David's Bridal in Sacramento, CA
I am still in a state of bliss as I am typing this. This is the moment brides have been waiting for...now I really, really feel like a bride more. I feel like a princess. Which is what every bride should feel on her wedding day, right?
Here's a little background:
When Cecilio and I got engaged, of course one of the first things I did was buy bridal magazines and ripped out pictures of dresses that I liked, and re-pinned photos that were to my taste. I wanted a beautiful dress, but I didn't want to spend a few thousand dollars. Where can you intersect the two? I decided to check out the David's Bridal website, since they have a wide range of styles for every budget. Even though our wedding is on the more expensive side, I still didn't want to throw away money.
I have been looking at the David's Bridal website and even downloaded the app since November.
I have been lusting over this Jewel 3/4 sleeve trumpet gown since November. I wouldn't stop talking to Cecilio about it, even though I didn't tell him what it looked like. He knows me too well, and knows how much I adore wedding dresses with sleeves. When we see a dress with sleeves, he always says, "That looks like something you would like". So I KNOW it won't surprise him when he sees that this was the dress I have been talking to him about the whole time. I got to try it on in January while my mom was in the Philippines. My sister sent her a picture and my mom was indifferent to it. Throughout the months though, she said it was elegant but a bit too simple. I mean, I loved it so much and I would tell Cecilio, "even though I am going to Renfro's (a bridal boutique I went to), I still want THIS dress..." but I would go back and forth about it because I felt underwhelmed, especially for our setting (Episcopal church ceremony with the processional song being Trumpet Voluntary on an organ, 4-star hotel with expected 140 guests). I would always stare at photos of myself in this dress though. That's how obsessed I was with it. I even called 2 locations to see if they had this in stock with my size, and thankfully the closest David's to my house (20 minutes away) had it! I ended up not trying it though after some pushing from my mom to try other ones.
I also became fond of the Oleg Cassini 3/4 sleeve organza+lace ballgown. I actually tried this on right after I tried on "THE ONE", just to see. It made me look very matronly, and as if I was getting married in the Middle Ages, rather than channeling my inner Kate Middleton.
I have always been so worried about getting the dress I thought I would hate. I know what I didn't want: strapless, satin, with pickups. Like this:
I mean, I tried on 2 strapless dresses when I was in Renfro's, but the photos my mom took of me in them confirmed that I REALLY didn't want to wear one.
My dress is not strapless, nor does it have long sleeves. I can't tell you the details (you'll have to wait 10 months from now!), but I can tell you that it's so elegant and classic, the type that I would pass on to my future daughter.
Before my appointment, I was checking out the David's Bridal app and found this frock that looked weird on the model, but oh-so-gorgeous on real brides. I liked it and wanted to try it, but felt like it was out of my budget. I showed the photo to my mom and she said to not worry about the cost, because if we were already spending the amount of money we are for this wedding, might as well have a grand (but not overwhelming) dress to go along with it. So I showed it to my consultants, and she said that I would love it (and the 2nd one pictured above). So when I tried it on, the other consultants were complimenting me, strangers were ooh-ing and ahh-ing, and agreed that it was so much better than the other one I tried. My mom took photos of me in it and I loved how it looked in person and in photos (if I liked a dress I tried on but it looks crappy in photos, I would immediately rule it out).
In David's Bridal, once you find THE ONE dress, the consultants give you a bell, tell you to think of all the memories you've had with your future husband all of the memories you'll continue to have. Needless to say, I rang the bell and am waiting for my dress in June :)
I cannot wait to walk down the aisle in it. It will take Cecilio's breath away, that's for sure. He will probably start bawling!
Can I also have a mini ramble here? Here in the U.S., lots of well-to-do brides look down upon David's Bridal, saying it's the Walmart of wedding dresses, and how the styles are so tacky. I feel that this is very disrespectful, especially because a lot of brides cannot afford a couture gown, even at a trunk show when it's marked down by only 10%. David's offers dresses from $79–$2000. Also, I have heard stories of plus-sized brides getting dismissed by the consultants from those boutiques who sell couture (There are very few exceptions though, like Sparkle, a boutique in Sacramento specifically for plus-sized brides). I know that David's is a national chain (and they have opened a few stores in the UK), and you're not going to get the one-on-one experience with a consultant, and you're definitely not going to get the popping champagne experience. To me, that wasn't a big priority. I know that lots of brides have had horrible experience with their service, and it all depends on the location. The Sacramento location is superb, and I cannot thank my consultant Alex enough (she was also my consultant when I stopped by in January). The Roseville location (which is 20 minutes away from Sacramento), has mediocre reviews. You also cannot call the dresses tacky when there are collections from Zac Posen, Vera Wang, and now Jenny Packham. There are so many brides who got and love their dresses from David's, don't tear them down just because they didn't get that Maggie Sottero gown beaded with Swarovski crystals.
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