Journey to Jager: Yes to the Dress

Four little words never sounded so sweet -

I found my dress!!!

I still haven't been able to wrap my brain around it even though I've looked at the pictures of the dress about a million times. Last weekend was a truly memorable one as I searched for the one dress that, as it turns out, needed to meet a lot of criteria for me. Without going into too many details (in case a certain Matthew is reading), I wanted something a bit more unique than the traditional bridal dress. I wanted the "wow" factor. That being said, I still wanted something that really screamed "here comes the bride." I'd say we achieved that.

We first stopped at Mary Me Bridal in Orange. I'm so glad we did a trial run at David's Bridal a month or so back because it helped prepare me for what I needed to have with me this time around. For one, a pair of heels. You'd think this one was obvious. Second, I needed to have my hair vaguely like it would be for the wedding. At David's Bridal, I came with my hair up in a high ponytail. The result was that when they put the veil on me I felt like 1980s Bridal Barbie. Not a cute look.

I had a blast modeling all sorts of dresses, including a huge poofy ballgown with a skirt that felt like it could eat me alive. It was a lot of fun. There were a couple that were absolutely beautiful and nearly took me there. But there still felt to be something missing. Don't get me wrong, they were gorgeous dresses, and the reactions I got made me feel so good. However, they left me questioning whether or not I really looked the part of a bride. We had a fabulous lunch on the patio of the Filling Station and I mulled things over.

[Decisions over drinks]

Knowing I had booked an appointment at another salon the next day, I decided to wait it out. I didn't want to get ahead of myself before trying a different salon.

On Sunday we went over to Bellasposa in Rancho. From the get go, I was really impressed with this place. The women were really flexible and kind when I had to change my appointment time, and went out of their way to call and confirm the day before. When we got there, we had an added bonus: mimosas! We sipped as we shopped, which made the whole experience feel like a big celebration (it turned out to be just that). At first we were a little worried we would not find what we were looking for. The dresses were a bit difficult to navigate and nothing on the hangers appeared to have the material or the "look" we were searching for the day before. We split up and found a few dresses and made our way to the next room, where I had my own little nook for showcasing the selections. The first couple dresses were pretty, but still felt more like evening gowns than bridal gowns. Not thinking twice, I grabbed another dress in my fitting room and zipped it up.

I was immediately overwhelmed. In a good way! I was floored that one dress could perfectly encapsulate all of the items on my checklist for the perfect dress. I left the dressing room beaming and got exactly the reaction I was hoping for. We all knew. I tried on a few more, but it always came back to that dress. I tried it back on, put on my veil, and said yes. After lots of cheers and a few tears, we celebrated with a glass of champagne provided by the salon. It was a magical experience, and I'm still shocked I found it! I was sure I was going to be really indecisive. That's how I felt the day before, really torn. But after trying on this dress, I just knew. And it felt really good.

[Celebratory cupcakes at Suite 106 Cupcakery]

One more thing to cross off my to-do list! And I must say, I'm getting way better at making decisions. Or at least I am not doubting myself as much. I'm pretty dang proud :)

Countdown to the Big Day:

Sleep: Haven't gotten the best of sleep this week, but not because of stress. I did have a wedding dream right before dress shopping. In a bizarre twist of events, I asked my sister to marry me. Could it have been foreshadowing the fact that my sister was the one who picked out my wedding dress?? We thought it was pretty funny :) Another wedding dream I just had was me going back and forth on wedding colors. I don't remember much of the dream other than thinking about colors. Yep, that is indeed what's currently on my mind. Yet to be determined how this one will turn out!

Best Moment of the Week: Hands down finding my dress. And the whole experience leading up to it. I want to relive that weekend!! So, so special.

Currently on my Mind: Having fun looking at bridesmaid dresses and figuring out colors

What I am Looking Forward to this Week: Celebrating our dating anniversary this coming week :)

Emotions: