The Dress That Danced With Me

Though we wouldn’t get married for another eight years, Carter and I started dreaming and talking about our wedding day during our freshman year of college. Our universities were separated by a five-hour drive (he was at Clemson and I was at UNCW), and since he didn’t have a car and neither of us had much money, we resorted to talking on the phone and imagining the future. 

I also took up a new hobby that I found to be very soothing . . . I collected and pored over wedding magazines. I clipped out all the photos that I loved and pasted them in a scrapbook, and I’d share all of my ideas with Carter. Looking back on those days, I realize how sweet he was to listen to me talk about all of my wedding day fantasies — to this day, he continues to support all of my crazy dreams and fantasies. Yep, I’m one lucky woman.

Though I studied my wedding magazines with the same intensity that I studied for my exams, I could NOT find the perfect wedding dress. I’ve always been a dreamer, a Disney fanatic, and a girly girl, so my idea of a delicious dress was one that was as white as magical Christmas snow, as big as Cinderella’s ballgown, and as feminine as Jessica Simpson’s gorgeous wedding dress (which to me was the epitome of a girly girl gown). 

Finally, though, I found the dress that I believed to be “the one.” I actually gasped with delight when I turned to the page with the beautiful Amalia Carrara dress. 

The above photo is just a screen capture from the Eve of Milady and Amalia Carrara web site, but I saved the original magazine clipping from my freshman year of college, and I still have it today!

When I started trying on dresses in 2007, I contacted a store in Philadelphia and had them order the dress for me to try on. Nobody had it in stock anymore! So, here’s a tip for all of you brides-to-be: hang on to the photos of dresses that you love, and don’t be afraid to make special requests!

I was so excited the day that my mom and I drove to Philadelphia to try on the dress that I had been dreaming about for seven years. And when I tried it on, I loved it. She loved it. But something didn’t feel right. I looked in the mirror, and it wasn’t quite me. I didn’t shed one happy tear. First of all, the dress wasn’t pure white; it was an off-white, and I always wanted a pure white wedding dress. The lady at the store told me that I could order the pure white, but that she didn’t think it would “look good with my skin tone.” Then, when I said I wanted to look around a little more just to make sure, she told me that I would drive myself crazy if I did that. She said I should just put a deposit on the dress right away because it was the one I’d wanted for years, and why would I want to look for anything else?

Somehow, I was talked into writing a check, and when I left the store, I started crying. My mom was so sweet and supportive and summed up the experience perfectly: “You just feel like you’ve been hit by a train, don’t you?” I did. 

So we went to another store in Philadelphia called L & H Bridal Shop, “just to look.” L & H also carried Amalia Carrara and Eve of Milady dresses (both Amalia and Eve dresses are created by the same designer), so I knew it would be fun to try on dresses by a designer I loved.

The experience felt different from the moment we walked in the door. I was taken upstairs to a beautiful bridal suite with a mirror that extended all the way across one side of the room. The saleswoman felt so badly about the getting-hit-by-a-train feeling I had just experienced, and assured me that I was welcome to take my time and try on as many dresses as I wanted at L & H. She asked me what type of dress I was looking for, and I described to her my dream gown. She pulled out all of the dresses with really full skirts, and the fun began. 

As my mom and I looked around the room at all the dresses that she had selected for me, we were both immediately drawn to one of them. As it turns out, that was the dress for me! I loved all of the dresses that I tried on, but when I stood in front of the mirror in “the one,” my heart pounded, I cried tears of joy, and my mom gasped and started to cry, too. 

When I asked who the designer was, the saleswoman told me the dress was an Eve of Milady. I couldn’t believe it — the same designer I loved for seven years, but a different look. This dress was more dramatic, more “Cinderella,” and it was pure white. Oh yes, and it look FANTASTIC with my skin tone. I called the other store and asked them to please tear up the check that I had written.

Carter says he’s never seen me smile as big as I did on our wedding day.

I felt more beautiful on that day than I’ve ever felt before. And when all the little girl guests asked their daddies if they could dance with “the princess,” my heart melted.

I love the buttons that extend up the back of the dress, and the intricate crystal details are exquisite. I had a ball searching for a hairpiece and jewelry that picked up on the dress’ sparkly design.

My tailor, Nilah, was also our day-of wedding coordinator. She was a blessing, from start to finish! Future brides, don’t feel pressured to have your dress altered at the same location from where you purchased it. Just let them know you already have a tailor, and don’t let them make you feel guilty about it! I am SO glad I went to Nilah. She knew exactly how the dress should fit, and she continued to do alterations for me up until, and even on the day of, the wedding! I was a pretty excitable bride, and all my nervous energy caused me to lose more weight than I intended . . . but Nilah worked her magic on my wedding day to ensure my dream gown also fit like a dream! 

Big and flowy, just like Cinderella’s! By the way, if you are a bride-to-be, and you like this style of dress, those bunches in the dress are called pick-ups.

When this photo was being taken, my videographer told me I looked like I had fallen into a marshmallow!

I found the veil at L & H the same day that I found the dress. It was actually the first veil I tried on, and it was absolutely perfect!

All bustled up!

When I tried on my Eve of Milady dress, I didn’t want to try on any others. That was how I knew I had found my dress. As is often true in life, life was what happened while I was making other plans. No matter how much your head is set on something, the heart wins out in the end.