Today we take it back to where this all began. The Thursday before Memorial Day 2017. José and I had been dating for four months. He had met my parents at my cousin’s wedding and my mom invited him and his parents to come to the Daikin Festival, the Jubilee, and other Memorial Day weekend events in Decatur. So it was a Thursday night, he was going to classes over the summer and I was staying in Auburn over the summer to volunteer in the bioarchaeology lab (something I hope to update the blog on after this wedding series). We were at his apartment and I was watching HGTV talking about how much I wanted to have a house. And he starts the conversation with, “You know, if we were married, we would have a house.” I was taken aback. This was the first time he had ever mentioned marriage, much less, what came next. He went on to ask what I would need to get married, like a ring and a big wedding, because it would be easiest to get married as soon as we graduated. I was floored. I had known him for five years, we had been dating for four months, and all of a sudden, he had every intention to marry me. And on top of that, we were leaving the next day for his parents to meet my parents. And we had a very busy weekend planned. We had a great time, but I still had a lot to process and I couldn’t even talk about it for four days. When I got back to Auburn I called my mom, and we talked for 5 ½ hours. And then my wedding obsession began.
I watched Say Yes to the Dress and Four Weddings, I started a notebook with all my wedding ideas, I started researching bridal boutiques and wedding venues. I set my 
dress budget as $300. I didn’t base this on anything. And the more I looked the more I thought my budget would have to come up. I was willing to go up to $700 but the dresses I loved were over $1000. I fell in love with the Beloved dress by Casablanca Bridal. And I had several dresses pinned from years and years ago. For all intents and purposes, I was innocently looking and just trying to make sure I had enough money for a wedding. But then some ads popped up on my Facebook feed. At the end of June, David’s Bridal advertised a sale on dresses for $99 and designer dresses for $499 or $150 off. Then I saw that the Something Blue Boutique was going to has a sample sale at the start of July. So I decided to go home and go to the sales with my mom. I wasn’t actually planning to buy anything but I wanted to look and I already knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted a ballgown, because there is no other occasion to wear one. I wanted a basque waist, because I had always dreamt of one. And I wanted lace appliques and no “bling.”
Pro tip: The end of wedding season is the end of June/July because the new styles come out in the fall and then people order dresses to come in time for their summer weddings. So look out for July and August sample sales.
So we drive all the way to Huntsville. You have to make a U-turn to get in to the parking lot. We were so much later than I hoped because it was a Friday and I had to wait for my mom to come home from work, water day specifically. We get in, we had no appointment, we barely were allowed to try on dresses. And then they start asking questions: What is your fiancé’s name? When is the wedding? Where is the wedding? What are your colors? What is your budget? So I answered the questions. And my wedding plan began. I tried on about three dresses and I fell in LOVE. This dress had a slight basque waist, It had the most beautiful bodice, with beading and little tiny tulle ruching. It had a fluffy skirt. People in the store said it looked like it was made for me. I felt like a ballerina. And it was on sale. It would have been $600, on sale, with a train added. Double what I had hoped, but under $700. And it had a lace up back, which I didn’t love. Since I was supposed to be just looking and not buying, we left saying we’d come back if we didn’t find anything the next day. Then the next day came.
We were running late again (Mom had to eat breakfast first). We got to the store, and it was packed. We put my name down on the list and got in line. Honestly, it was so much better than if we had made an appointment. The air was simply buzzing with excitement. My mom likes to say that it was like a real live Say Yes to the Dress. There were only two large mirrors and pedestals, so we got to see each bride come in with her entourage and try on dresses and possibly find her dress. We got the see each decision-making process. And honestly, each girl who got a dress seemed to get the perfect dress for her. The store was going to close at 2pm and I was already 1pm. I started to get anxious. The crowd was clearing. And finally, it was my turn. I was the last appointment of the day and they were trying to get me out of there fast. They pulled all the ballgowns in my size. I liked each better than the last. I got to try one on that was almost exactly like a dress I had pinned on Pinterest. I tried on a gorgeous blush dress. It had a lace bodice with some 3D flowers and a full skirt with layers. My mom thought I was going to buy it but there was one more dress in the dressing room. It was a ballgown with a natural waist. It had Alençon lace (the oldest bridal lace manufacturer in the world) that went down from the bodice and came up from the bottom with white space in the middle. It was soft white and it fit me like a glove. The price? On sale from $1500. It was $300. My exact ideal price. They put a matching veil one me. And on complete impulse, I said yes. I wasn’t engaged. The $300 for the dress was technically still in savings. But I had a dress.
Tune in next time to hear about my DIY dress alterations.
lostthemoon 
I’m so glad you didn’t get the other dress. Yours was YOU. Soft and feminine, and the skirt was sooooo full. Sometimes it’s good to make a quick decision….when it is right for you.. You had watched enough “Say Yes to the dress” episodes, and done other research and soul searching. So when you tried on your dress, you knew it was right.