After yesterday’s slightly pitiful post, I’m happy to move on to cheerier days. We tabled the dress shopping for about two months, and my (wonderful, awesome, hugely-accommodating) mom made plans to come down to North Carolina in November. We made the most of her extended weekend, and fit in visits to three different dress shops. Our first one was actually to Nitsa’s, where I would eventually buy my dress, but I’m going to shake things up and post about our third store of the weekend, David’s Bridal, first. (The second store doesn’t really need a post of its own – we went to Bridal Mart in Burlington hoping to try on a few specific Watters gowns, but all the designers were totally mixed up on the racks, so we couldn’t find what we were looking for.) David’s Bridal, of course, needs no introduction. I’ve actually loved a lot of what they’ve done recently, especially the White by Vera Wang Collection, so I can honestly say I went in with an open mind. I also went in with fairly low expectations, which I think was helpful. There was one specific dress I was hoping to try on, and happily, they had it in stock! Here it is being sported by another real bride: Photos by The Collective Photographers via Style Me Pretty I did try this one on (it’s by Oleg Cassini), and I liked it quite a bit! I’m actually surprised I can’t find it on their website anymore, because I thought it was one of the loveliest designs they offered. Here it is on me: I tried on a few other dresses, including this one and this one, but the Oleg Cassini was the only one we were seriously considering. And we were seriously considering it. For one, it

About a month after our Charleston vacation, John and I were scheduled to be in Connecticut for our engagement party and a weekend of wedding vendor meetings. Exciting! Since my two sisters were going to be in town for the festivities, I decided to take an appointment at The White Dress by the Shore, a bridal boutique down the road from my hometown. I had heard great things about the shop, and so even though none of their designers were high on my priority list (Amy Kuschel, Anne Barge, Augusta Jones, Coren Moore, David Fielden, Ivy and Aster, Jenny Yoo, Modern Trousseau, Rivini, and Amsale, who I do love), I went in with an open mind. Our appointment was late on Saturday morning, and the small shop was bustling. After a short wait we were matched with our consultant and led to a prime fitting room (score!). Our gal was very nice, though I did feel the environment was slightly more formal/stuffy than Maddison Row. My sisters and mom and I looked through the racks and pulled a few dresses, and our consultant pulled a few as well. Here are a few I tried: Let’s start with my least two favorites. I did not want anything with sparkles, which the gown on the left had (interestingly, it was also too plain for my taste). The skirt of the gown on the right, by Anne Barge, didn’t feel very refined. This one I kind of wanted to like, but it was wayyyy too big for me, and since it was Priscilla of Boston, only the sample was available. The one on the left was too black-tie, not enough wedding for me. The one on the right was quite pretty, but lacked oomph. The top was also not soft enough for my