I SAID YES TO THE DRESS!!!

AHHHH!!! I'm so happy to share my wedding dress shopping memories on the blog!

DISCLAIMER: I WON'T BE POSTING PICTURES OF THE DRESS I SAID 'YES' TO JUST YET.

I'm sharing a few pictures of the dresses that didn't make the cut. Madison at Winnie Couture worked with me to narrow it down to dresses that fit my style. I wasn't planning on buying the dress on my first visit, but I just felt like it couldn't get any better.

A special thanks goes out to my mom, who generously bought my wedding dress. Also, thank you to my friends, Marilyn, Erica, and Stephanie for being there to share this special moment with me. Finally, thank you to my cousin and aunts for coming in from out of town to be a part of this memory as well. They made me feel so special and excited for the big day.

our classic selfie

To start out, I picked a couple of dresses that weren't necessarily my style because I wanted to be sure that I didn't limit my options. I tried on about 8-9 dresses and ended up choosing the first one I tried on. Surprisingly, that dress wasn't what I envisioned myself wearing on the day of my wedding!

This mermaid style dress was so beautiful and flattering, but it was hard to walk in, so I said NEXT.

I wanted to try a classic 'princess style' dress with a little flare. I loved this dress, I just didn't feel like it was for me.

I also wanted to try a dress with sleeves, even though it's not my personal preference.

This next dress was so chic, but I wasn't a fan of the low-cut look. Madison said it could be raised, but I still didn't feel like this was my style.

I LOVED this next dress. After the wedding, I'll share why I didn't choose it, but it was gorgeous. Madison gave me a bouquet so I could imagine what it would look like on the day of the wedding. I got teary eyed when she put the veil on me and gave me the bouquet :')

I made sure to FaceTime and call some family members to get their opinions too! I'm glad they were a part of the decision-making process. Shout out to Marilyn and Erica for snapping these candids. Marilyn also helped me out by sending pictures and videos to my other bff Dilia, who lives out of state.

“Wedding dress reveal”

My family and one of my bridesmaids came to Charlotte to see the wedding dress I chose. I was so happy to reveal my top pick to them. The Winnie staff took care of us just like they did the first time. We had SO much fun!

I went in knowing that I wanted something different and that made me feel like myself. It was important to me that the dress felt like it was mine and not someone else's (if that makes sense). For example, I tried on a very elegant dress, but I felt like I was trying to be Kate Middleton or something. I was told to keep in mind which dress made me feel like a bride. I was stuck between 2 dresses, but ultimately I feel like I made the best choice for me. I am excited to share the dress I chose. To be continued... ☺️

XO,

Raquel