I was dreading dress shopping. I hate changing rooms at the best of times - I’m the person that tries things on at home before truly deciding whether I like it or not. 

Clearly, I should not have worried. I took to dress shopping like a duck to water….in fact, I took to it a little too well. By the end of the first boutique I had a ‘top equal four’ that I could not whittle down. Every time the lovely shop assistant tried to help…

Her: Now do you prefer the strapless or the straps?

Me: Ummm, I like them both. The strapless feels secure and looks nice but the straps are a little different and I like the pattern they make down my back. 

Her: Ok. So how about the lace over the tulle? 

Me: Ummm, ohhhh, ahhhhh. Well, I’ve always loved lace but I love the way this tulle just swishes and looks like your floating on a cloud. 

Her: Right, so once again, you like them both equally?

Me: Yes.

Her: Can you not nudge one over the other?

Me: I don’t know how to! Do you by any chance have a ‘buy one, get three free’ offer on at the moment? 

And so it continued……in every shop. 

In fact, the more I tried, the more I loved. Turns out I am a dress slut. 

The trouble is I wanted to be all types of bride - I wanted to be boho bride, sophisticated bride, couture bride, beach bride, princess bride, vintage bride, tulle bride…..and then in my confused state, I committed the worst kind of wedding dress sin. I showed HTB my top 10 short list. Gulp. 

As the weeks crept on I needed to make a decision. And that’s when I stumbled across my saviour Amy at The Little White Dress. I’d found it because there was a dress I had seen and just knew I had to try on…..Cymbeline’s Fatima. I just loved the picture of the bride next to the pillar and now I had a new desire, I wanted to be ‘Pillar Bride’.

Turns out Amy also had a soft spot for pillar bride so I was in safe hands. 

But alas, just when I thought I might have cracked this whole ‘you’ll know when you find the one’ mantra, I wobbled. I just did not look as good as pillar bride. I so desperately wanted to love it but there was just something not right. 

In the depth of confusion and head swirling, Amy and mum gave me a well needed nudge back to another Cymbeline dress I had also tried on. 

And there it was. There was no moment of wailing whilst mum looked at me through teary eyes of love. There was no ‘I want to burst into song because I love it so much’ moment. And there was definitely no screaming, whooping or fireworks going off in my head. It was a quiet moment of relief and just feeling confident enough that HTB need not see it and pass his judgement. In fact, it was so subtle that had it not been for two very wise women with me suggesting two easy alterations that (in my eyes) transform the dress, the moment might have passed me by.

It has not stopped me loving other dresses. I don’t think that day will ever happen. 

But it has made me sure that for me, getting married right now, this is the dress. But you’ll have to wait until August to see it….

Phew. 

Photo Credit: Cymbeline