Dress Shopping Part III

This past Saturday I went wedding dress shopping with AnnMarie. One could say this was her first official duty as bridesmaid. I made an appointment at Annette Bridals Inc. on Central Avenue in Albany. AnnMarie and I arrived at 10:30 AM and were given instructions on how to proceed. We looked through several tightly-packed racks of dresses and pulled out the ones I wanted to try-on. Then AnnMarie took her place out in the front room on a chair while Annette and I went into a dressing room. Annette assisted me in putting on each gown (which were all several sizes too big) and adjusted the size with clothes pins to try to make the dresses fit better. I then came out into the front room to look in the mirror and have AnnMarie snap a photo (which was allowed here). Most of the dresses I tried-on were just too big to properly visualize how they would really look when the correct size was ordered and the proper alterations made.

Now is a good time to tell you what my wedding dress criteria is (and has been) since I began dress shopping a couple of months ago. "No beads, no sequins, no lace." I have stated this goal in every store I've been to. The reactions I've received have all been a little different and amusing. Mind you, I have been and are quite willing to try-on dresses that do contain one, some, or all of these characteristics. But, my initial hunch was correct that I prefer the dresses without. After trying-on a few different shapes of dresses, I knew pretty early that I also preferred a "mermaid cut" (aka "trumpet cut", aka "fishtail cut"). My last [and most ridiculous] criteria is that I want the dress to be symmetrical. When I first realized this, I remembered saying the same thing to the jeweler who was designing my engagement ring. [This also goes with the "even distribution" trend I aspire for while cooking and eating.]

Now back to dress shopping. AnnMarie and I lost track of time at Annette's and politely made our exit after 2 hours! I think Annette would have just kept bringing more and more dresses for me to try-on until I eventually bought one (or at least said I would). She was the most pushy of all the bridal shop consultants I've dealt with so far. She stated several times while we were there that she has "the biggest selection" of dresses in the area. And that she could order or alter any dress that way I wanted it (i.e. without crystal appliques or beading). She had a unique personality that mostly amused me, but one would have to be patient and open-minded to appreciate and patronize her store.

After Annette's, we rushed up the Northway to Juliet House of Brides in Latham for a 1:00 PM appointment. The parking lot was empty and the store was deserted. We were in and out in 10 minutes. I told the sales woman what I was looking for (with the caveat that I was still open-minded to other possibilities) and she basically told me that they don't have any dresses for me, but that we could look anyway. Their dress selection was much smaller than Annette's. I tried on 3 dresses in just a few minutes and was told to come back in January when "the new line comes out." [Yeah right, like I'm waiting until January!].

After our dress shopping extravaganza, AnnMarie and I went to My Place & Co. on Delaware Avenue in Delmar for a late lunch.

After three seperate dress outings and five different stores, there are two dresses that I have found that fit all my criteria. The first dress I tried-on from David's Bridal and the 2Be Bride dress from Yvonne's. I like the 2Be Bride dress a little bit more...