Member- ladytimberwolf
- 3 years ago
I’m not going to post pics yet because I am just at the beginning of my dress shopping journey (and it turns out my mom takes the crappiest pics ever, sorry, Mom). My wedding isn’t until next September, so I have a little time before I need to get an order in; however, part of this *IS* time sensitive.
I have always coveted many Watters/Willowby/Wtoo dresses, especially the Azriel & Penelope. I had pretty much written them off because I figured, from what I could tell online, that they were way out of my price range. (Note: it’s not necessarily an issue of affordability so much as, the principle – I have just never thought it made much sense to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a dress that I am going to wear once (though I do plan to sell it when it is over, so this could help recoup the costs).
I also had a ton of anxiety over dress shopping and did a lot of research to find places with good customer service reviews that were already in my price range-ish. This basically meant cutting out any stores in my nearest city that would be designated suppliers of Watters.
Lo and behold – at my first appointment yesterday, the store has stopped carrying Watters (presumably because there is now only one designated supplier in the city, not sure how the politics work on that, but I am assuming it involves a lot of money and negotiation)… but they do have some samples on the rack that they are selling for 50% off. Before I had even walked in, my Maid/Matron of Honor who arrived before me showed the consultant my inspiration pics and they had already put the Catheribe gown in my change room. With the discount, it was VERY affordable. It looked great, we all loved it, but of course we tried on some other dresses and I was pleasantly surprised that I looked good in a range of styles. Ultimately, we decided that I am definitely a fan of lace tops with flowy A-line tulle bottoms.
The gown looked great, not too heavy, very simple train, cute back, but being a sample, there are no flexibility on colours, so it came in plain ivory. We do question whether I might look better in a rose gold or blush type gown: https://www.watters.com/wtoo/products/catherine
The best part was is that the consultants were not pushy and offered to put a hold on the dress for a few days (closed for the rest of the weekend and first few days of next week so it works out well for me.) They even encouraged me to attend the next appointment we had at a different salon later yesterday.
So off we went, and the consultant there was also super nice and not pushy. She showed me some great options – I’d say that most things I ended up liking were in the 1100-1400 range, which isnt technically what I “budgeted,” but I always knew going in that I would expand the budget slightly if there was a clear winner (I just don’t want to end up spending a ton of cash on a dress, like I mentioned). Anyway, tried on some great options, ended up really liking some Allure separate bodice and tulle skirt combinations – one of the bodices gives more character, similar to the Azriel gown, but even more elaborate. The particular combo is pictured on the model here: http://www.allurebridals.com/products/A2010 (the other bodice looks quite cute too, but less lace and more corset type: http://www.allurebridals.com/products/A2001).
Of course, looking back on the pictures my mom took, neither the Catherine or the Allure separates look optimal on me due to still needing to be taken in, etc., although I am sure I would ultimately be happy with either dress if I was not given the choice at all (Catherine had just the right amount of tulle, I would definitely have to remove some from the skirt on the Allure… I tried on a very similar dress to the Catherine but by Stella York – https://www.essensedesigns.com/stella-york/wedding-dresses/6025/ – which I could order in some other colours…) alternatively, I could suck it up and go try on the other Watters gowns at the only designated retailer – customer service and budget aside to see if the bodices on the Azriel or Penelope are worth the extra expense (which I am concerned will be excessive in Canadian dollars based on the prices I have seen floating around).
I have an appointment on Wednesday to try on some dresses at a consignment bridal boutique, so who knows, they may have my dream dresses at affordable prices – the only issue will be what I can do with the sizes available.
But if that doesn’t pan out, the question really is – how important is it to have the “PERFECT” dress and how far from your budget would you stray (even if cost isn’t really an issue), and would you pick the deal on the dress that you like (but is on a time-sensitive hold) or keep shopping around just to be sure (at risk of losing the deal)? Also, let’s not forget that alterations are going to be required for whatever dress i pick, but will likely cost a bit more on the bodice with the illusion back due to having to get it to lay all smooth and flat.
I like to think i am a pretty laid back person – I don’t need to have zillion dollar dress, but I want to look beautiful in my wedding pictures. To me, the deal is tempting (hell, maybe I could even sell it if I find another winner), but I also don’t want to be one of those people who keeps shopping after they have already bought a dress… It’s very nice and I don’t think I am ever going to be one of those brides who is wowed and cries at their dress. But I have also tried on a few other great dresses (heck, I tried on this satin one that I never thought I would be interested in having in a million years and it actually looked amazing, also it had POCKETS, though the train was a bit much… but I decided to rule it out due to my lace and tulle fixations….) and cant help, but wonder if I would be happier in something with just a little more something extra (ie. either a coloured version of the Catherone or a similar gown, or something with a little more embelleshment on the bodice like the Allure or one of my fantasy dresses like the Azriel).
Sorry for the ramble, but I am indecisive by nature and I really just need advice on HOW TO MAKE A DECISION.
