"Wow, that's beautiful!" OR "Woah, what was SHE THINKING?"

[islandbride317]

Hi, Ladies --

 

Here is my current Dress dilemma: I jumped the gun and purchased one dress already for the ceremony about a month after I got engaged last August, and now I'm just not smitten with it anymore. Don't get me wrong; there's nothing "wrong" with my original dress per se, but I really want something with more of a "WOW!" factor, and think I might have found THE DRESS, but I need some serious second opinions! (I returned to David's Bridal a second time last week by myself because expressing to my mother and my sister that I now want a formal, "princess" dress has been more than a sensitive issue (to say the least) and they are not being receptive to the idea They think it's frivolous since I already have one dress, but it's my one and only wedding day, and I don't want to be standing at the alter wishing I had gone with my heart and gotten the dress of my dreams, you know?

 

Anyway, before I decide to buy, I wanted to show you all the 1st dress purchased (which I plan to shorten and still wear for the AHR) and the 2nd dress I really love, but want to know if you all think it's "Too Much" or "Just Right"! (Oh, and one more detail about the 2nd dress -- it's one of the new styles for 2009, so it wasn't even available when we went dress shopping last Fall!

 

1st Dress:

 

 

AND, here is the dress I currently have a MAJOR crush on! (P.S. please excuse the obvious few extra pounds I've put on -- they'll be off before May next year if it's the last thing I DO!

 

 

 

 

So, dear friends, which reaction do you think it will get:

 

"Wow! That's Beautiful!"........OR "Woah! What the H*LL was she thinking?!"

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

[islandbride317]

Oh, yeah...and I think the sample of dress #2 I tried on was ivory (or maybe the flash on the camera wasn't on, which is making the dress look a lot darker in the pic than I remember when I had it on!) I definitely want full WHITE if I go with this dress!

[itsfinallyhere]

I love the second better then the frist. The first is nice but the second is the wow. You llok so beautiful and it really suits you.

[islandbride317]

Bless your heart, sweetie! Thank you soooo much...it's just a really different style, with the asymmetrical skirt and the peak-a-boo tulle detail! I just don't want to look like a sadly misguided "wedding cake", if you know what I mean! I really love the sweetheart neckline on that one, since some others I've tried have been too revealing for my liking, and some of the more form-fitting dresses don't really work well on my "hippier" body type, so I like that the skirt is full!

 

Here is another dress that I thought was really pretty too, but if I were to purchase it, I would go with silver beading instead of gold. (Oh, and do you love my ace bandage on my hurt elbow? It's such a fine accessory!)

 

A possible contender?

 

 

[fudgie]

You definitely won't get "what the hell was she thinking??"! The dress looks great on you and you look so happy in it! It is a beautiful dress and you should go with what makes you feel the best and happiest! Both dresses actually look amazing on you Don't let the fact that you are have a DW determine what type of dress you should get, your still a bride. When I went dress shopping the moment I told the sales lady that I was having a DW she would immediately say "oh, well come over here a try on our selection of DW dresses" and everytime I had to stress the point that I still wanted the wedding dress of my dreams, and it might not be in the DW selection.

[sofylina]

the 2nd one with the sweetheart neckline is my pic. Its classy and romantic looking

[islandbride317]

Thank you bunches, Fudgie! I just checked out your Pro Photo slideshow and let me say, you looked STUNNING! Such a beautiful gown on a beautiful bride! I agree, that it's really important to "feel like a bride" and wear what makes YOU feel fantastic! Like I said, I was just a little nervous that the dress I dig is a little "much", but you've gotta go with your heart, right? I just sort of felt royal when I walked out of the dressing room and saw it in the mirror for the first time! I am trying not to rush into anything (again!), and will definitely try it on at least one (perhaps two) more times before I make the final big decision.

 

Congratulations to you and your new DH...you make an absolutley gorgeous couple!

[~*DiAnE*~]

The second dress looks AMAZING on you... Love Love Love it!! The first one looks good too but the second one has more "Wow" factor!!

[islandbride317]

Thank you, Sofylina! The "romantic" yet sort of unique/semi-modern look is what I am after...and I couldn't find anything that I didn't like about the 2nd dress when I had it on! And it was surprisingly lightweight, too -- who would have ever thought it possible with such a full skirt?

[islandbride317]

Dreamy -- you're so kind! I'm totally psyched that everyone is giving me such 100% positive feedback...you ladies are gonna get me tearing up over here! (I especially appreciate it since this dress is going to end up being a surprise for everyone, including my mom and sister who were there for the purchase of Dress 1, on wedding day!)

 

So, should I scrap the 3rd dress idea I posted? Again, I thought it was really lovely, but sort of lacked some of the "oomph" compared to the 2nd dress...