Dress Shops

I've been home this past week relaxing and beginning some semblance of a wedding plan. The next time I'm home, which should be the end of September, I plan to go with my step-mother to one or two dress shops to get an idea of what I like and what exactly a certain amount of money buys. Like I said earlier, I have no budget for a dress at this point. I'm having a hard time deciding if I should be OK spending a moderate amount of money since it's "the" dress for "the" day or if I should be conservative since I'm only going to wear the dress for a few hours in my life.

I have a list of bridal shops I would like to visit.

Carriage House Weddings carries the classics like Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera, and my personal favorite, Monique L'huillier.

The White Room carries higher end couture names like Priscilla of Boston, Badgley Mischka, Anne Barge, and Romana Keveza (who I'm interested in).

The Something Blue Shoppe carries more moderately priced lines, like 2-Be Bridal, and others. I think this is a good choice for me as they will probably have designs similar to couture styles, but at a better price. The downside is that there could be a compromise in material. From what I've heard, this store has a huge selection and a huge price range, so I'm excited to check this one out.

Bella Couture carries the line which I'm most anxious to check out, Alvina Valenta. I keep going back to this one dress, and am hoping it looks good on me, but I won't know until I try it on!

Madison Town and Country I think is similar to The Something Blue Shoppe in that it carries more moderately priced lines. I will probably check this out the next time I'm in Huntsville, since it's not too far from M's house.

Wow - I want to go to a lot of stores! I'm also open to going to Saks Fifth Bridal if all else fails, but I have a feeling I won't have to!

The things I'm looking for in a bridal store: service. that's it! Of course I want them to have a dress I love, but if the customer service isn't up to par, I'm not going to give them my money. I've always been a stickler for customer service, so in this case I'm definitely not going to let sub-par service get the best of me. Customer service to me, in this case, includes: timeliness, politeness, professionalism, and knowledge.

Timeliness: while I have a longer time-line than some in choosing a dress, once it is ordered and in for alterations, I want it done with a few weeks-month to spare so that as the big day approaches, I have no worries about my dress being ready in time.

Politeness & Professionalism: these go hand-in-hand in my mind. I want someone who will be able to handle contracts and deadlines while still recognizing that I am a paying customer. I should never feel pressured or guilty about buying a certain dress. If I pick a dress and they think it looks terrible, they need to be able to tell me nicely without hurting my feelings.

Knowledge: Wedding dresses are pretty complicated. There are tons of fabrics, shapes, and styles from which one can choose. Since I am not a fashion professional, I am counting on the store to educate me on what will look best on me, keeping in mind my taste an style.

I do think, that out of my list, I will not have a difficult time finding a store to fit those criteria. M and I envision our wedding to be one of impeccable quality! And I feel like I should be able to deliver on our wants given our timeline and budget.

Stay tuned for my reviews of the shops in the coming months!