Wedding Dress Searching

The first thing I wanted to do when Alex and I got engaged was to find a wedding dress. I started looking on blogs such as Brides.com, Ruffled, the Knot and WeddingWire. After perusing the Internet, I was definitely more drawn to the new Spring 2014 line by BHLDN and Tara Keely designed by Lazaro.

After doing some research on designs that I liked, I then searched for upcoming trunk shows. Benefit of trunk shows is that most designers will offer some sort of discount. Luckily for me, there was a Tara Keely trunk show happening in Tampa in February. BHLDN has just started to open shops up as part of Anthropologie stores, but at the time I was searching for a dress, none of the shops had opened. They did have a warehouse sale in Philly that I considered going to, however, I ended up finding my dress before the sale.

The BHLDN dresses that I was obsessed with included this gorgeous Onyx Gown. Love the tulle skirting.

I originally thought that I wanted a dress that was fit & flare, with straps and all lace. I found this beautiful dress by Tara Keely 2306 (designed by Lazaro.)

I also found this beautiful more modern laced Tara Keely (2352)

I worked with Ashley at The White Magnolia in Tampa and asked if they would have the desired dresses in the shop for me to try on during my appointment. If you are considering visiting a bridal boutique, I would definitely call ahead as they do not carry every dress of a designer.

Luckily, the White Magnolia was absolutely wonderful to work with and had a few of the dresses shipped in for the trunk show - and without cost. Another trunk show I was considering attending for Tara Keely was going to charge me $75 per dress to have shipped in.

And so it was - at 4am on a Saturday, I hopped on a plane and headed down south to Tampa to try on dresses. It was an amazing experience and one I recommend every bride experiencing. I made sure to try on ball gowns, fit & flare, straps, strapless...the whole works. I mean, when else will you have this opportunity?

After trying on about six or seven dresses, it came down to two. Between the two left, I did not have that overwhelming feeling of "this is the one". I swear they make that up for TV ratings. I ended up going with the dress that my mother liked best and the one that 20 years from now, I think I'll still love. And as much as I want to share "the one" on the blog - I am going to wait until after the wedding day.

Thank you again to Ashley at The White Magnolia. It was one memory I will hold close forever!

XO,
Audrey