One of the most exciting things for me after being engaged is planning our wedding. There's a lot of things involved in it and it can be stressful at times but it's still fun. It's definitely a journey and part of my journey to becoming a "Mrs" is finding "the dress".
For a lot of brides, including myself, this is a big task. It's a mission and it's quite challenging to find the dress that you love within your budget. Let's get real brides and future brides…budget is the second thing you must set after setting the wedding date.
I chose to document and share with you guys this journey because my blog is sort of my online diary and you guys, my readers, are a huge part of it, so hopefully you enjoy all my engagement and wedding-related posts.
There are three things I zeroed in when finding the dress:
1. Budget
I know that I didn't want to spend over $2,000 on a wedding dress. I know the value of it but I also know that I will only wear it once. I don't plan on changing for the reception to maximize the use and exposure of my dress as well.
My fiancé and I are committed to making our marriage work and have talked about divorce being not an option. That being said, for me, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I will only be a bride once so I would like to feel and look my very best at the day of my wedding and that means, wearing the dress that I am totally in love with.
Budget is different for everyone so once you've talked it over with your fiancé, start looking for the dress.
2. Designer
Most brides are not familiar with the bridal designers. Just like myself. After all, there's quite plenty of them. But once I've discovered Eddy K, I was sold. Eddy K. bridal dresses are elegant and exquisite. The fine elaborate details on their dresses are beautiful. Brides and future brides, once you've tried on an Eddy K. dress, you will never go to another bridal designer. They have different silhouettes and styles for every taste. Most bridal shops should carry them. However, you can check this part of their website to look for trunk shows in your area.
3. Silhouette
There are different bridal dress silhouettes as shown below….
Illustration Credits: Ballgown: Angel Rivera, A-Line: Reem Arca on Wedding Bells Blog, Modified A-Line: Pricilla of Boston, Trumpet: Custom Couture, Mermaid: Claire Pettibone on Bridesfinds, Sheath: Orlando Magazine, Tea-Length: Wedding Dresses by Amee, Mini: Annette.
I was pretty much set on the silhouette that I liked. I had my eye on a mermaid or trumpet style. However, on my recent visit at Weddings by Debbie, I tried on 3 ballgown dresses and totally fell in love with one of them that I almost got that one. By the way, Weddings by Debbie is one of the largest bridal stores in the nation and is apparently housed here in Houston! So proud!
I only tried Eddy K dresses on my visit and tried on a total of 7 I believe. The one I said yes to obviously is not shown on this post. But don't worry! You will see my bridal session and wedding photos after January for sure!
Eddy K has 6 different bridal collections: Sky, Dreams, Couture, Eddy K, Milano, and Classics.
The first one I tried on was a dress called Aires from their Dreams Collection. I've been eyeing this on their website for such a long time and it looks just as gorgeous in person as it is on their website. The lace on this dress is to die for. It has an opaque chest and back cloth (for the lack of a better term, not sure really what it's called) so your chest and back aren't really bare. It also has cap sleeves that are almost just hanging on your shoulders and give you that classic retro feel. If you're not a fan of off-shoulder, this is worth considering.
It's also not too "trumpet-y" so your movement is not so limited. The dress comes in two different colors: 1. Light gold lining and ivory lace on top and 2. Ivory lining and ivory lace on top. The dress I tried on was ivory lace on light gold lining and the colors are amazing in person.
The second one I tried on is something similar to Aires but has different sleeves. The lace is just as exquisite as the Aires. In fact, I believe they are of the same material. It is sleeveless, V-neck and V-back.
I couldn't find this exact one on their website but here are the similar styles: CT183 from the Couture Collection, MD205 from the Milano Collection, and MD219 from the Milano Collection.
By the way, the huge clips you see on the back of the dress are not part of the design. Ha! These are samples for the brides to try on and sometimes they are big so they have to clip them in the back so they can see the fit.
The bottom of this dress is more flowy than the Aires and the champagne lining is more visible. It also seems to have a bit longer train than the Aires above.
I honestly loved this dress a lot. It was a hard decision between this, the Aires, and my final choice but I was in love with the train of my final choice so had to choose that one.
The second to the last one I tried was a dress that goes by style code CT167 for his Couture Collection. This is heavily beaded on the body and a flowing tulle at the bottom. Unlike his other dresses, this one only comes in only one color and that's ivory and ivory/silver which are mostly the beads. If you love beadings, I recommend checking out his Couture Collection. It seems that this collection is a combination of lace and beads most of the dresses in the collection.
I've seen another bride tried this on while I was there. She has a different body type and this silhouette looked gorgeous on her as well!
Click here to view all Eddy K. mermaid styles.
By the way, a HUGE shoutout to Weddings by Debbie for hosting me. I've tried on 7 bridal dresses and AJ and Alexis have been very patient with me. I don't know how they do it but as Alexis said, "I was born to do this." I kept thanking her for being patient with me and she's said a couple of times, "Oh no honey, no patience required." She was such a delight to work with!
I was floored when I walked in this shop. It's enormous and just so beautiful! I had a really wonderful experience at this store and if you're a bride still dress-shopping, I highly recommend Weddings by Debbie. They carry quite a few Eddy K. dresses!
Stay tuned for the second part of this post showing the other Eddy K. silhouette I tried on.
so beautiful! we LOVE brides, weddings and all the joy and happiness. Our Son got married last year and we had a beautful wedding and created memories to last forever!
perhaps some pearls, not ordinary pearls, but something Bespoke might appeal to you…
@NaughtonBraun