When I announced that Coding God and I got engaged and that I ordered a wedding dress, a lot of people expressed an interest in seeing it! Well I’m not going to post pictures of it until probably after the wedding, because Coding God is itching to see it and I have to hide it from him! But, I thought I’d share with you guys some of the wedding dresses I tried on but didn’t order!
Let’s get started!
Dress #1 – The itchy sleeves
I’m so not digging the belt thing. But anyway, I didn’t have a good experience with this dress at all! The lacy material started to make my skin break out (especially around my shoulders). I tried on a lot of lacy dresses but this was the only one that seriously didn’t agree with my skin!
Dress #2 – The comfy one
I actually quite liked this dress. It was one of the most comfortable ones I tried on! It felt super flowy.
Dress #3 – Champagne??
Not a fan of the champagne coloured dresses. I also quickly started to realize that I don’t like the trumpet style wedding dresses (how it flares out a lot at thebottom). I quite liked some of the lace work on it though! I think the top half is really pretty.
Dress #4 – Plain Jane
I guess this one is okay, but I think it felt super plain.. and that’s coming from someone who LIKES plain wedding dresses! Just not feelin’ it.
Dress #5 – All aboard the train!
My goodness, look at the size of that train! This one is just screaming “trip over me as you walk down the aisle”. Very pretty lace though. I liked that part a lot! I also think this was the most expensive dress I tried on, at $1700.
Dress #6 – A contender!
Now this dress was actually a serious contender. Oddly enough, I actually liked it a lot more on than I do now in the photo. I feel like it looks a tad ‘boxy’ in the photo, like it just hangs straight down and has no shape at all. But I did really like this dress when I tried it on. It was just hard to imagine it because it REALLY did not fit me. It was way, way too big. You could fit two pairs of boobs in the upper half. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t quite look right in the picture.
You are just a TEASE!!!! Anyways, I loved the huge train one. It looked so good one you.
I would love a plain, empire waist wedding dress with no sequence. I want it to be flowy and free feeling. I want to feel relaxed at my wedding and I want to have it in a garden and make everyone go barefoot. hehe
Thank you!! I did really like that dress too. But ultimately I liked the one I bought more, and it was cheaper!
Aww your wedding ideas sound great! And yes, I totally want to feel relaxed at my wedding too.
Pretty dresses! Not for me, though. :p I have a very specific image in mind for my dress. And no strapless, I hate that. XD
Haha, I’m the opposite! I only wanted strapless. š
I hate anything strapless, I’m always afraid it’ll just fall down or something. XD No I need at least thin straps to hold it up. š
Haha, I can see why you’d think that, but it actually doesn’t happen with wedding dresses. They’re alerted to fit you EXACTLY, so they’re tight enough in the waist that the dress is being held up more by the waist than the chest area.
Beautiful dresses, you looked stunning! I love the long train one; very flattering.
I’m a big fan of big and sparkly š
I love number #5, but I have a flair for the dramatic. When I got married, I had a ball gown (granted, that was 21 years ago!). If I were to do it all over again, I would probably wear a simple A-line dress or one with an empire waist.
All of them were really pretty! I don’t really know a lot about wedding dresses, aside from when my cousin was getting married and asked me to help her pick–she ended up thinking the ones I picked made her look fat, lol! My favorites are #5 and #6. Again, congratulations Ashley, and I hope the wedding’ll be beautiful. š
I’m also not a fan of the dress with the belt. I do like the expensive one. Looked very good on you! I can’t wait to see your wedding dress š
I always say I want a poofy, Disney one but I guess it depends on what looks good on me! I think I would try different shapes and go from here, but for now I settle down with something like this: http://www.brides.com/images/vendor/dressgallery/bridal/ilissa/large/984_demetrios_ilissa_wedding_dress_primary.jpg
I really want a dress from Demetrios š Very tight above, poofy on the bottom and just some lace. I don’t like too much going on and I don’t want it to be white-white. More off-white or creme.
Wow that’s totally a Disney dress! š
I agree with you about not wanting white-white. I mostly tried on ivory dresses and was really happy with that. It was kind of white, but not real white-white.
I love the huge train dress! Too bad about the price but I’m sure the dress you picked is wonderful. I can’t wait to see pictures of it!
I haven’t really thought about wedding dresses despite the fact that I watch Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta. I suppose I don’t really like mermaid style dresses since I think they’re unflattering. BHLDN (sister line to Anthropologie) has a pretty line of sweet, vintage-style dresses that I think are cute. http://www.bhldn.com/bride/
Some of those are pretty, but I can’t wait to see which one you went with eventually!
I had fun choosing my dress, one was with a belt too but it took over the dress too much. Another one I tried on was so heavy with fabric.
I kind of like a bit of an a-line with substance on the bottom and sparkly, nothing form-fitted. š
It’s funny, when I went wedding dress shopping I thought for sure that I would end up with something that looked vintage, was form-fitting, and covered in lace. After all, that was what I had always dreamed about. Then I actually tried dresses on and ended up buying a gown that reminded me of Belle from Beauty and the Beast. It was a ballgown for sure Totally the opposite of what I had thought I had always wanted. I even went with a tiara and an updo instead of the long flowing waves I had envisioned. In the end I look back and love it all. I just don’t know what came over me!
The itchy sleeves dress is so pretty, but the last thing you would want to deal with on a wedding day is a rash and itchiness! I’m excited to see what you decided on!
Funny how that works out, isn’t it? š That’s almost exactly what happened to me with my engagement ring. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted, then when my fiancé and I went to go pick out the ring, I got something completely different, but I just loved it!
I really like the big train one! I’m sure the one you chose is super gorgeous though, too. š
I never ever ever plan on getting legally married, but perhaps one day I may want to get “married” and I do have a dress planned out in my head. It’s very nontraditional (clearly, I’m nontraditional since I don’t believe in legally binding myself to someone): corset top with hot pink ribbons, and a short poofy skirt with subtle sparkles. My shoes would be the showcase, hence the short dress. I would just need to hunt for the perfect shoes.
aww you look so gorgeous in your dresses especially the train one! I can totally see why you loved that boxy one though haha.
I actually don’t have a dream wedding dress because I love all these different styles that I see on other people I never seen to look as good *cries* But once again congrats! I can’t wait to see what you actually chose! š
These are beautiful! I especially love the train and the contender. With those two being in the didn’t buy pile, I can’t imagine how stunning the one you did buy will be!
They are all gorgeous dresses Ashley. When I was engaged 7 years ago, I was wanting something flowy like chiffon and I found a dress that was strapless and flowy that I really loved. The wedding was called off prior to actually purchasing the dress thankfully.
Now I would pick something all lace and with cap sleeves and it has to be pure white. So my taste in wedding dresses has completely changed.
So excited to see a picture of the dress you actually picked.
I loved going wedding dress shopping with you via this post. My husband I did a courthouse wedding, so I bought a champagne cocktail dress. It was the right move for us at the time, but I do want to wear an actual floor length gown one day. Maybe for our 5 or 10 year anniversary. I liked #2 the comfy one.
I haven’t thought too much about the dress. After all I have to find the guy first, but I have always imagine myself as a princess on my wedding day. Although the modern Disney princess are going away from the puffy ball gowns that is still what I see myself wearing at my wedding, but we shall see.
I was convinced I would buy a mermaid dress. When the first few didn’t fit over my hips, I got dejected and opted for one the lady promised was like one I said I had liked online.
It ended up being “the one” and, oddly enough, was officially the first dress I tried on! It was similar to the top few you posted, in that it was quite fitted and lacy. We added a belt with some bling to dress it up a bit (and to give me a higher waist line) and I was sold! I tried on a couple others, with one other being a close contender, but only that first one made my mom cry š
You looked great in all of these, so I can only imagine how beautiful you are in the one you chose!
You’re going to be so beautiful the day of your wedding! I really like the huge train dress! That one looked great on you! Can’t wait to see the real one! Happy planning!
Those dresses look beautiful š
I haven’t had a great experience with lace dresses XD
One year, at the Homecoming dance, I was wearing a lace dress and my friend was wearing a dress with sequins. There wasn’t a whole lot of room on the dance floor and, when we bumped into each other, our dresses got stuck together. Luckily, we were able to pull our dresses apart without ripping either of them.
LOVED this post. I just bought my wedding dress a couple weeks ago so it was fun to see someone else’s dress shopping pictures! I caved and tried a lot of the Disney princess dresses but then ended up with something totally different. I do love the lace work in a lot of the dresses. The contender is super pretty, so I imagine THE dress is fantastic. My contender was the Cinderella dress, strapless and with soft sparkles and kinda poofy. The one I ended up with has straps and pretty pearl/bead work!
I liked #6 the most and the champagne colored dress actually. Ive been married 15 years and my favorite dresses are the ones comfortable enough to dance in! My hubby and I liked to salsa and merengue dance so the reception was a big dance party. My dress was simple and bustled well, most importantly made with love by my husband’ s aunt. Good luck with the rest of wedding planning!
Gorgeous dresses, Ashley! I like the Champagne and All Aboard the Train dresses.
Great article I loved to see all the wedding dresses you’ve tried on. Now I really cannot wait anymore to see the dress you chose! I do think many of the dresses you tried on look really good on you!
How lovely you look in all of them:) I can’t wait to see what dress topped these:) I think 4-6 are all lovely…maybe if we could mix and match the top off of 6 with 5 (which would look amazing if it were fitted better and had a neckline like 6) You clearly had a certain look in mind as all the gowns seem to be pretty, simple, & elegant with trumpet type skirts and lace.
I got married 1.5 years ago and my dress was very similar to these…
Here’s a link to the dress(I did not wear a belt): http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Sweetheart-Strapless-Lace-Gown-WG3263
And me in it: http://melissaseclecticbookshelf.com/added-to-the-bookshelf-10712/
So exciting to see your experience with dresses, Ashley. Congratulations again!
Looks like you’re into lace dresses like me. I actually really like the trumpet-style dresses. They usually make my body look like it has more shape than it does. I tried on a dress for a formal event the other day that I wished were white. I would have bought it right then; my boyfriend probably would have a heart attack because we’re not engaged yet. Anyway, I really love all those dresses. The one you got must be really great if those are the ones you didn’t pick.
Those are such pretty dresses. I can’t wait to see the one you ended up choosing. š
My wedding dress will be any color but white. I’m too pale for white to look good on me; generally it makes me look like I’m ill if I wear it. Of course, I’m freaked out by the idea of having my own wedding, which is why I haven’t made plans to get married anytime soon despite having the perfect guy.
Is it bad that all those dresses look the exact same to me? I don’t really want to get married and for me, I don’t care enough to go through so much trouble for a dress. I can see why you would, it seems like a bunch of fun! But I’m lazy and that’s my personality, lol. You look beautiful in all those dresses, just so you know <333
A lot of these are super pretty. I haven’t put much thought of what my future wedding dress will look like since it’s not on the forefront of my mind (sadly).
I managed to convince a friend to buy a gown which looked so awesome on her! It was the first one she tried and she tried others afterwards and wound up coming back to that one. Zero regrets.
I love your review of the dresses! Not so much my style, but I really loved the comfortable one! Thanks for sharing your little shopping adventure and the discarded wedding dresses!