Blogging Bride: The Pursuit
“When a girl feels that she’s perfectly groomed and dressed she can forget that part of her. That’s charm” F. Scott Fitzgerald
Theo had told me he wanted my dress to be a total surprise.
Luckily, I found the dress a lot sooner than I anticipated.. The experience of dress shopping was so fleeting, I almost wish it dragged out so I can enjoy and bask in it’s glow for a few more days … I got lucky and can check off Yes Dress on the wedding madness list!
I didn’t realize that dress shopping would be so… FUN. I loved every moment of it- even when I thought to myself “I love them all! How will I choose?”. It was the first time in my entire life that I felt that I can justify spending a bit more on a luxury garment – something I only get to wear once, and something that hopefully Theo and everyone will find beautiful during the ceremony. It’s probably similar to what a dancer or performer feel when they do their first performance and everyone anticipates what they will wear and notice their presence and every admirable aesthetic detail.
I am petite – 5 foot nothing in height so my main priority was to feel beautiful, alluring, and NOT feel like I was “playing dressup in a grown up gown”. Being petite, my problem with clothes is feeling like “nothing fits” most of the time. At apparel stores, I often wish I have 5 extra inches on me while trying on clothes. While I am petite, I have a fairly athletic build and since my waist is small- 23. 5 inches a consultant suggested I wear a dress that would focus on that.
Some things I learned (that I did not know before) from 2 weeks of the Yes Dress Pursuit:
♥ Bridal Dress Boutiques require appointments. I walked in 3 different places- made appointments for all 3. Wedding Time had a 3 week wait yes, even for weekday appointments. I found the Yes Dress the week before the appointment and canceled.
♥ It’s not like shopping in a store. You don’t walk around and pick 15 dresses you want to try on. Because you are allocated an hour- to an hour and a half, you will probably try on 5-6 dresses max. Your consultant will try to help you find about 5- 7 dresses and narrow it down from there. Try to have an idea of what you want- mermaid, classic, beads, satin vs lace, etc. I knew NOTHING about dresses, cut, fabric so the first 2 places were a bit experimental.
♥ You try on the dress and they will most likely use clippers to pull back the dress for you to make it “feel fitted”. From there, if you pick the dress they take your bust, waist, and hips measurements and order the dress. It might take 4-8 months for the dress to come and then .. alterations! Plan early.
♥ I was quoted $175- 500 for veils in the store!! My jaw dropped. They are fun to try on but I think I’ll find one online for $10-$60. Also, the idea of making one with fancy sheer fabric, sequins, and a hot glue gun is really appealing…
♥ I found that my ideal outfit for shopping was: a simple pull over dress that was easy to put on and take off. I also wore a simple strapless bra and some black spanx so I felt comfortable stripping in front of the consultant and my friends while trying on dresses.
♥ I created an iphoto stream and invited friends including my event planner Victoria Flame, so while I was shopping, they were also “virtually ” with me as well.
love the bead work
I knew a dress was a strong contender when I hear the consultant and my friends tell me, “ you look so happy when you had that dress on”. Since I am a pretty expressive person especially when I am excited, it was easy for my friends to spot and feel my joyfulness when I tried on something that felt right.
I went to 2 bridal places , that had rental options, during the weekday by myself. The ladies that helped me were so patient and very helpful. One place did not allow photos. One place said if I did rentals- I can save cost on the dress.. and maybe that means if I love 2 dresses- I can get both! Tempting.. I resisted that notion.
After shopping with my friend Susan in Glendale, the following week – I narrowed it down to 2 dresses. Both VERY different styles but both glamorous, fitted, lovely. Susan is a great friend to have during dress shopping- she is very honest – “I love the dress but don’t like the bottom at ALL”. She helped me picked out dresses. She took pictures and got excited when I was excited. And since we been friends through so much, this was another memory to add to our already collective life changing memories. Another tip- bring your best friend!
not “Yes Dress”
One bridal shoppe offered a 15% discount for the July 4th weekend. I told myself that I would only feel comfortable after going home and sleeping on it. Susan brought over pho soup and after refueling we looked at the 2 dresses on my big screen TV for close ups. We couldn’t decide, every time I thought I made a decision, I snuck a peek at the other dress and it was love all over again for that other dress.
The next day, I decided to go back to the 2 stores to have another look. My friends Regina and Danielle came with me – it was helpful to have another sets of eyes and they were super excited- it was their first bridal dress shopping experience too!
Lovella Bridal opened their shop for me luckily (they are appointments only but maybe the girl could sense that I was going to pick THE ONE that day). She found the 2nd contender dress (originally found at a different store). They had excellent lighting and after trying on “the Yes Dress” I knew. My friends gasped when I came out and I lit up when I was in it.
The other store offered 15% off and even though Lovella wanted to price match, they could only lower it by $200. I learned that you need to explore prices on wedding items, many things are negotiable or can be found 3 blocks down for a lower price.
I went to Karoza Design (a business own by a Husband and Wife team), tried Yes Dress on again, and ordered the dress! Bonus was I saved $400-$500.
After I purchased the dress and made it mine, the owner of the boutique exclaimed “ Now shoes!”
xoxo,
Mai
1. Skipping the bouquet toss– Love that this is slowly going out of style. More time for your guests to focus on your happiness and not feel shamed into sticking with this tradition.
Our story began before we were even aware of it unfolding. Theo’s injured elbow (too many pushups?) brought him to the same Sport’s Medicine Clinic I was at. Theo and I formed a gradual affectionate friendship and after some pretty spectacular hikes, delightful dining, picnics, action hero movies, our friendship bloomed into something more everlasting- lively dating and romantic gestures. Together, we bring out each other’s creative side, sense of adventure and playful exploration, and inspire each other intellectually and spiritually. The last 2 years was a tango of romantic encounters and adventures and many firsts. Theo continued to surprise me in many ways- handpicked flowers to come home to, love notes, new songs on his guitar, and small gestures that are big gestures of love. We call 2 great cities “home” – Vancouver and Culver City.We are thankful for everyone in our lives and for the opportunity we have to start our lives together as a soon to be married couple!
On Friday the 13th, of December, Theo sent me on a surprise treasure hunt through the hills of Los Angeles. The treasure was something so special, beautiful, and hopeful- I said YES! Of Course!Theo planned it out for months and carefully executed the treasure hunt so it would be a surprise. He told NO ONE of his plans.My two good friends Susan and Simon were there when Theo, who was supposed to be in Vancouver, sent me a text and said- “I left something in the car underneath the seat a week ago”.Because Love Notes are common in our relationship, I smiled when I found the charcoal rectangular box, neatly wrapped with a thin silver ribbon. Inside that box was a treasure map. The finish included coordinate points (longitude and latitude) that I plugged into my phone. I was on a time crunch that afternoon and asked Theo if I could hold off until the next day.Luckily, I decided to go on the hunt and told my friends I would see them after the hunt.
He got down to one knee and proposed. The classic ring fit perfectly and was sparkling bright. The sky was on fire before it got dark, Theo was hoping I would come at sunset and I barely made it in time! It was very romantic and reminds me of our first whimsical Hollywood Hike together.We couldn’t stop smiling for days after!.JPG)
