I love trying on big, white dresses!

I started looking for my gown about a month after getting engaged; a whole year and a half before the wedding. I had no intentions of buying a dress......it was just too early!......what if I fell out of love with it?......what if something new became fashionable?.....what if I found something better?!?!?!?

Nevertheless, there was no harm in looking :P Here are some of the first dresses that I tried on, and than rejected:

Here is dress #1. As you can see, there is nothing wrong with this dress. This dress is perfectly fine. In fact, this dress makes my waist and shoulders look pretty tiny. But, alas, this dress is "meh". Far from perfection.

Number 2: Definitely another in the "meh" category. I really don't like taffeta....I know that it's one of "the" bridal fabrics, but I think it looks wrinkled and heavy.

Number 3: This dress was at least different. The ruffles were very fun, and very much "of the moment". However, the straps hit me in a very awkward spot on the shoulder, and the dress was just overall too much "senorita" for me. Next!

Number 4: This dress actually made my sister mad at me. The sales lady suggested that I try it on, because I had the "stature" for it. Being that I'm excited to put on anything poofy and white, I told her, "why not"! Renata gave me a lecture in the change room asking me why I agreed to try on things that I knew I would never buy. She was right...I would never buy this dress.

Number 5: This dress was a serious contender when I put it on in the store. In theory, it has everything that I love. The neckline is very unique, the dress was made from an intricate lace, and the back was stunning:

But looking at it in pictures, I think that it makes me look a bit "hippie", and not in the flower power and free love way, but in the giant love handles way.

Number 6: Now this was the dress that made me feel like a bride for the first time. It is really too bad that my camera phone sucks, and that the spotlight on me was so bright, as you can't really see the top of the dress in this picture. It was strapless, which is one of my no-nos, but made out of this absolutely delicious fabric, and the intricate detailing was breathtaking. Not to mention that it fit me like a glove. Here is the beautiful train:

This was also the first time a San Patrick dress caught my attention. That love affair would continue for quite some time. In fact, the fire is burning still! I tried on many more dresses, but some shops didn't allow cameras, and sometimes I forgot to take one. Non of these dresses were "it", but they did make me feel that the right dress (like the right guy) was out there!