I'm in Love

With my fiance? Yes, this is true. But I'm also in love with my wedding dress.

Jakob, if you're reading this, STOP NOW!

Way back in May, not long after Jakob asked me to marry him, I decided to stop by a couple of wedding dress shops just to figure out what style of dresses flattered my figure. The first shop I went to was Pearls Place in Metairie, LA where I was helped by Lisa. I had a short list of requirements: I wanted a train but wasn't sure what length. I didn't want anything too flashy. No lace, and I thought anything strapless was out of the question since let's say I'm blessed upstairs. I told Lisa I was open to suggestions, so she grabbed a variety of styles for me to try. I tried on off-the-shoulder styles and halter styles. The halter style made me look too busty. The off-the-shoulder style I just wasn't too crazy about. Next was a strapless gown with detachable train, but the train was cathedral length which I quickly decided was longer than I wanted. I was getting a bit discouraged, then she came along.

(Yes, I'm referring to my dress as female - I'm going to be spending a lot of time with her on my wedding day, but Jakob's the only guy for me.)
She is sparkly but not over the top. Her train is chapel length and exactly what I wanted. I love the organza overlay and the ribbon detail at the hem. Even the back is pretty, and since that's what our guests will be looking at for the majority of ceremony, I wanted something that had some visual interest.

Best of all, the price was right. Pearls Place has a reputation for not inflating their prices in outrageous manner. In fact, some sources tout the shop as being a great place to get a deal on wedding and bridesmaids dresses. In addition to their already modest prices, my dress was on sale. I half expected the "hard sell" to begin, but it didn't. Lisa encouraged me to think it over. She told me if I decided that really was the dress for me, I had a full week to stop by again and lock in the sale price. I didn't even have to put half as a down payment - I could choose how much to pay. Once my payments reached the halfway mark, I would be measured and my dress would be ordered. This gave me the added luxury of not having to worry about the dress style being discontinued before I ordered it. If the manufacturer informed Pearls my dress would soon no longer be available, they'd give me a call so I'd have the option of completing my payments & ordering my dress.

Of course, I did go back a week later to put down $50 and lock in my price. First, I went to two other shops just to be sure. I'll write more about those shopping excursions next time. Honestly, it all just seemed too easy - I found "the one" at the first shop I stopped by, on sale, and the sales staff was super nice... I can't even buy shoes that easily, and I love shoes.

Has anyone else had this kind of experience? Was finding your wedding dress a walk in the park or did you search high and low for it?