Sometimes fifth time’s the charm.
By Sarah Kittredge
Take 1: Just the Beginning
I started dress hunting about a month or so after getting engaged. Chris and I had no venue and no wedding date set yet. Our engagement was still very new and we had no idea what we wanted, but the search began regardless. I wanted to start figuring out what styles I liked and what looked good on me. When we went to my very first bridal appointment in early February, I was nervous and had no idea what to expect. While it wasn’t the greatest experience, I did learn a valuable lesson that day; don’t let anyone take control of the appointment from you.
My first appointment was at the Bridal Shoppe on Warwick Avenue in Warwick. (There is limited parking there, so should you be interested in going, plan accordingly!). I went with my mom, my sister Becka and our family friend Lorraine. The building is small but has a decent selection of dresses, even for plus-size brides. I am 6 feet tall and am considered plus-size (I usually wear a size 18, give or take depending on the brand/style/cut). They had enough dresses for me to try a few different styles. For the hour and a half session I was allotted, I was able to try on about six gowns.
Now, I knew that I didn’t want to spend more than $1,000, which I know isn’t a lot to begin with when it comes to wedding dresses. From what I remember, the dresses I tried were pretty close to my budget. My only qualm with the appointment was that the saleswoman assisting us disregarded many of the dress choices my family and I had selected for me to try. The saleswoman was very nice and professional, though. I wouldn’t deter anyone from going there; it just wasn’t meant to be the place for me to find my dress.
Take 2: The Anastasia
We ended up leaving the Bridal Shoppe that day and stopping by David’s Bridal on Route 2 just to browse their racks. This would be the first of three times that I would visit David’s Bridal. That afternoon was busy, and they were very accommodating. (they offered me a slot in their schedule last minute). It was a very brief visit; I only tried on two gowns because it just got too crowded, and we were all starving by that point! I ended up scheduling an appointment to come back the following weekend. The best part of the half hour spent there, though, was the saleswoman I spoke with. I really wish I could remember her name! She was amazing and gave great suggestions for our venue search.
The following weekend, my mom, sister and I went back to David’s Bridal. Because they had overbooked bridal sessions that morning, we were able to go and look around an hour before they actually opened. It was amazing, and really gave me the opportunity to look and try dresses on without feeling overwhelmed. The woman who assisted us was a different saleswoman than before, but just as nice! I must have tried on at least ten gowns in the hour and a half given. The saleswoman offered suggestions and did bring over a couple that she thought I’d like, but didn’t step on anyone’s toes in the process. It was a really great experience, and helped to get me more excited about dress shopping! My mom picked out one dress that I really liked and called the “Anastasia” dress, but ultimately turned down because of the price. Even at $1,000, I couldn’t justify spending that much on a dress.
By the third and final time I went to David’s Bridal, I had come to find that I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted. The only problem was that the few gowns I found on their website and wanted to try on weren’t available at that time. David’s Bridal seems to have a lot of sales, but not everything online is in-store. And, if you order from them online, you cannot have your dress altered or hemmed in their stores. I wasn’t willing to take that risk, and decided to look elsewhere.
Take 3: The Lace Scallop
I was referred to Alexandra’s Boutique in Fall River by a good acquaintance. Let me tell you, if you want the “Say Yes to the Dress” experience, this is the place to go. It was a bit further to drive to, but worth it. The inside is gorgeous! Three stories of gowns with the second floor devoted exclusively to bridal attire. Each saleswoman is permitted their own dressing room with its own guest seating area. I went with just my mom this time, and we were both initially blown away. They had different areas devoted to different designers, and sizes were marked by different colored ribbons tied to the dress. It was definitely labor intensive walking around, finding gowns and carrying them back to the dressing room, but worth the experience! For the two hour session I was allotted, I believe I tried on six or seven gowns. It all came down to price, and although they had a very large selection, there were very few that stood to be less than $1000. Just like the Bridal Shoppe, photos weren’t permitted, which was a bummer. There was one lace gown I had been drawn to that I called the “Lace Scallop” dress, but the price held me back. This wouldn’t be the place to find my dress.
Take 4: The Party Dress
I was also referred to Party Dress Express in Fall River. My mom and I headed there after my appointment at Alexandra’s. One of my bridesmaid’s friends had gotten her dress here, discounted, and suggested I try it. They have A LOT of bridesmaid dresses. They had a smaller selection for bridal dresses, and a good amount of plus size gowns to try. There was a wall dedicated to discounted and out of stock gowns that you can buy as is, and I may have been tempted but I wasn’t too keen on the styles in that section. The girl assisting us was very nice and kept to my budget request. My mom insisted that I try on a gown that was $1500 but I soon wished I hadn’t because I really liked it. We called it the “Party Dress”. Again, I really couldn’t justify spending so much on a dress that I would only wear for one day. So we left.
Take 5: The One
This ended up being my final bridal dress excursion! I took a random Wednesday off from work and my mom decided to play hooky with me. There’s a plus size clothing store called Botticelli on Mineral Spring Avenue that used to sell bridal gowns, so we figured we’d stop by and ask for recommendations. The owner was great — her store has bridesmaid and mother of the bride dresses, all of which are available in plus sizes if need be — and she listed off a few other salons for us to try. One of those was Wishing Well Bridal in East Providence. I called first to be sure there was no problem stopping by, and then we headed over.
I was familiar with Wishing Well because I had gotten my bridesmaid dress for my friend’s wedding there two years ago. It’s a family-owned boutique and it has a lot to offer. The girl who assisted us was very pleasant. She gave my mom and I free reign to look around and pull gowns to try on. It also happened that they were having a sale, and had several discounted dresses that were further discounted. I can’t say that this is routine for them — it may have been that they were looking to clear out old stock to make way for new styles coming in — but I’m so glad we went. After just three dresses, I found mine! Regularly priced at about $1300, I got it for less than half and it is everything I wanted. It’s a white sweetheart neck-lined A-line dress with lace, white buttons down the back, a white satin waist sash, and a few crystal beads so it has a slight sparkle to it. And it’s my exact length and size. My mom and I both knew it was my dress the moment I put it on. I also knew that Susan, my future mother-in-law, would love it. The dress I bought was a discontinued gown, so I got to take it with me that day. It’s at home with me, just hanging up, and there hasn’t been a day yet that I haven’t looked at it. I absolutely love it!
I am pretty lucky to have found a gown for the price range I wanted and in my exact size and length, especially since I’m 6 feet tall! All I can say is, I’m so glad I started searching early, and gave myself enough time to look around so I wasn’t rushing into anything. Now I just have to wait fifteen months to wear it!