From the time they are little girls, most women dream about what their wedding dress will look like.  There are even TV shows dedicated to the sole purpose of finding a dress.  Does TLC’s Say Yes To The Dress ring a bell? So, as you can imagine, picking a dress for your wedding can be a pretty big deal.  This is the first thing everybody is going to notice about you as they see you for the first time going down the aisle.  This is the dress that you will wear as you marry the man of your dreams.  Most importantly, this is the dress that may even bring the toughest man to shed a couple of tears.

Searching for a dress is not much different then hunting.  First, you head out into the wilderness, aka “the dress shop.”  You begin your search, aka “the hunt.” Lastly, you pounce on it , aka “grab it before someone else snags it up.”

My search for the perfect dress began shortly after I got engaged.  I had taken a trip to Los Angeles to visit one of my best friends and we headed to the Fashion District in downtown L.A.  For those of you that don’t know, The Fashion District in L.A. is every girls’ dream come true.  It is shop after shop of clothes, handbags, shoes, accessories and much more.  All for a great deal. I figured this would be a great place to start my search.

I had a goal of not spending more then $700 on my dress, including veil and alterations.  The dress is important, even though you are only going to wear it once in your life.  Everyone has their area in the wedding that they “splurge” on.  For me…..it is not the dress.  I challenged myself to find “the dress” for a good deal. (I’m always after a good deal!) My friend and I entered shop after shop.  In the end, I walked away with a better idea of what style I liked and chose ivory as the color.

As the weeks passed, I spent a lot of time flipping through pages of bridal magazines, checking out various bridal stores and searching on the Internet for a dress.  Everything seemed to be so expensive and not quite what I was looking for. Then, something occurred to me. I knew someone who was a dressmaker.  I pieced together some dresses I found in a magazine.  I brought my pieced together dress made of magazine clippings to the dressmaker and asked if she would be able to design something that looked like my creation.  Not only did she say yes, but she said she would be able to make something beautiful for me that fit in my budget. Hearing her say this was like music to my ears! She ended up designing something that was similar to my “pieced” together dress and I loved it!

As of now, the material has been purchased and the sewing has began.  Now, I will wear my own special designer dress as I walk down the aisle.  I can’t wait to wear this dress on the day I begin a new chapter of my life.

Wedding Tip: Begin your dress search early so you have time to decide what you really want. Think about who you know and what skills they have. They just might be able to help you out with your special day.

Author: Gabriella Muñoz