One afternoon I decided to check out Victorian Rose. It was a bridal store on Glenwood which has now moved to Cameron Village. The store has a lot of mixed reviews-great selection, but the dresses aren't well cared for and poor customer service. I didn't make an appointment but I did call roughly 30 minutes before I showed up, so they said to look around and someone would assist me shortly.
The store's selection was quite good. They carry Watters, Wtoo, Tara Keely, Rosa Clara, Pronovias, Lazaro, Jim Hjelm, Allure, etc. They had a lot of lace dresses which was a yay for me. There price range is really broad too. So for once I said I wanted a lace mermaid and got a handful of dresses.
I tried on Rosa Clara Laia...beautiful but not quite form fitting enough
And then there was this dress. The Enzoani Dakota and it really stole my heart!
Here is another picture of the dress-easy to see why I fell in love with it, right?
I left Victorian Rose happily dreaming of the Dakota dress. Was it the one? Since I went to this store alone, I'd have to bring my mom back and come see. Speaking of which, I definitely enjoyed shopping with a small crowd. The one time I did bring some friends, I found I didn't really appreciate the other opinions lol...all I wanted to know was what I thought about the dress. And as for those girls who worry about will the groom like the dress-pshh!! Get what makes you happy and if he loves you he will think you are beautiful in anything!
Anyways!! I also went to Poffie Girls in Gastonia, outside of Charlotte. I was visiting Aaron's family and this is a well-known store in the area. They carry Enzoani, Casablanca, Wtoo, Mori Lee...a lot of mid-range designers. I would definitely recommend them to people in the area.
I tried on the Casablanca 2072...but I dislike embellished dresses. I just wanted lace.
I tried on more dresses that I can't remember mainly because once again this store had the Enzoani Dakota and again, I was in love. But I didn't want to commit until I went to Bridalmart, where my cousin got her dress from.
I tried on more dresses that I can't remember mainly because once again this store had the Enzoani Dakota and again, I was in love. But I didn't want to commit until I went to Bridalmart, where my cousin got her dress from.
Bridalmart is a huge store in Burlington with a huge selection of dresses. Some of the designers they carry are Allure, Casablanca, Watters, Wtoo and Mori Lee. Inside there are just racks and racks of dresses arranged by style. Bridalmart isn't the glamorous experience y'all-you pull the dress yourself and the dressing room is just one huge room-but it is the cost efficient experience! They still order all your dresses new and the dresses they have were about $300 cheaper for the same dresses at Victorian Rose.
So at Bridalmart with my aunt and mother we pulled and pulled and pulled dresses. Thinking of the Enzoani Dakota, I rejected dresses and more dresses. They did have a nice lace selection however. And then my aunt pulled this dress.
horrible pic but all I got...Allure C202
Annnd I wasn't sure. It had straps-"I'm so happy you won't be pulling your dress up all night!" my mom exclaimed. And it was a little more trumpet than mermaid shaped. But it was also a showstopper-random people at the store were coming up to me to compliment and ooo and aaah over the dress. "It's your dress!" they said. But I still wasn't sure and my mom hadn't seen the Enzoani dress yet.
Long story short, we went back to Victorian Rose to see the Enzoani together, Victorian Rose also offered to ordered the Allure dress (they carried the brand but not the dress), but in the end I decided to go to Bridalmart. I'm not sure how I made up my mind between the two, but the lace on Allure dress was much more prominent than the Enzoani-and heavy! I couldn't have worn that dress in the heat of the summer, but for April it was fine. The straps also gave it some originality. My dress ended up costing $1300 plus another $150 in alterations done by Unique Tailor in Raleigh. Of course it wasn't made from the finest lace and some bridal snobs may turn their nose up at it, but I love it and it was gorgeous and everything I wanted and it didn't break the bank. It photographed beautifully as well!!
My dress shopping advice
-it's your dress and not anyone else's, so put your opinion #1!
-as I said before, choose your budget and stay close
-try on every silhouette just to make sure (which I did do briefly at the beginning)
-take pictures! my mom took several of me in my dress. Out of the salon with a clearer head, pictures>mirrors
-lastly, look look look and don't settle!!
A photo from my bridals....later Hooman cropped it and removed the shadow and it became my bridal portrait <3
I think you made a great choice! It really suites you!! And I went by myself trying on dresses once and I actually enjoyed it. That's how I narrowed it down to two and had my sights set on the one. It's just so hard because NO one thinks like you and although you appreciate opinions, you want to be happy ultimately and not someone else! I may not have gotten a bunch of people who loved my dress, but it was me and I loved it and it made me happy! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat size did you get?
ReplyDeleteI got a size 8 and I am a street size 4! We took it in a little but it seemed to be a good fit.
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