All Dressed Up

Tried on wedding dresses this past weekend - and did so with an entourage consisting of dear friends, Pammy, Jen, and Ems. My first appointment was made at Priscilla of Boston in San Francisco. Stepping into this bridal salon was like stepping into a prism of sparkly ponies and rainbows. The place was that girlicious. Crystal chandeliers dripped form the ceiling, pale pink velvet chairs were perfectly placed outside the main dressing room, silver end-tables and mirrors accessorized the space, and sunlight bounced off the fresh white walls. The interior of Priscilla's of Boston in SF is every girl's dream. Every girl but me! I was terrified. *shiver* White isn't exactly the most slimming of colors, and the thought of wearing something long also had me feeling uneasy...

Luckily I was assigned an understanding bridal consultant in Hannah. She was incredibly patient and attentive - actually listening to what I was looking for: Art Deco, vintage-feel, love texture, hate poof.

I left with two Melissa Sweet "maybes" in mind. Neither was the one (strapless gowns just don't look right on neck-less lil' me), but I was excited to have survived my first gown stop...

Later that afternoon, my entourage minus Ems, accompanied me to Bridal Galleria at Embarcadero. I could not have possibly had a more UNPLEASANT experience. I was assigned the bridal consultant from hell. She did not listen to what I wanted - pulling one colored, poofy gown after another - and actually inflicted a not so Pretty Woman moment upon me. (Remember Marie, Snobby Salesperson #2?) My consultant could not have been more rude or condescending. Profanity hovered at the edge of all our lips, but being the ladies that we are, we resisted. Had we not eaten right before the session, there most certainly would have been a beat-down.

I suppose it was a good thing that we sucked it up, because we eventually came across a dress - the very last one that I tried on - that I LOVED. A delicate chantilly lace gown in ivory with side button detail by Monique Lhuillier. See picture above - while keeping in mind that this model is strangely-thin and alien-like. It's clings to the body, providing no help in the form of boning or corsets, but built-in undergarments aside, it's everything I'd hoped for in a wedding dress. Nothing that a full-body flesh-toned Spanx couldn't fix :) Old-Hollywood, Art Deco glam without being fussy. Me likee.

We weren't allowed to take photos of the dress (just another neg to mention about Bridal Galleria), and even worse, my awful bridal consultant wouldn't even give me the name of the dress for fear that I'd go elsewhere to purchase it. *exasperated sigh* Whatevs... using my pea-brain and Google, I was able to locate the name of the dress: Aimee. A design from Monique Lhuillier's 2007 collection. A definite MAYBE!!!

Also pictured: A wedding dress by Carolina Herrera that I couldn't possibly pull off. It's a Transformer! (One can unsnap the bottom tier resulting in a short dress to sport later.) Somewhere, someone is doing this gown justice. Too beautiful not to post.