Project Real: I Do . . . Feel Gorgeous!

Four days ago, I stayed up all night for the sole purpose of seeing a girl step out of a car in a dress.

But, not just any dress.  The dress.  The dress that would make her a princess.

Buying your wedding dress is one of those moments in your life that you either dream of, or dread.

For me, it was dread.  Fitting into trendy clothes at a department store is one thing.  But the sizing associated with formal wear is a whole other animal.  Add to that, the fact that most bridal salons only stock sample dresses up to a size ten (size 6 in normal human sizes), so whenever I wanted to try anything on, I felt huge waddling out of the fitting room with giant chip clips holding the unfastened dress to my frame.

In the end, I found my dream gown, but the process was no less miserable.

Although, you wouldn’t know it from by the way I danced around the room singing along to Prince with my bridesmaids.

So, today we celebrate, not the bumpy road that got us there, but rather, just how gorgeous we felt once we arrived.

I had already purchased my wedding dress, and I hated it.  The sales woman and my friends talked me into it, but it didn’t have the vintage feel I was going for.  I drove by a bridal boutique on my way home from visiting a friend down south, saw this dress in the window and bought it on the spot.  I, to this day, have never felt as beautiful as I did that day.

Heather: I loved my wedding dress because it was feminine but still allowed me to show off my personality. The way the dress hugged my curves made me feel as beautiful as I was happy.

Meghan: I loved this dress because, being petite, I never thought I would be able to pull off a full skirt, but this dress worked perfectly. The strapless top maximized my (ample) bosom and helped to make the skirt perfectly proportionate.

Audrey: My wedding dress made me feel beautiful because my Grandma Dot had spent HOURS altering it so it fit me like a glove.  She passed away in 2002, and I’m still sentimental about it because I know she put so much work into it.  Every time I see it or touch it, I feel loved.

Kim: Our wedding celebration in New Orleans. I wore a white linen shirt and tan linen capris with small flowers embroidered on the cuffs, cork wedges and my grandmother’s pearls, along with an antique diamond bracelet that Gregory had given me that morning. I felt gorgeous because I was madly in love with the man beside me, wearing the same pearls my grandmother wore at her own wedding, and I felt like I was sparkling as brightly as the diamonds I wore every time Gregory told me I was beautiful.

Mishi: On my wedding day I felt beautiful because this was the dress that I envisioned, for myself, before I went dress shopping.  Every dress that I tried on was ill-fitting, save this one; it didn’t even have to be altered.  It had a simple elegance that was hard to find in the mid-nineties, with moderate beading on the bodice, and a reasonable train.   Also, the different veil really made me feel special.   I just loved that tear-dropped pearl on my forehead!

Katie: This is a picture of me on my wedding day.  I felt pretty in my dress because it fit me well, and it wasn’t plain, but it wasn’t too overstated.  It felt kind of unique, but not like something I’d regret in 20 years.  The moment I tried it on, I had to have it.

Ali: I got married as, well, an infant. My mother planned almost my entire wedding…except for my dress and my flowers. I had in my mind EXACTLY what I want, and ended up buying the first dress I tried on. I still love it, 13 years later. I mean, I’d wear it to work if I could.

Nanette: While my dress was popular amongst brides during my wedding planning, I still felt like one of a kind. It cinched me up in all the right places and made me feel beautiful inside and out.

Dawn: My mom and dad paid for our wedding, but my dad wasn’t willing to spend “too” much. My mom, truly just joking, mentioned I could wear her dress. I didn’t have to think long before I said SURE! New lace was added, it was sized for me, and I felt beautiful in it. I had never been much of a wedding day/dress dreamer as a kid (tomboy, yo) and so I think I was more appreciative of the idea of a dress with history that both my mom and my aunt wore down the aisle. The biggest reason I felt pretty in my dress was that it meant so much to my mom…plus Mike’s eyes got big when he saw me for the first time.

Daisy: My dress made me feel beautiful because my Mom gasped when she saw me in it. That is when I knew it was the one…and it didn’t hurt that it had pockets, which is the single greatest attribute of all time in a wedding dress.

Allison:  I loved my dress because it was SIMPLE and, most importantly,  I felt like me in it from the moment I put it on.

Angie: I didn’t just feel pretty in my wedding dress, I was pretty. The dress accentuated my positive body image, it showed off my hair, and I smiled all night long knowing I was beautiful.

Jen: From the second I put this dress on in the store it fit me like a glove, no alterations at all, every cut was made for me. It was the first time in my life I felt completely comfortable in something other than jeans and a t-shirt.

Tena: I have always been self- conscious of my upper arms (join the club, I know.) It was the 90′s and it was a tall order to find things that weren’t high necked and SCREAMING for a matching lace headband, yet still cover my upper arms.  I felt like a princess and think it stands the test of time enough for my girls to at least consider borrowing it someday.(Princesses are classic, right?)

Holly: I fell in love with this dress the moment I picked it up—strapless, laced up the back like a corset, with a small spattering of Swarovski crystals around the top—it just screamed HOLLY. And when I put it on I felt amazing. The dress hugged all the right places like it was meant just for me.

Whether you are married, not yet married, or happily unmarried, you have to admit, a little bit of dress up is totally fun…even if at the end, you don’t end up the Duchess of anything.

So, we want to see what you wore on your big day, and if you lucked out and got to wear an amazing bridesmaid dress, (we’re so jealous, all our dresses of bridesmaid past were hideous!) we want to see that too!  Just add it to our Flickr Group and let us know why you felt absolutely stunning in your outfit!

And, if you are in the market for a gorgeous plus size dress, fear not.  You don’t have to spend the day getting all sweaty and frusterated trying on dresses that underwhelm, not flatter.  Bridal Guide Magazine and  Sonsi Bridal are giving away five plus size bridal gowns!  You can enter by clicking here May 2nd-6th.  You can also join then in a live twitter event and chances to win one of twelve Sonsi gift cards!

Date: Friday, May 6, 2011
Time: 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. EST
Location: Visit TweetChat.com and enter event #plussizebrides
Who: Sonsi Publisher & Bridal Boutique curator Jill Hutchison
Sydney’s Closet plus-size wedding dress designer Phyllis Brasch Librach
Bridal Guide Magazine Online Editor Rachel Jacoby

Join the fun and follow:
@Sonsiwoman, @BridalGuideMag, @SydneysCloset

Don’t forget to add your amazing photo to our Flickr Group!