Budget? What Budget?

So I was quite giddy to hear that Target was selling bridal gowns for under $200 bucks. Why? Because I think it is ridiculous to pay so much money on a dress that you wear once! I started out at David's Bridal (yeah - not a good idea. Also I don't think I was really reading this Bridal Bargains book that well -because I guess that is one big, big mistake to do - going to a David's Bridal.) But then I went to Bridal and Formal in Cincinnati, Ohio. Bridal Bargains recommended this place and I also had a couple friends tell me too to go there.

I went into it with maybe about 1,000 bucks budgeted for my dress and was hoping for less. Now mind you - you can find really good dresses there for that price. But then of course - I became a fabric snob and loved, loved the look of the satin gowns, which are a little more expensive. So I screwed myself. Because there was no way I was going to go to a polyester satin blend...but back to Bridal and Formal. We ended up going on a Friday (another tip - go on a weekday - my guess is they are packed on the weekends). We learned that the street that it is located on is called the "Bridal District" because there are several other bridal shops right next to it. Bridal and Formal has been in business for over 30 years (another good tip - make sure you go with an established place) and is the largest bridal salon in the nation!! Well, it was huge and they had a ton of gowns. You walk in and they set you up with your own gown assistant. She was so nice, but again - this is where I was naive. She was so sweet but towards the end she became a used cars salesman. Now don't get me wrong - she earned her money that day. Because I tried on 12 or more gowns and constantly was changing my mind on what I liked. So we started the searching of the gown. My sister was unbelievable- she ended up going through thousands of gowns the weeks before and printed out photos of dresses she thought I would look good in. I went with a different approach- ah - lets just look through everything. Well that got overwhelming. So finally - I just put everything in my bridal assistant's hands, who pulled a couple dresses she thought I would look good in. Now this may go back to my belief that I never really dreamt of my dream wedding, soooo...I don't think I ever thought of my dream wedding dress. This made the decision hard, because everything I tried on I liked. After four hours, they finally made me narrow it down to three dresses. Now this is the part that was shaddy. They dress I liked the most- was of course the most expensive of the group. I will just say it was over my 1,000 budget. So I went back and forth. I didn't want to spend that type of money. The saleswoman would say - oh let me let you talk to your mom and sister. Two minutes later - she would be standing there listening to our conversation. Finally, my sister had to put the hammer down and asked her to leave again. I had been trying on dresses for hours and was quite tired. I just wanted to eat something. So we said - can we just go to lunch and talk about it? And then come back. Well, of course - if I left now they couldn't guarantee the prices, blah, blah. So you get that whole car salesman feel and finally I buckled. I am buying it!! I am glad I did it, but man...did I have buyer's remorse and never really slept well for a couple nights. It all worked out and I get the dress in January. Can you believe it takes that long? It is a Jim Hjelm dress. I guess he designed the Nixon girls dresses. It is beautiful and I love it. But again...I need to sit down, go through the numbers again and then stick to this budget.

Some more tips of the day. If you go to Bridal and Formal - Wear your granny pants or a decent pair of underpants, because you basically are trying on your dresses in a community dressing room. Yeah - so the girl next to me that was trying on size 2 dresses (yeah - what a bitch) - had a nice red thong on. She kept trying to act somewhat cool about it...but I could also tell she was going - crap - I am sitting here in my thong.

Another tip - Don't get offended. The gown assistant asked me what my bra size was. I told her and literally she stood there dumbfounded. "Oh my -- I don't think we have anything in that size." Well yes - I have a chest. Bigger of course than probably what the size 2 girl weighs. But anyways - she yelled my bra size across the room to another assistant who again looked in horror at me. But finally a rather chesty assistant came out and said the most amazing four words - I found a minimizer!

One more tip - if you are a sentimental one - bring kleenix. I was not that person but the size 2 bride next to me was one. She cried and cried when she found "the one" (also sat in her mother's lap - which again...wtf). I don't think I have this bride gene...