If you’ve read my post about getting engaged this past September, you already know that I have never been the type to dream about my wedding day. Dream about having a husband? Sure. Dream about meeting someone who is worthy of being a husband? Yes. Dream about that worthy person actually loving me enough to want to marry me? 100%. But I never had a vision for my wedding day because the idea of actually getting to that point was, as far as I was concerned, completely out of reach.

All this to say, I had no idea what I would look like if that day were to ever come. I had spent approximately less than zero seconds daydreaming about a wedding gown. To do so seemed so silly and kind of sad, too. “Oh well I’m for sure gonna do off the shoulder, long veil, hair up…” Nah. I didn’t allow myself to ever go there. So you can imagine how overwhelmed, confused, and excited I was when the day came to look at and try on wedding gowns for the first time.

I didn’t go to many places to try on dresses. My first stop was BHLDN and that’s where I tried on the most. After that, I hit up two local bridal shops here in Dallas: Lovely Bride and a&bé, which is where I found THE dress. At BHLDN, I tried on any style that caught my eye, which was incredibly eye-opening in terms of what style looks good on my body. The thing is, I hold literally all my weight in my midsection, and a lot of wedding dresses are designed to be fitted throughout the bust and torso. This is great for so many, but what I quickly realized in trying on all the dresses I did at BHLDN is it’s not great for me. Regardless of that acknowledgement, I ended up settling on a dress I would later return. Of course there was wedding dress drama—do you know me?! You can fully catch up on that via this wedding planning post I wrote a few months ago. Just scroll down to the question about buying a dress and hating it. 🙂

ANYWAY, I thought it’d be fun to share any and every picture I have of the dresses I tried on throughout my journey because what’s more fun than looking back at pictures and saying “OMG NO”? Especially knowing how utterly perfect my actual wedding gown is. And for what it’s worth: all these dresses were gorgeous, just not for me. Who’s to say you won’t see something you like and bookmark for later? Crazier things have happened. So without further adieu, I present to you a gallery of rejected wedding gowns! (Click on the pictures or big red title to check out the gowns)

GOWN 1: BHLDN (NO LONGER AVAIL)

So this ombre pink number is the first gown I tried on. Why? I’m not sure. Probably because it was so clearly not a gown I would ever wear, and I wanted to start things off with a sense of humor? I mean, it’s gorgeous, but not for me. And not if you want a traditional white gown. It’s no longer available at BHLDN, so maybe that’s for a reason… Also, did NOTHING for my midsection, my God.

GOWN 2: Sachin & Babi Inez Gown by BHLDN

So I actually loved this one. Looking back, it absolutely could’ve ended up being my wedding dress. I love all the lace detailing and the boho vibe. I just didn’t feel super bridal in it, plus there was waaaaay too much boob action with my big tots. Not made for a busty lady, but such a stunning gown!

gown 3: jenny by jenny yoo tana gown

In a word, yikes. I mean my back is the definition of elegant, but it so aggressively accentuated my #1 problem area so this was a quick HELL NO. Again, on a thinner person with a smaller chest, it’s probably gorgeous. Such is life.

gown 4: jenny by jenny yoo shipley gown

Although this one looks similar to the one before it, I liked it much better. Still wasn’t the dress, but the halter showed off my shoulders (which I’m very proud of), I loved the romantic bow in the back, and appreciated the waist definition. This is such a classic gown, simple and understated yet so chic and elegant.

gown 5: willowby by watters lilia gown

I had to try on a dramatic, boho, off-the-shoulder number and this was that. Again, it wasn’t terrible by any means. With alterations that fit perfectly against your body, it’s a stunning, sweeping, elegant wedding gown. I loved all the detail so much (I’m a details kind of girl) and felt gorgeous in it!

gown 6: jenny by jenny yoo Zola gown

This is the dress I thought was the dress. It’s the one that made me break and sob at myself in the mirror. When we put this veil on with it and I was handed a faux bouquet, I was a fucking mess. In looking back, I now realize that was the inevitable “OMGIMTRYINGONWEDDINGDRESSESFORMYWEDDING” cry that nearly all brides experience (or should anyway). This dress also reminded me so much of my sister’s first wedding gown (lolz), and I think that stirred something in me, too. I just felt like SUCH a bride in this moment, leading me to conclude this was it. Spoiler Alert: This was not it, but still stunning!

gown 7: ALYNE BY RITA VINIERIS makayla gown

It wasn’t until my visit to Lovely Bride here in Dallas that I branched out a bit and tried on something I swore I’d never wear: strapless. This was pretty but meh.

gown 8: Alyne by Rita Vinieris camila gown

This one, though, I loved. I was surprised at how good it looked on me and went as far to accessorize with a baby breath’s headband just to see. I loved the neck line and the ball gown aspect of this dress a lot, and although this wasn’t the one, it did make me heavily question whether it was.

There were a few others that I have since deleted the evidence of, which makes me sad because looking back on all the “nos” is too fun. The dress I decided on is the most “me” gown and nothing I was particularly looking for. After trying all these on, I had drawn some conclusions about what styles worked best for me, but it wasn’t until I walked into a&bé and picked out this dress to try that everything in my body knew this was it. I thought me crying at that one Jenny Yoo gown was a fluke and wouldn’t happen again—boy, was I wrong.

This is my biggest piece of advice in regards to wedding dress shopping and one I truly never thought I’d have to give: go alone. You know yourself better than anyone. You know what you like to see when you look in the mirror. You know what makes you feel stunning and what doesn’t. For whatever reason, wedding dress shopping has been made into this ordeal that must involve your mom, sister, best friends, cousins, and aunts. But I found that all that does is confuse you. When there are multiple opinions in the room drowning yours out, it’s easy to get lost. This is why I settled on and bought the original wedding dress I was sure about and ended up selling off a few months later. I will share pictures of that post-wedding because Zac is dying to see what I could’ve worn, and all of you guys are gonna be in shock at the difference between it and my wedding gown! But really—make appointments and go by yourself. Try it all on. Take pictures. And if you find some serious contenders, book a second appointment and bring a friend or family member for a final sign-off.

Now I just need to figure out shoes… This should be interesting.