Wedding Dress Bliss #FredNMimiSayIDo

My first attempt at trying on wedding dresses didn’t go so well. Mom and I started off at a boutique where the first dress I tried on was stunning and fit me like a glove. I fell in love with it! Going in I had no idea what I was looking for in a wedding dress, but at that moment, I knew…THAT was the dress I wanted.

That next week I could only think of that dress. Someone suggested going to a consignment shop. I was thinking, “I really don’t want to go to Goodwill to search for a wedding dress.” It really wasn’t the direction I wanted to go. I figured if it came down to it, I’d head back to David’s Bridal, and really spend a lot of time trying on a variety of dresses.

I don’t know what happened, but I decided to search Google for used wedding dresses. Actually I think I typed in “consignment wedding dresses.” One place came up, and thankfully I clicked on it. It was to a parent site Success In Style. Their mission is to

“assist women and men in crisis in becoming employed and self-sufficient.”

One of their retail stores is called Cherie Amour. They take in donated wedding dresses, as well as formal attire for men and women for any occasion. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get in touch with them. I started by checking them out on Facebook. Just scrolling through their page, I saw that their dresses were beautiful and affordable!

I emailed them and got an appointment for April 18th. I really didn’t want to wait, but I was so excited my friend from church to go shopping with me. So, wait I had to do.

The day finally came and off we went! Because they’re a donation site, there was no way for me to know what kind of selection they would have. Turned out we were the first appointment of the day! They had just gotten done adding on a new section, and that’s where I was taken to try and my two handfuls of dresses.

First one I tried on I knew I wasn’t interested. I didn’t even come out of the changing room. lol The next dress I tried on…BINGO! I came out and Gail loved it right along with me! it fit perfectly, and it had the lace that reminded me of the first dress I tried on!! I almost felt like not trying any more on, but moved on to the next 4 dresses. She and I both liked one of the other dresses, and had my wedding been more of a formal affair, I may have gone with it.

Gail was so cute because she was enthusiastic and really was there to totally help me. She carried my dresses, and even went in search of other dresses as I changed in case I found something else that I could get altered. In the end, the first one I came out in was THE dress.

Guess how much it was?

No, really. Guess.

GUESS!!

Ok, fine, I’ll tell you. $125! I don’t think I saw one gown there over $300. And that $300 dress was stunning! I would imagine people spent thousands of dollars on these dresses.

Now these dresses are NOT consigned or throwaway dresses. They are beautiful, well taken care of dresses. Cherie Amour was a gorgeous boutique, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience if I’d tried.

One of the things we noticed with many of the dresses were notes written on them from the previous brides. Sadly mine didn’t have one. The notes were super sweet and very encouraging.

I’ll have to have my wedding dress altered slightly at the top. I’m not “full” enough up there so I’m going to need some help. Once again, the ladies at the boutique came through and gave me inserts and found this stick on type bra. It’s very interesting to say the least.

I’m also so happy about the dress because I know I’ll be able to wear it more than once. I might not have a lot of opportunities, but it’s simple enough to be worn to a formal event. there’s no train, and it’s not ball gown type so it’s perfect for our little venue! I can’t wait to wear it. Heck, maybe I’ll wear it while I’m working!

How many dresses did you try on before you found the ONE?