On Wednesday we visited David’s Bridal, but let’s back up a bit, to my trip to Nitsa’s in Winston-Salem. After my first two boutique visits, I had probably tried on twenty dresses, but I still hadn’t tried on a single gown by my favorite designer, Christos. And the only location in North Carolina that carries Christos gowns? Nitsa’s. So to Nitsa’s we went. Buckle up, this is a long one! Our appointment was on a Friday, and my mom and I were the only customers in the bridal area for the duration of our visit. On our first and second visits, we met with Chris, whom I liked very much, and on our third visit, we met with Erin (whom I also liked). Chris and I had talked on the phone in advance of the appointment, so she knew I was interested in the Brisa and the Maribel of the dresses they carry from Christos. Nitsa’s also carries Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier, Amsale, Pronovias, and Kenneth Pool, among others, and I tried on dresses from some of those designers, as well. The first gown I tried on was actually Brisa! Chris asked me which one I wanted to try first from the ones we had pulled, and hilariously I chose that one, because I thought it would be my least favorite. I obviously quite liked it as soon as I had it on, but there was no immediate visceral or emotional reaction. I moved on to other dresses, but unfortunately I can’t remember most of them because Nitsa’s does not allow photographs until you have purchased a gown. (That was one of my least favorite parts of the experience — I found it unnecessarily annoying.) I do remember trying on one other gown, though, and that is Maribel. Ahh Maribel

I wasn’t kidding when I said we still had lots of wedding goodness to discuss! Let’s start with the gown, a topic I’ve been dying to talk about for almost a year but that has been off limits because someone special just happens to read this blog. Clearly, the suspense is over, since y’all saw the gown I ended up with last week. So there’ll be no surprise ending to this series, but we will have the extra richness of hindsight as we go through the journey, so that’s something. Let’s start with inspiration! I gathered many photos of dresses I loved, and they all had a few things in common. Here are some of the pretties I printed out and brought to salons with me. In a binder. I was thorough. I kid you not, the Brisa was one of my inspiration pics from the beginning! Even though Christos is clearly a favorite brand of mine (always has been), Brisa didn’t stand out as a top contender until I tried it on. From top to bottom, we have Christos “Julianna” and “Arabella,” Christos “Maribel” and “Brisa,” a Liancarlo design with added sleeves (photo by A Bryan Photo), Priscilla of Boston No. 4709 and Melissa Sweet “Dora,” Jewel by Priscilla of Boston No. 307 and Pronovias, Watters “Sydney” and “Carins,” and Oscar de la Renta (photo by Meg Smith) and Reem Acra. Of course, there are several more dresses that have caught my eye since I was looking in summer 2011, but this gives you a good idea of what I like: natural waists; soft, full skirts; soft and flowing fabrics like silk gazar, tulle, and organza; bows; sweetheart necklines; tiny or gauzy sleeves; point d’esprit or swiss dot fabrics; matte fabrics; and draped bodices. Of all these dresses,