My dress is in! My dress is in!

I found and ordered my dress on November 29th. That was less than 3 weeks ago. I was told that it would arrive in March or April. It came in today!

I don't know what happened, but I did have an email exchange with the folks at Sophia Tolli about jewelry. Could that have had something to do with it?

Now the conundrum is how and when to pick it up. We're going through Portland tomorrow on our way home for the holidays, but Charlotte's Bridal is closed tomorrow. They'll be open Friday at 11, but by that time we should be well on our way to California. Aagh! What to do?

I've fallen for someone...

And that someone is a dress.

I've spent a huge amount of time and energy trying on, thinking about, talking about, and soliciting opinions on dresses.

This weekend, we made a trip to Portland to finally try on some of the dresses that have been part of my most recent dress fantasies. Chris's cousin Annie came to the bridal salon to be opinion-giver and photographer. Thanks Annie!

All the decision making and agonizing went out the window when I tried on *the* dress. There was no thought process, just love. No frantic phone calls for sibling approval or friend advice, just action. No pro and con list, just self-assurance. There was also the scary down payment, but the wallet damage wasn't too bad.

It just *was*... and it was perfect.

I'm almost nervous to show her off, because I'm in such love... so lest anyone be too critical, I know there are some challenges associated with my "sweet" dress. But I'm gonna learn how to rock her in all her beauty confidently. There will be train-- for part of the day, but for part of the day she'll probably be train-less.

Please bear with the pictures, we did the best we could in the circumstances... So, without further ado, I present Sophia Tolli's Dolce in Gold/Ivory... (except for Chris who should read no further)

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The crazy train!:
Train off:
Anyway, I wanted to make sure and thank Jen, Kate, Janna, Sandie, Liz, my mom, and all the endless parade of friends and acquaintances who lovingly critiqued and provided advice on dresses. You all are the best!

Oh, she's super comfy too!

The bait and switch

www.flickr.com/photos/13525219@N00/360104197

I think most people know by now, but my amazing weekend of trying on dream dresses turned into a jilted at the alter scenario. I'm trying to be understanding about what happened, but it's still baffling.

Last week, as you can see from the post entitled "A happy accident", I found a salon that is about half an hour away that carries Sophia Tolli dresses. I called the store and ran through a list of several style numbers that I wished to try on. From the other end of the phone I could hear the tappity tap of computer keys and then the cheerful voice of the salesperson saying, "Yes, we have all 3 of those dresses!"

Now to be fair, maybe in my excitement I misheard the salesperson, but she went on and on about how beautiful one of the dresses was, so I could only surmise that she'd seen it and it was in the store... But I was oh so wrong.

To get my friends together (many of whom are very busy) is no small feat, but we were able to arrange to have 2 of my girls come with me. When we got to the salon, the same cheerful woman from the phone call met us and told me to pick out 6 or 8 dresses. I told her that mostly I wanted to try on the 3 dresses we had come to see, and could she pull those out? She said, "sure, sure" and then disappeared. She came back empty handed. I was still clueless and trusting.

And then, she tried to steer me toward high-end dresses. It was only then that she admitted that she didn't have *any* of the dresses that I called about. Now reality started settling in for me. What an awkward situation. I was bummed, the saleswoman was clearly uncomfortable, and my amazing friends were trying to salvage the situation.

I did try on some dresses, a few of which were quite lovely... but my heart just wasn't in it, and we quickly realized it was time to cut our losses. Before we got ready to leave, one of my friends said to the salesperson, "You should have told her you didn't have the dresses..." in her best mom-like disappointed voice. She was my hero in that moment.

I surely hope that this isn't the store's usual customer service policy, but just an isolated incident involving one salesperson... As such, I'm not posting the name of the store, though if you are curious I'll share it privately. Still, it was sort of embarassing to haul my friends down there into a rather uncomfortable situation, though they were so sweet and tried to console me with lunch afterward.

On the bright side, the experience motivated me to find dealers who had these dresses in Western Washington (no easy task). It also showed me that continuing to look is probably a good idea, as I feel very strongly about these dresses (which are as elusive as unicorns). One is in Tacoma, and two more are in Portland, so we'll visit Chris's cousin and to try on the other two! (PS no sales tax in Oregon!) So maybe, this will all come up roses after all :)

A happy accident

Another bride-to-be inadvertently steered me toward the Sophia Tolli site. I haven't even gazed at a dress site in months. I've been trying to avoid buyers remorse and analysis paralysis... And let's face it, I don't want to try on another wedding dress, well, ever...

But, I haven't been able to decide between the two dresses that I've been looking at, and my poor friends keep having to make special trips to the bridal salon to look at them. I wasn't really conscious of why the decision has been so hard. Maybe it is because I'm not much of a girlie girl and dresses don't matter so much to me. But maybe, just maybe, it is because I haven't met the *right* dress (yet).

Just looking at Sophia Tolli dresses feels different. It is not at all clear to me whether any of these will even look good on me... BUT, if one did, let me tell you, I would be so excited about my dress (and that means a lot coming from me!)

It's sort of like guys. I always thought I wasn't the marrying type... and I wasn't. But it was because I hadn't met the right guy. When I started hanging out with Chris, I absolutely knew that this was different. Maybe it's the same way with dresses?

Without further ado, here are some of my favorite Sophia Tolli dresses. I'm scheduled to try them on (sigh) Saturday. Please, let there be one that I love!

The first is the Selene... This dress has optional straps with a lace back or peak a boo corset. I wouldn't even know how to decide which way to wear it. They are both beautiful in their own way. Maybe some pics with and some pics without? Oh Selene, please look good on me...




The second is the Emily. I love how it has elements of the Betina and the Mori Lee. I also love the diagonal edge that reminds me so much of a sari. So elegant and beautiful!


There are too many that I love to show you them all, but in honor of my sister's extreme passion for this one, I'll show you it too. I think it is not structured enough through the waist to look good on me, but it'll be fun to try on!

I've got a bad crush... I just hope this new relationship works out ;) Does everyone "just know" when they have the right dress? Was it similar to the way you "knew" about your fiance? (because, that I get)... I kept waiting for that moment while trying on dresses and it just hasn't happened. Pray that Saturday it does!

Fit Bride

I've found new motivation to achieve some weight loss and health goals. It's a no brainer when I look at myself in dresses and see a different image than what is in my head. It's a hard thing to even talk about, actually.

I know that I wasn't healthy at 98 lbs during medical school (though that's a whole other story), but I'm not exactly in peak condition at 136 either. I still definitely think of myself at 118 lbs when starting residency... Though I don't anticipate being able to get there.

The situation has required a re-dedication of my efforts. I want to feel really good about myself on my wedding day, and to know that I did everything I could to look and feel my best.

This week I started going to yoga at my gym. I can go up to 4 times a week, though I'm being realistic and setting a goal of 3 yoga classes. I'm also taking a dance class, and using the eliptical machine a couple of times a week... Increased energy output--check!

Chris is totally supportive, so we've cut the meat in our diet at least in half. And hardest thing of all-- I've cut out processed foods :( Only whole grains for me. Bye, bye white rice. See ya, plain pasta. Good riddance snack foods. (I am allowing for a smidge of after dinner dark chocolate, but no more real dessert). Decreased energy intake--check!

Hopefully, all of my friends will be equally supportive, because this is going to be damned hard!

One motivation I found today is a site called www.weightview.com You simply upload a picture of yourself, they use some pixel magic to shave off the pounds to your goal weight, and presto... you are that much lighter. Maybe this will help me stick to it!

And then there were 2

OK, final two.

I think I know what you all are going to say, but I'm putting it all out there for comments. I won't tell you what I think because I don't want to color anyone's opinion. I will say that there are pros and cons to each, which makes this a hard decision.

I have a feeling that at this point my decision will be in agreement with popular opinion. Let me know what you think, and most importantly, if I should keep looking! (Please don't say I should keep looking)...

I should add: OK, I take it back, I have no idea which one I'm leaning towards now. I keep going back and forth about straps/no straps, the fancy back of the Betina, the beautiful detail on the Mori Lee, the $1,000 price difference. I just wish I could show my man, but he wants this to be a surprise now.

Gah! The dress saga continues...

I learned something crucial today. Such a simple thing, but it may make me go back and revisit everything. The bra I've been wearing to try on dresses is no good. It seems that to give a strapless bra structure, you need to make it padded. Well, the last thing I need is padding! I took it off today to try on a couple of dresses, and lo and behold-- it's a whole different look.

Crikey, how many dresses did I dismiss that might have been ok with a different bra?

Anyway, I liked a couple that I found today... Don't get too attached to either of them ;)

The first is Vera Wang. It is so delicious!



I'm not sure who makes the next one, but it was fun, so I thought I'd show it.



So, I've got to go try on some of these other dresses again. My thoughts were to retry the Betina, the Audrey, and the Mori Lee. Anything else I should re-try?

Dress Madness, Part 2

I braved the world of dress shopping again today! I was feeling fairly well, and let's face it-- loads better in terms of physical health compared to last time.

We made it to 2 shops today:
I Do Bridal
La Belle Elaine's

Now I have to say, the staff in both places was great. However, the atmosphere of La Belle was crazy. There was a giant lighted runway lined with mirrors, and 100's of dresses in a huge circular room. I mean the place is way cool! I Do was much more utilitarian, but they made up for it with their charming staff and their prices are unbelievably amazing.

We had some good luck today. I don't know if it was my mood or that I already sort of knew what I was looking for from my previous experience, but we really did like almost all the dresses I tried on. Keep in mind that I still like the Augusta Jones, Betina... but Tia did fall off my list when I tried it on again today.

I'll try to weed them down here to the ones I really, really liked and give some images. Unfortunately neither place allows photos, which was a bummer. Fortunately, I was able to get a couple of images to help with the decision.

Enough with the talk. Let me show you some photos.

Mori Lee Style 2105. It really is hard to get an idea of how this looks on me, until you see it... But you'll have to trust me that it accentuated my waist, and laid really nicely through the hips. It wasn't too low on top either.



The next one that we really like was a Casablanca dress, style 1908. This dress fit really well, but I'll admit that I felt a teensy bit like the top of a cake!


Next we have the Maggie Sottero Colby. It's a great dress, very light and very destination wedding. It's made of chiffon, so it feels a little flimsy compared to the others. Oh, and note that my hair will never ever look like this ;) (I promise!)
Next, I tried on a dress from a local Seattle designer. I think the line is called Audrey and the number is 1307. I put on the dress and felt pretty great about it. I tried it on again, hoping to remember it, but knowing that I wouldn't. No photos, so there was no way I could capture it.

I decided to do something I would never do. I put on a very pitiful look and told the assistant that I really really would love a photo to show my family back home in California. I wasn't exactly pouty, and I didn't cry, but I did leave enough doubt as to whether we were going there! The assistant was so lovely about it and snapped a couple of iphone photos for me. So kind! This is a lot of dress, and I do look very curvy in it. I wish you could see the details, especially since we can't find this online. It's got lace and rusching on top with a small amount of beading and crystals, but not too much. The back has two tiers... so think about dresses with pickups.


Now I know the majority of these dresses are strapless, but most of them can have straps added. The bottom one unfortunately would not look good even with spagetti straps.

Oh, and I'll show you the Betina again, since it is the one remaining on the list from my prior outing.



So what do you think? Opinions? Questions? Concerns? Let it fly!