I have gotten quite a few requests to write a post about my wedding dress, and I am happy to oblige! Before I tell my story, I want to thank you for all of your thoughtful compliments on my dress. I didn’t share any details about it until after the wedding, and I was a little worried that my big reveal might be a let down. But I am so happy that you all loved it, and even more ecstatic that you have embraced a dress that strays a bit from today’s “norm”. You guys rock! Anyway, moving on…

When I was about twelve years old, I thought I had found my wedding dress. I clipped it out of a Neiman Marcus advertisement in the newspaper. While I have long since lost that newspaper clipping, its image has remained fresh in my mind: simple, form fitting, and classic. However, when it came time for dress shopping, the more dresses I tried on, the more I realized that I wasn’t fulfilling my vision. I tried on several simple, form fitting, and mostly strapless gowns. All beautiful, but none of them were “it”.

So I hopped online in hopes of finding something, and I found that the possibilities were endless and overwhelming. I did the majority of searching on brides.com, theknot.com, and various wedding planning blogs. Then I found the holy grail for those interested in bridal fashion: Fashionbride’s Weblog. The blog, owned by a former beauty magazine editor, introduced me to a plethora of wedding designers from around the world that I had previously never heard of. While scrolling on its pages, I found my dress.

The dress is made by Spanish designer, Novissima, and featured in its 2008 Adagio Collection.

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Even though I had found “the dress”, I still didn’t know the price, and I was worried about finding a retailer that sold Novissima. It took some research and detective work, but eventually my sources led me to Los Angeles’ Koreatown to a store called Wilshire Bridal Salon. I find this ironic because Mr. G and I frequent Koreatown for shopping and eating. We must’ve passed this shop dozens of times. The owner, Kim, was so nice and accommodating. I purchased the dress with alterations and veil from her and came in just over my budget of $1,500…for all of that. Ummm, I think I’d call that a steal!! Just for the record, my dress was quoted at another shop at over $1,800 (for the dress alone). So, ladies, shopping around for the best price does pay off, even when it comes to wedding gowns! And my dress and I lived happily ever after 🙂 sourceDid you go on a mad hunt to find your perfect wedding dress? Were you successful in your endeavors?