I had always dreamed of the day when I would be standing on a pedestal, surrounded by my nearest and dearest dressed in a white gown. So... the day after I officially said "yes to the dress", I decided to write about my experience so that I could always remember it! 

From one past bride to a future bride, here is my story! 

The ride from Pat and I's apartment to the bridal boutique was only about 25 minutes, but it felt like an hour. I don't know if I was anxious, excited, or anxiously excited but I could feel my heart beating faster and faster as we approached the shop. Strange and anxious thoughts started to pop into my head. 

"Should I wear my hair down today, even though I'll probably wear it up that day?!"

"Should I tell my mom to stop, so we can pick up a pair of shoes to try the dresses on with? (No, they obviously have shoes to sample there--duh!) 

Why was I so nervous? It's just a dress..... Well no, it's THE dress. The dress that I've been pinning ideas for on Pinterest since we got engaged last Christmas Eve. The dress I've been imagining myself walking down the aisle in for what seems like forever. The dress that would finally make me feel like all of this was actually REAL and happening.

To say I had a bridal crew with me that day would be an understatement. I had a full blown entourage. My mother, future mother in law, future sister in law, my maid of honor, aunt and grandmother all greeted me as we began to ascend the stairs to Ve'Lace Bridal's boutique shop. 

I took a quick glimpse of what would be our mini-sanctuary for the next hour. A white curved leather couch sat in the center of the room surrounded by beautiful bridal gowns. A floor length mirror stared back at me as I realized there were no other brides here. It was literally, just us. Just me. The way I had always hoped it would be. I knew I had found the perfect place! 

After chatting with one of the bridal consultants about my vision, (fit & flare, lacy look (well, not too lacy), textured accents, sparkle and a must needed belt that would tie everything together--yes I kinda knew exactly what I was looking for haha) it was time to start pulling gowns. 

All 7 of us began to scour the room, looking for that perfect gown. Some that we thought would work, others to just try "for fun"-- I honestly felt like a kid in a candy shop. Walking through the dresses as if I were in the lion, the witch and the wardrobe-- I overheard my nana and cousin talking about a gown on display. "This gown is beautiful, you need to try it on!" And they were right. It was beautiful. We pulled that last gown and made our way to the fitting room. 

As my bridal entourage clinked their champagne glasses on the couch to celebrate, I was in the little fitting room taking in the moment as I pulled on the first gown. 

Welp, here we go.

As I walked across the floor towards the white pedestal, I could feel that for the first time everyone's eyes were on me. What a strange feeling it was, standing there, staring at myself in the mirror in a bridal gown. I started to create a mental checklist as I turned to show off the different angles of the dress for everyone.

• Fit and flare? Check
• Sparkly? Check
• Textured accents? Check
• Lacy? Check

(Though we all agreed it was beautiful, I decided to try on a few more dresses for good measure.)

Dress # 2 : Pretty, but too much lace. I felt like a Dollie.

Dress # 3 : Beautiful, fit like a glove, but it just wasn't sparkly enough. Plain.

Dress # 4 : Lacy and straps? Too much, I couldn't even make the walk out to show everyone

Dress # 5 : Another lacy dress with straps that just didn't work out

Dress # 6:  More of a blush colored A-line....not a fan

None of the gowns fit or felt like the first one. They didn't have the sparkle that I was hoping for. Maybe it will be different if we added a little something? A belt? Yes, a belt! That's what we were missing the first time around. It has to be.

Belt # 1- Not enough sparkle and too much ribbon

Belt # 2 - Too skinny, way too skinny

And there it was. Belt # 3.

The Mon Cheri belt with the floral embellishments that sparkled as the consultant walked across the room with it. Looking into the mirror as she placed the belt below my chest, I got a weird butterfly type feeling in my stomach. Oh my god. This is it. This is what this actually feels like. For the first time, i could imagine myself getting married in this very gown.

As I turned around to show everyone, I couldn't help but blurt out "Yup! This is it!" And there they were-- cheering, agreeing as a happy set of tears shed throughout the room.

I looked at my mom and asked her what she thought. I honestly can't even remember what she said because the next thing I knew, she was standing there--crying right beside me on the pedestal and giving me the biggest hug. This was it. I found it.

The next several minutes have now become a blur but I did get to say the famous words, "yes! I'm saying yes to the dress"!

Advice for Future Brides: If I could give any advice to our future brides, I would definetely say to be open! Be open to the experience as a whole, and to try on different styles! You never know what style will work best until you give them all a try!