I Bought My Dress Yesterday!

I am SO happy!

Thank you to the BDW ladies who helped me figure out this was a DaVinci dress - I seriously spent about 6 weeks trying to figure it out on my own with no luck before it occurred to me to ask on here. duh. see here for the full story http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t14133

I had to go find it somewhere else to try on because the place I ended up buying it from recently sold their sample, so she said just go try it on somewhere else and then come in and she would match a low price i found.

Here are some photos of me in the dress, this one I tried on was way too big (I wear a street size 8, and this dress was a bridal size 14! holy cow what is with bridal sizes trying to make us feel fatter...) so in the photos it just looks like im fat toward the top, because the top fabric is slightly stiff where the lace is.

I ordered it one full size down (in ivory, which is the color I tried on, with an ivory sash since it comes with a sash no matter what) based on the measurements Elizabeth took before I ordered it this afternoon. So based on that size I ordered I will need it taken in a bit at the top of the halter in the back, right by my underarms, just slightly in the waist and length just a little in the front. In the photos, the bust is not quite fitted right, it will sit slightly lower on me so I show just a little bit of cleav (I am getting married in a church, cant have too much haha)

She had me try on another DaVinci gown in the size I was ordering just to tell for fit and it fit perfectly. I cannot believe she matched the price I found online... the final price I ended up paying was $458.37 WITH TAX on a dress that everyone else is listing for $800 right now because it's a Fall 2007 gown. When it originally came out she said the list price was $1200, so I got an AMAZING deal!! Wooooooo! And she quoted me $87 for the alterations listed above, which is nothing. I'm thinking about having her slightly V-cut the back where it zips, and add a couple more pickups toward the bottom of the skirt, because she had me try on another DaVinci gown for sizing that had them all the way down, and that looked great too.

this dress needs a french under bustle, so my seamstress will do that for me to create some kind of strong loop or snap or button or something like that. she said she would show me some options.

oh and i am swapping out the sash it comes with -- my best friend is giving me her champagne colored sash from her monique llhuillier wedding gown that she wore in 2006-- it will be my something old.

I could not be happier to have come across this tiny dress shop. The owner is so amazing and she is personally doing all my alterations, she is so sweet and I will definitely pass along anyone I know in Chicago looking for a dress. The shop is a hole in the wall place in Pilsen that I never even knew existed, but damn am I glad I found it.

so without further ado..... i give you my first photos of me in my dress!!!

i didnt have the crinoline underneath arranged properly so it looks flat from the side here, but it will be a bit fuller when i do it right. we were in a hurry to get pics because they didnt allow pics where i tried it on, so my cousins shut the door and one stood against it while the other took the photos haha

lol, great story about how you got the pics! thanks for not letting us down!

The dress looks great -- and WOW what a deal! YOu are lucky to have found it at that price!

You are going to be a beautiful bride!

It's gorgeous! I love that neckline on you! It looks amazing!

It looks amazing!!! and you got such an amazing deal!!!! That's awesome!

Its beautiful! And what a great price!!! Congrats Maura!

Beautiful! Congrats on such a great find.

Congrats on dress--it looks beautiful!!!!

You look so beautiful Maura! I love the dress on you...you're like a princess!

Congrats on the dress. You look beautiful!

Oooh, I really love it!!! I can't believe you got it at such an amazing deal, I'm seriously jealous. It sounds like you went to the right bridal salo; they'll take good care of you.

One thing I was wondering about, was the pickups. You mentioned that you wanted her to add more towards the bottom, but will there be enough material to do that??

Haha, I did the same thing with my mom for pictures. I told the lady that my mom was going to help me with the dress, she'd come in and snap a few pictures... and because we're paranoid freaks, we'd talk the whole time. My mom would say something like, "oh this is a tight knot!". lol.