One of the things I spent the most time on during our wedding preparations was finding the perfect wedding dress. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted, but then I realized that what I wanted didn’t look the way I had imagined on me. We all have different body types and insecurities, and throughout the process, I realized I needed a dress I felt comfortable in.
I knew that on our special day, I would be anxious; you know, being the center of attention, all eyes on you, too much stress. :P So, if I didn’t feel comfortable in my dress and felt like I had to hide certain parts of myself, I wouldn’t be present enough to relax and just enjoy our special day.
This realization left me feeling completely lost about what I truly wanted. One thing is what I prefer in a wedding dress, but another thing is what I prefer wearing on my special day.
After several wedding dress trials, I knew a few things for sure: I didn’t want a dress that felt “too princess-cute-ish.” I wanted to feel elegant and confident. I also wanted a deep neckline and a dress that was somewhat fitted. I wanted some sort of sleeves since my arms are one of my insecurities. I wanted to cover my back because I didn’t like how open-back dresses looked on me.
During this process, I became more and more self-conscious of my body, and not in a good way. I felt uncomfortable in my own body because the dresses didn’t look the same on me as they did on the models, and it stressed me out. I was too much in my own head.
So, I decided to take a break from trying on wedding dresses and tried again later, which really helped. I took my time because I wanted it to feel right. And finally, I found the one.
I found mine at Butik Karizma. I loved the fabric, the style, and the white-cream color. But most importantly, I loved how it made me feel. I felt relaxed, comfortable, and beautiful. It was also so different from all the other dresses I had tried, which made it feel even more special.
Let me show you some of the ones I’ve tried:
- I loved this one from the front, but I didn’t like the back. Also, because of my insecurities with my arms, the strap was too thin. But otherwise, I loved the design.
- This one was alright. I liked the cut and the fabric, but I just didn’t feel it.
- This one was alright, too, but again, I didn’t feel it.
- I really liked this one. It was so simple and plain, and there’s something very beautiful and elegant about that. However, I wanted a lighter fabric, so this one didn’t make my top three.
- This one was beautiful, but my arms and shoulders made me uncomfortable. Also, it felt “too cute,” which is perfectly fine, but it wasn’t what I was going for.
- I loved this one right away! It was my favorite. I loved the design, the fabric, everything. But as the process went on, I became more and more insecure about my arms and back. This dress was exactly what I was looking for, but I felt like it didn’t suit my body the way I wanted it to. I became very self-conscious. I thought I wanted off-shoulder, but after trying it a couple of times, I realized I wasn’t comfortable with it for the wedding.
- I really liked this one, but it felt like something I could wear on any other occasion, just in a different color maybe. :P It felt “too simple” or even “casual,” even though it was very beautiful. I wanted something unique and different.
- Beautiful, but again, too cute. That’s not what I wanted.
- I also loved this one, but again, it was too cute and girly, which wasn’t what I wanted. I did consider this one, though, because I loved the fabric and the off-white color. It’s crazy how many details suddenly matter when it comes to your wedding dress. XD Haha!
- This one was pretty, too, but again, too cute. And off-shoulder was a no-go for me because I became increasingly self-conscious about my arms, shoulders, and back. -.-
- This one was actually really beautiful, and I loved everything about it except for the fabric! The fabric made it look cheap, like the quality was lacking, so it was a no for me.
- I loved this one, and I felt good wearing it, but the back was too deep for me. Again, I was insecure about my back (something I discovered during this whole process -.-).
- I loved this one! I adored the fabric, the design, and how it looked on me. But the issue was that I didn’t want something too girly and flowery. I wanted something a little more fitted to my body.
My top 3
The dresses above ended up being my top three, but I didn’t choose any of them.
The first one had off-shoulder sleeves, and while the dress itself was perfect, I didn’t like how the off-shoulder style looked on me. It just wasn’t right for me.
The second one was amazing, but the back was too deep. My insecurities about my back and arms made me feel uncomfortable, and it was so important for me to feel truly comfortable on my wedding day.
The third one wasn’t what I was initially going for, but it was just so beautiful, and I felt so beautiful in it that I seriously considered choosing it.
My husband’s top 3:
I also asked my husband to pick his top three from the ones I tried, and interestingly, his first choice was also number 6; just like me! His other picks were numbers 2 and 10. It was fun to hear his thoughts and see his top three! We agreed on our number one choice, and that was it. XD Hahaha!
I ended up with something totally different:
“The one”
This one; I loved it the second I put it on! I loved the off-white color, the fabric, and the subtle glitter, which was similar to the glitter on my lehenga, by the way. The back wasn’t too deep, there were no off-shoulders, and even though I thought I wanted something plain, this dress was just love at first sight.
I felt good wearing it, and most importantly, I felt excited! That excitement was something I didn’t get with the other dresses in the same way.
