Dress Shopping Fiasco

WARNING!! Very long post!! TLDR I found my dress even with a bad experience.

I got a comment from a bridesmaid about my dress and thought I would elaborate. For those who this is the top post read the "Only Two Day" post first.

So since trying on some dresses on Jan 2nd I was feeling hesitant on the dress I really like. I feel it is super fancy and didn't know if it was right for the type of more casual wedding I want to have. I also wanted to show Dan's mother the dress.

A little more background information...I wanted to find a gown from David's Bridal (a chain store). The nice thing about a chain is that they have a location near every bridesmaid that I have (3 cities) and also there is one in Champaign IL and Madison WI. This I thought would allow me to try on dresses with my family and friends in Madison and then re-try on for the people down here. This was my intention on Sun. I wanted to decide if the dress was really right by putting it on again. I always second guess myself and needed some more time with the gown.

I walked into the store and was greeted kindly by the reception person and that is where the customer service ended. My consultant (if you can call her that) asked me my name in a whisper because she couldn't remember what the receptionist said to her. She never introduced herself nor asked Dan who he was or his name. So we went on our way, I feel I know the drill already and was getting set to try on the dresses. So with a clip-board in hand Stacy couldn't figure out much about what sizes I needed or anything. I told her my bra size which then resulted in her handing me two bras that weren't the right size saying "One of these should work." After that I was left to stand in my bra and slip for quite awhile before she even came back. While I was outside the dressing room (yes in undergarments tehee) she came up to me and said they she couldn't find any of the dresses that I wanted to try on. I was shocked as I had 5 dresses with two being contenders for the real thing and they didn't have any. So she left and eventually came back with one dress. The halter top wasn't my favorite so at least I could rule that style out and stick with the cap-sleeves/off the shoulder straps dresses. Eventually, she told me that I could go and look through the dresses and that she would try and find some that she thought I would like. I walked into the aisle and it didn't take long before I found it (my dress). I grabbed it and Dan's mother and I went back to the dressing room. Once Stacy came back she asked me about the dress (I was thinking did she not know this was on the list). I told her this was the dress that I was sure was the "one". So I got in it and remembered why I liked it so much. I came out of the dressing room (not hard since she dressed me with the door open) and saw Dan and his mom's faces light up. I knew from that moment that they both loved it and remembering back to Madison, everyone loved it there too. This is when I got annoyed, Stacy asked me what I liked and didn't like about the dress. I definitely told her this is the one multiple times and she had the nerve to ask me what I didn't like about the dress. After that I kinda dismissed much of what she said. To me the personalization of Beth at the Madison store far out weighs anything I experienced here. Stacy seemed like she just wanted the sale and to get her commission. She kept trying to get me to commit to the gown. The alteration woman came over and answered a few questions but didn't approach me very kindly. She abrasively told me the dress didn't fit and I would need a larger size. I was quite shocked because I didn't realize until some research last night that the gowns run really small. I feel like I'm a slender petite woman being forced into the idea that I need a gown 8 sizes larger than my pant size. That just left me horrified and the normal, Ugh I'm so fat feeling. I know that I'm not but neither of the sales people tried to help me understand based on measurements and that my waist (rib cage) is much larger in proportion to my bust and hips. This causes my need for a much larger size.

All in all this experience left me feeling drained and in doubt about getting a fancier dress in general. It took a lot of thinking and crying yesterday to realize that I shouldn't care about anything but what I look like in the dress. I think it looks very nice and hopefully if I get the larger size I won't have to alter it down 2 or 4 sizes. That would make me upset once again. However, I have learned that David's Bridal in Champaign is not somewhere I would like to shop nor give my money too. If I end up buying this dress (I still want another opinion about altering) I am buying it in Madison even if that means I have to drive up there a lot. The Madison location was by far a better experience and my consultant there Beth deserves every bit of her commission when I purchase the gown.

At least I got one thing accomplished from my visit yesterday. I have been VERY wrong in my thinking that the dress isn't right for me and can say without a doubt that I want to wear that gown on my big day. I hope for those who see it that day agree that it is just right for me.

Love everyone and thanks for letting me vent a little.