snapshots of our wedding, part two

As promised, here is part two of our wedding story with a special emphasis on my dress. I've heard stories of girls who spend months dress shopping but I went to one store, for about one hour, and bought the 4th dress I tried on. Easy peasy! 

My mom flew in from Montreal for the weekend and together, along with three of my bridesmaids, we ventured out to find "the dress". Several Vancouver friends had recommended a shop called Lisa's Bridal so I booked an early morning appointment. (Note to future brides: ALWAYS book an appointment. You will get better service because they'll have a consultant and a room set aside for you, and you get one-on-one attention). 

Going in, I had a very specific vision in mind of what kind of dress I wanted. I wanted a mermaid gown with lace and ruching around the bust area. I wanted white, and ONLY white - none of this ivory or cream business! I didn't want a princess gown and I definitely didn't want to go strapless. I conveyed all this to my consultant, who was an absolute gem to work with, and we headed into the shop where I immediately spied these beauties .... 

As soon as I saw those beautiful gowns, it was game over. My vision went out the window and I just wanted to try everything on! I tried on a mermaid gown first and it was an epic fail - mermaid style does NOT look good on ladies with Caribbean curves. Not including that hideous mermaid, I liked almost every gown I put on but definitely had two favorites. The first was a huge, puffy princess gown in a "blush white" color - meaning white/ivory with shades of pink. The second was a more traditional, A-line gown with the lace and ruching I wanted. It was a tough decision, but in the end I went with gown number two ... the traditional A-line. The first dress made me feel like a ballerina, but the second made me feel like a bride.

It had a lace-up back, a subtle floral pattern around the bodice and down the skirt, a long train and gorgeous ruching that made my waist look teeny tiny! Anything that makes my waist look good is a keeper. 

Because my dress had a lot going on with the lace, the beading, the floral pattern, etc  I decided to keep all other fashion details pretty simple. I chose a mantilla lace veil, sported baby blue TOMS with 1 Corinthians 13 on them and wore classic, pearl chandelier earrings. I felt beautiful and comfortable, which is exactly how a dream wedding dress should feel!

And there you have it, my "say yes to the dress" story! It was honestly the most enjoyable part of wedding planning for me and the least stressful. I'd love to hear about your wedding dress or, if you're not married yet, what kind of a gown you dream of!