The Wedding Dress Death March!

After going on several shopping excursions in Knoxville, I still hadn’t found a dress I was in love with. I had found plenty that I liked but none that I loved. So my mom and I went on a road trip.

At the end of June, my Dad had a high school reunion in Nashville and a priest that was a family friend retired so we all trekked down there so we could go to his retirement mass. So began what my Mom and I both call "The Wedding Dress Death March". We hit six stores in two days and I tried on 51 dresses.

I got to try on gowns at the same place where Eli Manning's wife bought her gown. The Bride Room was a wonderful place to look for a dress. They carry pretty pricey dresses (all designer) but it was a great experience. First of all, they were willing to accommodate me with a last minute appointment. The ladies that work here were so nice in a very genuine way (I can usually smell BS a mile away). They were upfront about what worked and what didn't work for me and they made my desperate dress hunt a fun experience. Charlotte is the lady who helped me and I highly recommend her! I found several dresses I really liked here. I'll be honest and say that I felt bad that I ended up not getting my dress here - they were that helpful and nice.

My next stop was SugarDrop in Brentwood. The lady that helped me was very sweet and I actually found my runner up dress here. She was very helpful and extremely patient with me while I tried on lots of dresses. I will say that it bothered me that I was told that the dress designers require them to cut the tags out of dresses. I understand that the lady that helped me was probably told to say that by the owner, but it did contribute to my decision not to buy my dress there.

Our next stop was Bridal Warehouse - lots of dresses to choose from at very good prices. The girl that helped me was very sweet but I had quickly turned into a fabric snob and didn't fall in love with anything here though.

A couple of our stops will be nameless because they were either rude or not helpful.

Our last stop was Faccio Bridal - This is where I found my dress! It was a Judd Waddell sample and even though it's a little snug, it's gorgeous. After looking at a million (it seemed like!) dresses, I've really become a fabric snob. Alissa is who helped me here and she was a real sweetheart, especially since I showed up without an appointment. I decided after I got home that I wanted to get this dress so they sent it off to the cleaners for me and shipped it to my house.