The Dress Pt. 1

Dress shopping.

Every Lolita on the planet has, or will, more than likely, do this at some point in their life. It's a scary step, taking the leap to buy that first staple of the gorgeous alternative fashion we've been pining after for weeks, months, and sometimes even years. But then we take that leap and it's done. We made it. Then there comes another dress. And another. And maybe a skirt thrown in here and there.We learn what work for our body shape, what colors look great on our skin tone and inevitably, through the passage of time, we'll be drawn to that one gorgeous dress in our closet and over again. It makes us feel powerful. Beautiful. It's the epitome of everything we've wanted in a dress.

But what if things were different? What if we could only buy one dress, and that was it? What if we had to know we were making the right decision, out of the thousands of options? What if we only had one chance?

It's pretty scary, but that's exactly what I had to do. Only it wasn't a Lolita dress I had to choose.

It was my wedding dress.

Alfred Angelo Disney Collection "Belle"

 I'm not going to lie. After I got engaged, I got bit by the dress-shopping bug HARD. Even though my wedding isn't for another year, I had to go shopping, and I mean right now. Honestly, can any Lolita really blame me? For years I have already been blissfully obsessing over poofy skirts and dresses dripping with lace and crystal jewelry. I knew what looked good on me, how I wanted to feel walking down that aisle and I was ready to go. Just grab my mom, sisters and bestie and we'd be off to drool over all the gorgeous gowns before I'd inevitably become struck by 'The One'. Psh. I'd have my dress in less than a day. It was that easy, right?

HA. HA. HA.

So young. So naive.

Don't get me wrong, I loved getting dressed up and seeing myself in the mirror for the first time in a huge, poofy white ballgown was a pretty enchanting moment. But I should have realized, for someone like me, who obsesses and agonizes and nit-picks every minute detail, this was not going to be a smooth ride.

So I'd like to share my journey. I know it all might seem a little self-indulgent (and I readily admit it), but not only do I love sharing into the wealth of information to other brides, I also feel like this dress-shopping excursion has also taught me a lot of lessons that can be applied to my daily wear wardrobe as well. After wearing on a dress literally worth thousands (and forever out of budget), I feel as though I've achieved a new perspective on clothing and what exactly goes into their creation. Additionally, I've also learned what exactly is and isn't  important to me when it comes to how I wish to present myself, even on one of the most important days of my life. 

I know there isn't any real comparison to all of the attention and detail that goes into a wedding day look, especially for the bride, but I like to think it's an experience worth learning from. It was a pretty anxiety-inducing couple of weeks, but absolutely well worth it all in the end! Next up, let's see those dresses!!

Part Two: David's Bridal (1)
Part Three: David's Bridal (2)
Part Four: Mafalda's Bridal
Part Five: Bay Area Bridal