Where do you begin when wedding planning? Mr. Thirteen and I got engaged on December 23^rd and decided that we would wait until after the holidays to start planning our wedding. I am an event planner and waiting until January 1^st was a little hard to do. Of course, I took to the internet a few days later to see what was out there, no harm in looking online, right? I found theknot.com and started an account. It is a great site to keep track of our budget as well as a timeline and checklist for all of the other wedding details.

I’ve watched ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ and always thought how fun it would be to travel to New York City and try on dresses at their boutique but knew that wasn’t an option. As I was looking around online, I found many great local boutiques to go try on dresses and went for it. I set up appointments at three area shops one upcoming Saturday.

We first went to Ready or Knot {Wedding Chic} in Rockbrook Village. When I say we, I traveled with an entourage my first time dress shopping: my mom, my sister/Matron of Honor, two of my bridesmaids and another friend. This was my first time trying on dresses and I had no idea what to think or expect but I was open to ideas. I was never one of those girls who dreamed of her wedding dress, let alone a wedding. This was a big step for me in making this wedding real and it was so much fun! I probably tried on a dozen different dresses. I think I tried on every style she had and really liked what we called the “slammin’ lace” dress. A totally form fitted dress with lace from head to toe. It was gorgeous, but this was my first stop, I didn’t have that feeling and I knew I had to keep looking.

We took a break, had some lunch and chatted over all the great dresses I just tried on. After lunch, we stopped at Bridal Traditions near the Oakview Mall. They had some blush colored dresses which I wanted to try on as well as the designer Maggie Sottero who I found online. I let my entourage have fun here as each of us picked out a handful of dresses for me to try on. I walked into that fitting room and was overwhelmed at the number of dresses; there were easily 30 dresses in here. Even though there were a lot, it was fun to try each of them on and show my friends their picks.

“One piece of advice for anyone dress shopping, try on any and all styles of dresses you can find.”

I never thought I’d like a ball gown and the dress I liked best here was a ball gown we called the “wavy” dress.  Something that I would never have tried on if it weren’t for my friends. While I liked the “wavy” dress, I still had one more boutique to stop at today and so I wanted to keep looking.

My final stop was at Rhylan Lang at Regency Court, I had what some would call “the bridal moment” aka, I cried in a dress. All day I had wanted to try on a dress that was blush colored to match my rose gold engagement ring. Not that I wanted to wear a pink dress, but I had this image in my mind and I finally got that with some amazing rose gold accessories. The “polka dot” dress as we called it was gorgeous as well, but the accessories are what got me to cry. It was amazing but over my price range plus the accessories and I just couldn’t say yes to the dress.

“Another piece of advice, don’t feel like you have to have to cry in a dress to know it is the dress. I think some girls cry and some don’t — it all depends on who you are.”

I ended the day overwhelmed, but loved every minute of it. I wanted to keep trying on dresses one, because it was so fun to play dress up and two, because I knew I hadn’t found the one. I knew that the perfect dress was waiting for me, I just hadn’t found it.

A couple weeks later I went to Lincoln and stopped at Ellynne Bridal for more dress shopping. This time I only took my mom, a bridesmaid and another friend. Again, we all picked out styles to try on, however at this point, I knew I wanted something with more of a fit and flare look. My mom liked the more traditional bridal gown and my friends knew I was looking for something with an edge, something different. I knew what I liked and didn’t like at this point. I tried on a Maggie Sottero dress that I hadn’t tried on yet but seen in magazines and online. It was the dress to beat. I was in love with it and everyone could see it on my face. I talked about this dress for days I thought this was my dress.

“While it was a beautiful dress, it was very heavy and difficult to walk in. Something to consider when you will be wearing a dress all day long. I realized that I wanted to be comfortable (or as comfortable as I could be), still look amazing and feel like a bride.”

So the search continues. I decided I wanted to go back to Ready or Knot {Wedding Chic} this time with only my sister. Jocelyn and her staff were amazing to work with, she provided such great customer service and that means a lot to me as a bride-to-be when working with vendors. I gave her an update on what I was looking for: something lightweight with a fit and flare or mermaid style and organza was a preferred material. Jocelyn pulled a couple different dresses for me, I told her I wasn’t interested in trying the “slammin’ lace” dress again, I just knew it wasn’t my dress even though it was beautiful. First, she put me in the “wrinkle” dress.  A gorgeous lightweight dress with a sweetheart neckline, this dress was so easy to wear but I knew it wasn’t my dress.

Jocelyn then put me in two amazing dresses which were exactly what I was looking. Both had a sweetheart neckline, fit and flare style, lightweight and easy to move in. I went back and forth on these two dresses as I knew one of the dresses was mine. I could see myself wearing one down the aisle, marrying the love of my life. They were both similar in style but different in looks. One had more of a formal look to it and the other screamed “Miss Thirteen”. It was me. I knew this was it. Jocelyn knew it too and came to tell me the good and bad news. This dress had been discontinued by the designer and was no longer available to order. I was saddened, but Jocelyn then told me the good news, she was willing to sell me the sample dress as it was a good fit with, of course, a few alterations. I was in heaven. Not only was I getting the perfect dress but I was getting it under budget.

“I was so excited to find the perfect dress to marry the perfect man in. I had waited a long time to find Mr. Thirteen so I was thrilled to find the dress.”

I have to thank Jocelyn and the staff at Ready or Knot {Wedding Chic} for her patience with me in finding the perfect dress. With a little time and a lot of thought into what you want, you can find the perfect dress. Is it October 25^th yet? I can’t wait to wear this dress and see the look on Mr. Thirteen’s face when he sees me in it for the first time.