Wedding Dress Shopping!

I'm so glad I got to go to New York to go wedding dress shopping with Courtney! It was so fun! She had made three appointments at different styles of designers. 1) Leanne Marshall, a designer a friend introduced her to a couple of years ago with gorgeous fabrics and a cool style. 2) David's Bridal for a large selection and lower prices and 3) Floravere which came up on her Instagram feed when she was talking about wedding dresses and she really like their style too. Also in a good price point. She'd made an appointment to Kleinfelds ("Say Yes to the Dress") but then spoke to a sales rep who was a brat, so Courtney cancelled her original appointment.

Michael's sister, Becca, was able to join us for the first appointment and Carine and I were with Courtney the rest of the day.

The dresses

Changing Room

Mirror and pedestal for modeling

Leanne Marshall was a sparse loft/industrial vibe. We all browsed through the rack of dresses and found ones for Courtney to try on. We had our own stylist and the room to ourself for an hour. She would help Courtney get into the dress in the changing room, and then they'd come out and model for us. They were all beautiful and it was fun to get a sense of styles that Courtney liked. The stylist was super helpful in knowing how a dress could be altered to fit garments. (They have a stockist in Utah, so they were familiar with needed alterations.) We found a dress that we all loved. And a skirt that complemented a top (bolero) she'd purchased from a sale they had in November.

Next we walked over to David's Bridal which was so different. A huge store cram packed with people and racks of dresses. We had a dedicated stylist again but a long row of changing rooms that were all busy. When someone found a dress they wanted, they rang a big bell. It was fun to see their big smiles at having found their perfect dress.

Courtney was able to try on lots of fits and styles that were fun. But for the most part, the fabrics were not as light and silky as they were at Leanne Marshalls. Or what I would imagine any wedding dress should be.

Finally, our last appointment at Floravere. They had more of a pretty waiting room and only one other client there. We had our own "lounge" where Courtney would come to model her dress, so it felt very private and personal.

Entering Floravere.

Heading back to the dressing room with her stylist.

In our lounge -- the stand and mirror where Courtney would stand to model.

They also had shoes in all shades of blue to try on with the dress. It was super relaxing and fun. Another fun component was I could visit and get to know Becca (earlier) and chat with Carinne while we sat on comfy couches and waited for Courtney to emerge. So it didn't feel exhausting or uncomfortable.

Trying on headbands and veils.

She found a skirt that she really liked at Floravere. We went to dinner afterward to debrief and she chose one and is super excited about it! I'm not going to reveal which one here! That's a fun surprise to look forward to when she gets married!!!

After dinner we went to the Oculus to look for shoes at Stuart Weitzman and Sam Edelman. I think it's too early still as they didn't have any Spring/Summer shoes out. But at least she was able to say, "Yes to a Dress!"

Crazy taxi story on our way to the Oculus that I'll have to tell another time...