The Ones That Weren't, Part 2

After a somewhat underwhelming experience at Alfred Angelo, Mama Goodlaff, Sister Goodlaff and I ventured across the parking lot to David’s Bridal.  It being a Saturday, I didn’t really have high hopes for being able to walk in and get an appointment, but we decided to give it a whirl anyway. I was pretty sure we’d be turned away at the door (almost like we were at Alfred Angelo), but it turns out that DB’s motto is something along the lines of "the more the merrier."  They even gave me a bridal gift—a heart shaped candle--just for walking in the door (I like them already!).  I had a consultant within minutes and soon we were walking down aisles and aisles of dresses, using my inspiration pictures to select gowns to try on. 

What a huge difference! Alfred Angelo was a quiet, tidy little place, and at David’s Bridal, it was like they let the dogs out.  It was chaotic and noisy and there were dresses everywhere, but it was kind of nice.  I didn’t get the feeling that my consultant would be pressuring me into buying anything.  In fact, she piled dresses on her arm, tossed them on the hooks in my dressing room and promptly disappeared. Sweet liberty!  Apparently the good folks at David’s Bridal trust me to dress myself…

So, here’s what DB had to offer:

I think of this style (8CT291) of dress with all the pickups on it as a cupcake dress.  I knew it wouldn't be my style, but I had to try one on. Pretty, but it was definitely not the one.  Also, I wish I would have thought about the fact that I may be one day posting these online.  I may have gotten out of bed earlier and put on some lip gloss or something...

I hate the picture of me in the dress below (style 9T9948), so I offer you what it should look like instead.

Source

"But, Miss Goodlaff," you're all saying, "Didn't you say your only rule was no lace?"  Yes, yes it was.  Rules are made to be broken, and so I gave the dress a chance.  As soon as I had it on, I realized I should have let that rule stand--I'm just not a lace kind of girl.  Off it came, and we were on to the next dress. 

This one is the one that Mama Goodlaff and Sister Goodlaff fell in love with (style CWG322):

Sister Goodlaff especially loved the flower detail!

So here's where the dress shopping got more complicated.  The Goodlaff ladies, minus me, fell in love with that last dress.  'What do you mean you don't like it?" and "Oh, but it's so pretty" fell on my deaf ears. 
I can't tell you how hard it is not to be swayed by other people's opinions when you're trying on dresses.  I felt like I was sort of letting Mama Goodlaff and Sister Goodlaff down by not liking the dress more, and I could see that they were both a little disappointed that I didn't like it as much as they did.  But I also knew I didn't want to choose a dress for one of the most important days of my life because other people liked it more than I did.  Though it was difficult, the favored dress went back to the racks and we headed out the door.

Now, don't worry, I didn't walk out of David's Bridal empty-handed: I purchased not one, but two fabric samples for possible bridesmaid dress colors.  Shopping success!

Overall, I really didn't mind the chaos in the store, as it allowed us to be in and out of there in about a half an hour (that was with looking at bridesmaid dresses and styles), but if you're looking for that Kleinfeld experience, I can guarantee that you're not gonna find it there.

Coming Soon: The Ones That Weren't, Part 3, or, why it is that I'm not going to be happy in any of these dresses...

Did other people's opinions cause you to rethink your dress decision?