighting to test the colors in photos to appease me. SAINTS, I tell you!
Back to the dress: The first shop that I had an appointment at, just happened to be having a designer trunk show…by Martina Liana that of course ended that day. I knew the idea behind a trunk show, but had never actually been to one. In simple terms, it’s a one or two-day event that a designer shows off their new line to see what will sell.
This particular show was a make or break show for the “tester” dresses. Which is exactly what MY dress is. I had one shot to order it and have it made or run the risk of having it cut on Monday. The designers were literally meeting Monday (this morning) in Australia to decide what dresses would be cut and never make it into stores for the 2011 season.
I immediately grabbed the dress as a first round pick. Although, after trying it on the first time (okay half-way on – who sized these things anyway?) I wasn’t able to say “yes to the dress” - (although prepared, after watching an entire season straight through). I just needed to continue to the other appointments to see how others matched up.
Several hours later, and an afternoon of me rambling about the dress, we wound up back at the shop. It was convenient that my girlfriends just happened to leave their cars there – so we just had to go back anyway.
This time, without an appointment, I was lucky enough to be able to try on the dress again. This time though, I had the whole ”omg, this could be my wedding dress” reality set in, that I never thought would happen. Seriously. I had to catch my breath. Slightly embarrassing, but hey, I LOVE the dress.
The loss of breath also very well could have been due to all of this happening at once:
- The realization that the price tag was double what I intended to spend.
- I had 15 minutes until close, the end of the trunk show, the end of the dress in the store, and possibly the last chance to buy it ever.
- I was standing in the middle of a room with a too-tight dress half-on and in the wrong color, in a store full of people.
- All while trying to plead with and get information out of the designer’s consultant about what she thought the dress’ fate would be. I totally should have tried bribery. Kidding.
- Being ooood and awwed by the sales associate placing bling-covered tiaras and veils on me, and taking my attention back to the mirror. This had to be WAY too easy for her. I loved staring at myself in the dress and it was much more fun than thinking about the price tag.
- Trying to listen to my friends’ and mom’s level-headed advice.
- My crew exchanging “is this really happening” glances about the whole situation.
- Attempting to decide if I was going to buy it right then and there in 15 minutes and counting and save 15% or watch the dress be whisked away back to Australia at closing time.
The only other thing we needed was some awful bridal decision-making music playing in the background, and it could have been the ultimate of stressful situations.
Verdict: I went with my mom’s wisdom and didn’t buy the dress. Although, I can accurately say that I spent the entire rest of my weekend cyber-stalking the dress in hopes that it got leaked as well as reveiwing the photos we snapped of it in the store.
I called the shop today after work, and I didn’t have to say much, I apparently left the impression as “that girl we’re calling as soon as we call Australia”. (okay, I’m a little flattered). They plan to call the designer’s consultant tomorrow morning to hear the fate of the dress. If it survived the cut, I’ll again be faced with the hard reality of the price tag.
Fingers crossed!!
