No Lace?!

Friday I bought a wedding dress! I'm still a bit in shock, but it's a good kind of shock. I came up to New Jersey to see my parents and go dress shopping with my mom. We went first to a small store in NJ and then took the train into New York. Though the store in NJ was nice, there selection was limited. We left there with a favorite dress in mind, only to find it again at RK Bridal in New York.

RK Bridal on a week day was a totally different store from the chaos of my last visit (on a Saturday). There was a hand full of other brides going through the racks and trying on dresses. No place was it too crowded, and the women working there seemed happy and relaxed. I put my name on the list and there were only 4 names a head of mine. My mom and I had just enough time to search through the racks and pull 7 dresses to try on. Included in my 7 dresses was my favorite dress from the store in NJ (WToo Mariella). I also had the Dessy Destinations 1021 and 1016, from my previous visit to RK.

After trying on all of the dresses, it was clear that the dress I had found in NJ just didn't hold a candle to some of the others. We narrowed it down to three dresses, and then finally to two. But here's the kicker. Only one of the final two dresses had lace! One dress was the Dessy Destinations 1016 and the other was WToo' Carolina. My mom and I left the store and went across the street to Starbucks to ponder. While the 1016 has lace and is very form fitting, the Carolina is stellar dress. It has an interesting texture, a 1940's feel, and a great shape and flow to it.

Back in RK Bridal we looked at the two dresses side by side and it was pretty clear which one we both thought was the best. So we picked it up and headed over to the front desk. They took my measurements, let us take pictures, and put in the order. My dress will arrive in August!

In the end, I'm ok with not having any lace on the dress. The point of the lace was to have an interesting texture, the Carolina definitely delivers on that. Plus, it still has a vintage feel and a flattering shape, not to mention there was no other dress in the store quite like it. Now I need find a seamstress and a nice bright color for the sash! I am also going to take some of the train off and turn it into cap sleeves. I think it will be a light, fun, and classy dress for our garden wedding.

Here is a close up of the fabric.
Just a tease, though, you'll have to wait for the wedding to see the dress!