Say YES!

Oh, last night went so much better than Saturday.

Brian and I arrived about 30 minutes before my appointment and wander the racks. I let him pick out two dresses for me to try on. He was desperate to stay to see me try one on but I put my foot down.

My consultant was great. She took her time to listen to me, Brian and Jenn. She also looked at the pictures of me trying on dresses from Saturday and it felt like she immediately picked up on what I was looking for.

The first dress she pulled for me to try on was it! I feel in love with it right away. Which was a completely different feeling than when I tried on at David's Bridal. The sample size fit me perfectly. The dress was out of my price range, but the consultant felt confident that she had wiggle room with the price. After seeing how well it fit and how much I liked it she came up with an idea. The sample was nearly brand new, the dress is from a new 2013 collection. She knocked 34% off the price if I'd take the sample.

She had pulled about 6 others, and with the two that Brian picked, I tried on the others. I did like them. Really liked an off the shoulder tight dress. But didn't love any like I did the first one. By now Katerina and Aly had joined Jenn and I and I put the dress back on. Every one else liked it. The consultant lead me to the big mirror in the front of the store, and left me there for a second while she went to grab a flower for my hair. While I stood there by myself staring at the dress, I knew. Happy tears. I'm actually starting to cry a little as I type this. This was the dress.

So on budget, I have my dress. It's at home in my closet.

Recommendations:
1. Go shopping when you're comfortable. If you're not in the mood, you won't find the dress.
2. Pick a less crowded/busy time of day. Middle of the day on a Saturday felt very different from after work on a Monday.
3. Talk a lot about what you want the day to be with a lot of different people. I love all my bridesmaids, and they all know me well. Getting each of their perspectives individually helped make me feel confident in what I eventually went with.
4. Know you're beautiful. I look at the pictures from that first shopping trip and I see someone very unhappy and unsure of themselves. Even in the dresses that we're perfect yesterday, I didn't see that person.
5. The second I picked my dress I wanted to text Brian how much I loved him. That's how I knew. The dress should make you feel good, but with me, it also reminded me of my fiance and my love for him.