Wedding Dress Miracle: New dress 4 weeks b4 my big day!

*Note - (I got carried away doing this so much that I added 2 of the songs we had at our wedding to my playlist, Make Me Whole and The Prayer. Make me Whole was done by a very close family friend before the ceremony started and it was AMAZING along with the string quartet and piano player we had!! The Prayer was done by 2 amazing young singers who are friends of my brother and it sounded just like Josh Groban and Charlotte Church! It was perfect and something I will never forget!)

I am super excited to be a part of "Show Me the Wedding Dress blog hop" from Kelly's Korner. I first must say that it was really hard to pick pictures for this and I'm sorry for the Picture Overload! I love all my pics! I probably got carried away, but if anyone is like me, they love looking at pics! I guess I am also proud of how things turned out since I was doing something most brides do not find themselves doing . . . and that was looking for a new dress only 4 weeks before my wedding!!!!! YIKES! My Wedding Dress story is one that most brides would not want to end up telling. I got my first dress about 6-8 months before my wedding. I know most girls get their dress way early, so I did the same and every where I went the ladies at the dress shops would tell me how I had to hurry and get a dress. I felt really under pressure to find one. To make a very long story short (save that for another blog . . . ) I got a dress and at first I loved it. When I first thought of the type of dress I wanted I thought I didn't want a really big poofy dress - I didn't think that was me and I didn't think that would be the most flattering for my curvy body type. I ended up stepping out of the box and trying every style on and loved one. It was pretty much what I said I didn't want. My Mom and I went home and thought about it, then went back the next weekend. Part of my story with my dress (the first one) included the experience we had when purchasing it. My Mom and I did not have a good experience at all when we went back to get the dress. I left there with not a good feeling and that is not how you should feel just after you have purchased your dress. Till this day I hate the place I got my dress from. It's hard for me not say the name of the business . . . . most girls from AR, TN, MS and all over travel to go to this place (which is in AR.) I know many, many girls that have had luck there, but my experience was horrible and I would never step foot in the place again. Let me fast forward . . . .I had to get my dress altered. The dress had tucks and instead of the lady altering it like normal, she added more tucks to help make it shorter. I ended up feeling like I had a completely different dress then when I started and I didn't like it at all on me! My Mom obviously knew it too since I wasn't acting like I loved it like most brides would. I knew she knew it - but I didn't have the heart to saying anything. It wasn't until my Mom came to me and said that we could go look for another dress. She knew I wasn't happy with it and she said she couldn't have me not loving my wedding dress. So the search was on! (As well as added stress!) We went back to one of the first places we had been to look for dresses, The Glass Slipper in Covington, TN. The owner was so warm and kind and knew her stuff. She had the same dress I had first picked out at the first horrid place and she told me that she never would have put me in that dress because it would not flatter my figure like other dresses would. If a wedding isn't stressful enough, try throwing having to search for a new dress weeks before in the mix! Whew!!!!

But . . . we had luck!! I found something that I LOVED, it was the dress!! Thank you God!! It almost fit perfect so I knew I was not going to have to have a lot done as far as alterations, just a little - thank the Lord! I remember bringing my 2nd dress home and hanging it up next to my first one. On the hanger EVERYONE would have said the first dress over the 2nd one!! It was and is a beautiful dress - but it did not look as good on me as the other dress and I felt like the one I ended up with was more me, Lindsey. I am so glad I went with the one I did! It is more classic and I felt good in it! It was perfect the day of and during my candle lit ceremony, the beaded accent around the waist just sparkled! There are a few I've seen that if I could go back and had more time, I might would have gone with something more straight and fitted at the bottom. But I loved the top of mine and the simple bead work!!! I thank GOD that I was able to find it!!!

My "Pre" Wedding Day Outfit

My Mom helping me with my dress. She had a cute outfit that day too. It had her name and "Mother of the Bride" on the back!
LOVED LOVED LOVED my fabulous, tall shoes!!!!!!!

This pic of me was before I decide which earring I was going to wear . . . . Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone with the bigger ones, but I chose the ones that were a little smaller. They were classic and elegant!

Mom fixing my dress - this was when she noticed there was a whole in my veil! Grrreat!! But no one noticed!

This pic is of me about to give my Bridesmaid's the black rings with pearls I designed for them to wear (since my colors were B&W). I work for a German Jewelry designer, so I had the hook up. I like this pic though because it shows the detail of my dress.

Dad and I making our way downstairs . . . the ceremony was about to begin!

So brides to be - when you think you are SO stressed and wonder what else could go wrong, be glad you are not having to search for a new dress a few weeks before your wedding. At least I hope know one else would have to do that!!! Talk about scary!!I know I'm not the only one this has happened too - but I don't think it happens too often. Oh and one last note . . . I LOVED my bridesmaids dresses!!!!!! I will wait and post pics of those for next weeks post for "Show us your Wedding Party!"