My "Say Yes To The Dress" Story

All about finding my dream wedding dress and my "say yes to the dress" story!

As the title implies, this post will be all about the time I said "yes" to my dream wedding dress. After trying on the same dress 3 times, I was finally able to confidently commit! Did you spend weeks or months searching for your wedding gown or did you say yes on day one?

I've always been obsessed with weddings. I love the happiness and joy they bring, how they bring everybody important to you together, and of course what they stand for. That being said, before Zack and I were even engaged I already had a few ideas of what type of flowers I like, my thoughts on invitation suites, and a slight obsession with wedding gowns.

Hello, TLC... I know I'm not the only one watching all those shows plus browsing on Pinterest! But since this only happens once, I wanted to remain open-minded throughout the entire wedding planning process, including choosing my bridal look.

The first time I went wedding dress shopping it was just me and my mom. My parents live in San Antonio, TX so over a holiday I flew down and we went to Bella Bride Boutique. At that point, I had no idea what type of silhouette or fabric I wanted so I tried on a mix of mermaid, A-line, ball gown, and trumpet with satin, lace, and tulle fabrics.

I quickly learned I was infinitely happier in ballgown style gowns with flowing layers upon layers. I was also immediately drawn to the Hayley Paige collections because I love her use of tulle and horsehair!

Once we left the boutique, I was torn between these two gorgeous gowns! (On the left is a Blush by Hayley Paige gown and on the right is Mikaella by Paloma Blanca.) I went back and forth for weeks but ultimately decided against the Mikaella. I loved the "latte" color and sparkly belt but there was just something about the "ivory" dress I couldn't get over... I probably could have said yes to the dress on the left right at that point but I wanted to include more family and friends.

A few weeks later I invited my mom, four bridesmaids including my sister, future mother-in-law and sister-in-law to StarDust Celebrations in Plano, TX. I tried on several gowns, including the Maisie Gown from the Blush by Hayley Paige Collection that I tried on before in San Antonio.

I fell more in love with the dress because I was able to find some embellishment to add to the belt. Some brides opt out of wearing the belt but the bow detail made this gown for me! The added sparkle just made me fall more in love. (Also, do yall see that horsehair trim?!)

Thankfully everybody saw my happiness and agreed this was a great gown. Looking back, I definitely could have said "yes" to the dress at this moment but we had a second boutique to visit. There was a specific gown I wanted to try on at Circle Park Bridal in Addison, TX.

I wasted no time at Circle Park and jumped right into the Essence of Austrailia dress I had been eyeing. Here's where it got a little tricky because my "entourage" was then torn between the two gowns and made their honest opinions heard. While I appreciated everybody's input, I knew deep down the Essence wasn't my gown.

Still, I went back and forth between the two gowns for weeks. Then one day I finally decided on the Blush by Hayley Paige Maisie Gown was going to be mine!

I made another appointment back at Stardust for me and my sister to go back. I slipped the gown on again and it just felt right. I was so ecstatic but at the same time very peaceful. We sipped on champagne, then made it official!