Wedding Belle

So I guess the adage is true about wedding dresses as much as about the groom.  When you know, you know.  I knew after the first weekend I came to visit the Mister that I was going to marry him.  And I knew from the minute I stepped into my dress that it was the one.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering why there isn't a ginormous photo of the dress splashed all over this entry.  Well, the Mister doesn't want to see my dress until the moment I start walking down the aisle.  So, I have to be a leeeetle bit sneaky because I want to show EVERYONE ELSE.  I've created a password-protected album and I'll post the password down in the comments.  So!  If you want to see my dress ( and really, I know you do!), you can see it here!  As for the Mister, he just needs to keep his nose out of the comments!

I don't want to talk too much about my particular dress because the Mister reads this and I do want him to be surprised.  But I do want to talk a bit about the whole experience of dress shopping.  I really wasn't sure what to expect, which is kind of ridiculous.  When I was in high school, I worked at a bridal store for two years.  So if anyone should know what to expect from dress shopping, it was me.  But while the process was familiar, I wasn't sure how I would feel.  I've never been a girl who dreams about her wedding.  And despite spending a LOT of time flipping through bridal magazines and pulling out photos, I really couldn't picture myself in any of the dresses.  I knew what kinds of dresses I was attracted to, but I had no idea what style or fabric would look best on my body.  Again, without going into too much detail & ruining the surprise for the Mister, I chose a dress that was almost completely opposite what I thought I wanted.

I found my dress at the last appointment of the day, in the cutest little boutique bridal store called Bel Fiore.  I thought I had found my dress at another shop, but there were a few things about that dress that I would have changed to make it perfect.  But then, when I walked out of the dressing room at Bel Fiore in the first dress I tried on there, I knew I had found my dress.  It blew the other dress right out of the water.  My dress made me feel glamorous and sexy, but still classy and elegant.  Basically, all of the things I wanted to feel.

Now that I have my dress picked out, I'm starting to get a better idea of what I want the bridesmaid dresses to look like.  Slowly but surely, I've been mulling over details and thoughts and I'm starting to put together what I want the rest of the wedding to look like.  Once the Mister hears about his next orders, we'll pick a venue and really get the ball rolling.  Wedding planning!