The White Dress, and an Identity Crisis

This Sunday I decided that I am done with gown shopping. I have looked at too many gowns at this point. So many that my judgment about which ones I've liked best is becoming very clouded.

JT and I went to the White Dress in Corona Del Mar. This was by far the most traditional dress shopping experience of the bunch. There were lots of gorgeous dresses that you would expect to see at a wedding salon. And lots of very sweet, helpful sales people gushing all over me, telling me how amazing I looked. I chose to visit this salon because they were having a Vineyard Collection trunk show, and I was curious to see this collection because it's relatively affordably priced (keep in mind "relatively"). I tried on a LOT of dresses. But it was narrowed down to three. Of course, since this was one of those "traditional" shops, I couldn't take any pictures. We'll have to rely on the designers pictures, which truthfully do not do these dresses justice. They looked much better in person.

This is "Hayden" from the Vineyard Collection. Honestly, I think it looked better on me than it does here, because of how the light is reflecting on the fabric. But it looked very sexy and glam, and was really flattering to my figure.

The next one is by Anne Barge. I hesitated to try it on, because the silhouette is so "bridal," but the details are so cute. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the bust line has all these intricate pin tucks. Plus the dress has pockets!

Everyone in the store was wowed at how great it looked on me, myself included. I never would have thought that I'd like something like this...but I did. A lot. It was playful and fashionable. I think I was 30 seconds away from buying it. But then they stuck a veil on me, and suddenly I was a bride. This should be a good thing, right? Something just felt off. Here I am, championing the consignment shop, the budget friendly alternatives, the bohemian "non-bridal" dresses...am I really going to end up wearing a white, A-line strapless with a veil? From a bridal boutique?

We tried on one more gown. No one in the store thought I would like it as much as the previous two, but I actually loved it equally. Perhaps because it was closer to what I had imagined myself wearing from day one. This is "Britta" by Melissa Sweet.

Again, the photos do not do it justice because what makes this dress so special is the delicate floral beading on the chiffon, which just doesn't show up in the photo. But, I think this is actually out of my price range.

So, my dear readers, I implore you to leave your feedback. Do I stay true to my original vision of being the offbeat, hippie bride that I am, or do I embrace the brideyness for all it's worth?