The wedding dress

On April 26, 2008, Joe was out of town for the weekend for work, soI utilized the time sans-fiance to bring my maid of honor/sister Tera and my mother to go dress shopping. I had planned to visit two local bridal shops Elegant Lace and Bella Mia Bride in San Jose, CA. I chose these places as opposed to the ever popular places such as Trudy's in Campbell because Trudy's is said to be extremely expensive, and that these places carry Maggie Sottero gowns. Based on my research, I find Maggie Sottero designs and style to be so beautiful, timeless and sleek. One of her designs that I absolutely love is the Coco.

This was one of the first dresses I found when I arrived at Elegant Lace. I asked the salesperson to point me right to the Maggie Sottero section and I spotted this number right away and had to try it on. I continued to talked to the sales person and she got a feel for the styles I was looking for. She automatically pointed me to some that are similar in design. Little did I know that I found THE DRESS amongst one of those suggested.

I met with Amanda, my consultant and she helped me put on THE DRESS first. I loved that dress. The moment I put it on I felt so beautiful in it and Amanda right away comment how this dress just fits me. I came out and my mother and my sister loved it! As I stepped onto the step surrounded by mirrors, it noticed how it just accentuates my body, my curves and just appropriately downplay all the flaws. Everyone agreed it was beautiful and perfect. The only downfall is that it was above my budget of $1,000. The dress was going for about $1,300, which I have to say isn't that high above the budget and not exactly beyond my mean.

Since this was the first dress that I tried on, we couldn't just decide on the spot. I even committed to not buy that day, even though Amanda was willing to throw in 10% off. So, the next dress is the Coco mentioned above. It is also beautiful but doesn't give you that feeling. It is taffeta and maybe because it was too big for me (the one I tried on is a size 14). I also loved it and the best thing is it was going for approximately $800. I tried on another dress, I don't even know what the brand is because I was so set on the first dress. I slipped out of it quickly and slipped back into THE DRESS. I came out again and it just validates why I loved it. It is made up silk, with a long train but felt lighter than all the other ones I tried on. the details are exquisite with minimal lace and beads, which I know I preferred. Being a picky bride with an even picker MOH, the bottom of the dress is made from one piece of fabric, which helps with the flow of the dress meaning it is not made up multiple separate pieces that are sewn together to make the train.

Of course, I am further validated when another bride was there came over with her bridesmaid I'm assuming and comment on how beautiful it looked. She even noticed that it was the first dress that I tried on as she noticed it when I first stepped out with it. The more we looked at it, the more I fall in love with it.

I left Elegant Lace and went to Bella Mia Bride to try on several other Maggie Sottero dresses but none of them even came close to the feeling I got from THE DRESS. My mother and MOH agreed and we left quickly after we went in. I will probably go to several other shops, maybe even Trudy's to try to find THE DRESS, but I quickly decided that that was going to be THE DRESS, now it's just a matter of putting in the order. Without further ado...I present THE DRESS: Anjolique Style #930 in Godavari Silk.

Source: Anjolique #930