Earlier I believe I left us off having left Mon Amie and stopping for a much needed lunch break.
The next store we went to was The White Dress in Corona Del Mar. I’d say between Mon Amie and The White Dress, every designer you could possibly think of is covered. Maybe not…but very close if you are looking to cover your bases in two trips.
I got my dress!! Woohoo! So excited and I can check that major one off the list. But before I do my celebration dance (jk) I’ll give you the background story.
On Sunday I went out shopping with my team, consisting of my mom, Mark’s mom and my two maids of honor. We had the itinerary of Mon Amie, The White Dress and then Saks in South Coast Plaza.
(side note: Saks is closing most of their bridal salons in the US and therefore have all their samples on sale!)
Store One: Mon Amie
Mon Amie is probably one of the biggest wedding dress stores on the West Coast and it just so happens to be 25 minutes from where I live. My mom and one MOH drove up from San Diego, my other MOH came down from LA and then with Mark’s mom I met them at Mon Amie. The store is huge! They have over 4,000 dresses, I’m not sure how you can possibly know everything that is in that store.
It was a busy day so we did not have a regular sales person, but one of the seamstress/designers named Sonia helping us. This was great because first of all she was not a pushy sales person that used all the cliches and instead of using those ugly binder clips she just used pins. After talking with Sonia and picking out some dresses that I liked we just started trying dresses on. Based on what I liked and what was flattering everyone pulled more dresses.
It was pretty busy in there so I tried most of the dresses on in my room since you know I have issues with going out into the open where random strangers look at me. However, once I narrowed it down to 3 that I really liked they had me go down the aisle. Yes…they have an aisle. And Yes I felt awkward going down the aisle with fake flowers and then standing on a pedestal. However, I was able to get out into more natural light and that was helpful. After that the “aisle” was taken so I just used a different pedestal minus the aisle and flowers to my relief.
They wouldn’t let me take pictures there unless you buy the dress, so sadly I have no pictures to share!
There was one dress that I really liked there and narrowed everything down to. Surprisingly it was a Mon Amie exclusive and was the most affordable out of everything I tried on! (Love that!) However, we still had an appointment to go and we were in need of a lunch break. (Have I ever mentioned that when I don’t eat for a long period of time and I’m in need of a meal I will get cranky?)
So off we went to lunch at the delicious Avila’s El Ranchito (also love chips, salsa and guac!) before our next destination where we found THE ONE! The rest of the story will be coming shortly…
If you are a new reader and want to hear about my first dress shopping experiences and look at some scary pictures of me, here is part I and part II of my shopping trip in San Diego with my mom.
Since I have been engaged one of the most common questions I’ve been asked is, “Have you found your dress?” or some variation of that question. I usually responded with, “No, I haven’t even gone shopping yet. I’m not sure what I am looking for.” And it’s true, I’ve been engaged since May, but have not gone dress shopping yet. Why? Well first of all I am so busy and I often do not know what my schedule will be so I don’t make the appointment at the dress shop. I want to lose weight and have worried that the dresses will look different once I do so. I think this is me just delaying, because I want to lose 15 pounds and that probably won’t make too much of a difference.
In all of my wedding planning I think I enjoy the things that aren’t “me” oriented. I love planning the decor, colors, details, stationary and graphics. I love the planning and creating something for others to enjoy. But I don’t like being the center of attention (I can’t stand the Happy Birthday song on my birthday for example) and so I feel weird about doing the part that revolves around me. I know as the bride all eyes are on me, but that is a little nerve racking. So maybe even the idea of being on a pedestal in a bridal salon with all eyes on “me” is even scary.
The biggest reason is probably that I really don’t know what I want. I haven’t imagined a specific look in my head, so the idea of hundreds and hundreds of dresses is overwhelming. I browse all my bridal magazines and see things I like, but still am unsure. I’m not sure what will look good on me since I am not a 6 foot model. There is so much pressure to find “the dress” and I think I have shied away from that big decision. I love shopping though, so I am going to focus on that and having fun instead of worrying about the pressure to find “the one”.
So now that I am done with the in-depth explanation of why I have not found my dress yet, I wanted to at least post some pictures of what I like. (Not that I can necessarily afford these dresses, but that’s a different story) Please give me your feedback or suggest any designers or dresses you think I should look at.
Amalia Carrara (Probably not in pink, but I like the neckline and folds)
I think I love anything that Abby at Style Me Pretty posts, but here are some different posts on dresses that have stood out in my memory…
Christina by Junko Yoshioka
The Quarry by Lela Rose
Photos Style Me Pretty
Elena by Junko Yoshioka (top left)
Mica by Junko Yoshioka (top right)
Lizzie by Stephanie James
Photos Style Me Pretty
What was your dress shopping experience like? Does it make anyone else nervous?
