28 NovThe Dress

When my mother and I booked a weekend in February to go shopping for my wedding dress, I felt like I had tons of time to shop and pick the perfect one. A girl born with the bride gene would have known that wedding dresses take about 4 months to arrive when you order them, and then they need to undergo a series of alterations! Luckily, by blocking the scary, pushy saleswomen and only listening to the helpful ones who want you to feel comfortable and happy, we were able to find a beautiful dress at a great price.

I also didn’t have any idea what kind of dress I was really looking for. I had bought one bridal magazine and knew what I was not looking for: I would not be a big poofy bride in a big poofy skirt with lots of layers and… poof. We are having a small morning ceremony outdoors followed by brunch, and I’m just not really a “girly” girl. In my head my dress would be simple and flattering, but with some exciting or unique detail to make it special. We booked appointments at three different dress shops in Toronto near my mom’s neighbourhood and set off for a day of stress-free shopping.

What I discovered while dress shopping is that you just have to try on a lot of things before you get an idea of what kind of dress will work for you. I had one picture of a dress that I liked which I found in a magazine, but when I tried on that dress it just didn’t look right. We found out that strapless dresses looked best on me, and I was drawn to the classic, romantic look of lace. With the help of an amazing and friendly saleswoman we found a couple dresses at the first store, but decided not to make any decisions until we went to our next appointments.

At the second store we instantly found a gorgeous form-fitting lace dress that was easily twice as expensive as the dresses in the first store. Mom and I both loved the dress, but the saleswoman was pushy to the point of terrifying us out of the store. Instead of staying there, we decided to go back down the street to the first shop and look for a dress that matched the one we had just fallen in love with. We ended up finding one that was really similar in fit, with a lace appliqué detail.

I think what we discovered in our shopping experience is that a good salesperson can completely change the way you feel about the dress. The saleswoman that helped me pick my dress was relaxed and easy to work with. She made me feel like she would spend all day with us trying on dresses, and that it should just be a fun experience for my mom and me. Feeling comfortable and unstressed about the whole thing was truly important.

By: Beth Curley