I already had the perfect man, now I needed to find the perfect gown. Honestly, dress shopping sounded like a daunting task to me. I started looking online because I had a certain idea in mind when it came to what I wanted for my wedding gown. I found Mikaella by Paloma Blanca Style #2206 online and instantly knew it was special (and EXACTLY how I envisioned my dress to be).
I live in the Chicagoland area and started contacting boutiques within a 100 mile radius. Unfortunately, many boutiques did not even respond back to my inquiries, and the ones that did, did not carry this dress. I refused to go to a boutique that didn’t carry this specific dress – sure, I knew I might not even like it once I tried it on, but I wanted to at least TRY it. Once my mind is set on something, it is not easily changed.
I had been traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina for work about once a month, and was sitting on the plane when I randomly decided to Google bridal boutiques in the area. I found one that was about 20 minutes from CLT airport, called them while sitting on the plane to see if they carried the Mikaella dress that I was so obsessed with, and they DID, I told them I was headed out there and made an appointment for 30 minutes after I was scheduled to land.
I ended up at the boutique by myself, hair in a messy ponytail, decked in my finest comfy LuluLemon workout clothes, looking sweaty and a bit tired. I tried on the dress, had a glass of champagne in my hand, the girls at the boutique kindly took a bunch of pictures for me, and I stood there staring at the gown while I called up my mom and my girls.
I knew this dress was the one, I just felt silly that I was there alone and hadn’t tried on any other dress. I asked one of the boutique workers if I would regret not trying on other dresses and she asked “Are you typically someone that makes up their mind about something and then that’s that?” to which I replied “I sure am”, and she said “Then I think this is perfectly normal”. After 100% positive feedback and love from my ladies, I finally took the dress off and said that I wanted to make a purchase. I am SO happy that I did. This was my dream gown, fit my body like a glove, and my husband absolutely loved it! Although, I must say, he DID tell me “It doesn’t matter what kind of dress you’re wearing, as long as YOU are in it”. Cue the smiles and kisses, I clearly found the sweetest man that I could ever ask for.
