Dress shopping with mom...

My mom and I finally got to go dress shopping together.  We hit three stores in one day.  It was a lot to take in and it's hard to know which dress is "The One". Maybe that means I haven't found it yet.

We started by going to Mary Kay's Bridal and Tux- who recently moved from their Richfield location to St Louis Park.  Needless to say- location makes this bridal shop ideal.  I had two gowns written down from my visit to their new location.  I'm thinking that neither of those is "it" now.  I did add two of the new Impression gowns to my list- which I love.  Fiorella is unique and very couture.The other I couldn't find on their website.  My mom and I spent over 2 hours at this stop.  The new location is great- very clean and welcoming.  Their old location was tired- the upgrade was well worth it.  I hope the move only affects their business in a positive way.  This shop allows you to put 50% down on your order and payments to pay off the gown (must be paid off within 30 days of arrival)- which is great- I know I can allow more for the gown of my dreams  under this than 100% down at time of order- ouch! The gowns are organized by designer and they don't cut out their labels- you know that you're getting what they say you are.

After marinating over our visit at the nearby Coffee Buzz (they do have delicious coffees and it's a small, locally owned business) we debated whether or not to head north and check out two other shops.

I called Bridal Center in Plymouth and they said no problem- come on up.  Sandy was the woman who answered my call and the consultant we worked with.  This shop is tired looking.  It was very busy with tux pick ups, and gown fittings.  This shop baffles me - they cut the tags out of their gowns but advertise their designers on their web page.  The consultant asked me if I had any pictures that she could look at for styles that I liked.  I broke out my three-ring binder and showed her the range of styles I was drawn to.  Then she asked me what size samples I had been trying on.  I told her 14-20.  Then she was off to pull samples for me.  The 14s were not exactly fitting- but the dress I liked the best here- I wouldn't have been given the option to try if I hadn't given her my current clothing size as a starting point.  It was nerve racking to have her pull dresses for me- what on earth was she going to pull? Had she picked up on the style elements I was drawn to?  After all, when they had a gown that was in my binder in stock she was excited to share that "Ohhh we have that one!" or "We don't carry that designer".  My response was- of course you can't carry every designer- that would be crazy (not to mention impossible!)  She did pull a gown similar in style to a dress by Justin Alexander (was on the cover of Brides in May 2010).  Of COURSE it wasn't exactly the same- but the differences were fairly minimal. This look alike gown was one that I wrote down.... but made me wonder- what does the real Justin Alexander dress cost in comparison?

After we left that store- I wondered if my girlfriend that I had brought there for wedding dress shopping felt the same anxiety I did while the gowns were being pulled.  What on earth would THEY pick for ME to try on?! THEY are selecting my gown- not ME. It was all very stressful.  The highlight of the visit was when the consultant went for a veil to add that very finished and in my opinion over the top veil to the look.  I was holding my breath as she placed the veil on my head- trying to stifle the horror as well as the laughter as I politely explained that veils are not so much my thing and I'm planning on going with a fun comb to finish off my hair.  I could feel my mother behind me stifling her own laughter- her face bright red with the knowing look of 'I know that you're not into veils'.  Thank goodness my own mother has embraced my dislike for veils and is OK with it!  My mother compared the shop to Ma and Pa Kettle- hillarious!

Our third and final stop was The Wedding Chapel in Crystal/New Hope.  My first visit here was ok- I had two of my girlfriends with and my sales person was Melissa- she felt like a ball of stress to me and I was under the impression that she didn't like me because I didn't say "yep this is the one' at any point during my visit. My second visit a week earlier- was with Laurel- who was very nice to work with.  I tried on a few of the gowns I had written down from my first visit and discovered that I wasn't in love with any of them.  When I called this time to see if they could pull the gowns I had written down from my most recent visit- they couldn't find my card.  Luckily, I remembered where I had found most of them.  I don't think I got all of my "top picks" from last time but most of them.  So, now I have THREE cards at this shop. I'm not so sure how much I trust them after that.  I had tried to go in one other time to try on the gowns I had written down from my first visit- but after they couldn't find my card that time either I was a no show to my "appointment". I realize that is bad etiquette and all- but they couldn't find my information- that's less than helpful and made me feel like I wasn't a priority.  My mother was impressed by the number of gowns they had in stock.  She didn't remember the complaints we used to hear of this shop when we worked at Her Special Day or while she was at AJ Bridal.     

The gowns I have written down at this shop are:
Dress #1   
Dress #2  
Dress #3
Dress #4
Dress #5

Any favorites people?