Ever since I was little I dreamed of the day I would try on and find the perfect wedding dress. After watching countless episodes Say Yes To The Dress, I was so excited to go through that process and experience it for myself.
After getting engaged, I immediately started looking at wedding dresses online. I wanted to find styles and designers that I gravitated towards. I went down a rabbit hole on The Knot when I found Hayley Paige and her fun, glitzy and whimsical designs. All of her dresses are just GORGEOUS and I KNEW I had to get married in one of her gowns; I was completely sold and hadn’t even tried them on yet.
Fast forward about 9 months, I was in LA for a business trip and felt the need to try on wedding dresses at a boutique that had a wide assortment of her gowns. I went ahead and made an appointment while I was in town, I mean why wouldn’t I?!
Walking into a showroom that had racks and racks full of gorgeous wedding dresses felt like a dream. After getting greeted with a glass of champagne, I got to meet Molly, my consultant. She was the sweetest. She listened to what I wanted, pulled all the dresses I was eyeing and made me feel incredibly comfortable throughout the entire process.
Dress criteria
- Blush (but open to white/ivory)
- Sparkles, rhinestones + appliques (DUH! this was a non-negotiable)
- A-line ballgown (I want to feel like a princess & thought it would be flattering on my body shape being a plus size woman)
- Sleeves
LAZARO
The first dress I tried on was this one by Lazaro, after seeing a blush shimmer ball gown of his online. Unfortunately they did not have the exact style I was looking for but was able to try something similar. While the dress was gorgeous, it was extremely heavy because it had so much fabric. I didn’t love the strapless and sweetheart neckline on my body shape & felt like it just wasn’t for me.
HAYLEY PAIGE
Dress #2 was a super sparkly A-line Hayley Paige dress named Nash. This dress has a deep sweetheart neckline and open back, a full tulle skirt with caviar applique and layered starlight tulle with cashmere lining. I didn’t think it would look super flattering on me knowing I didn’t want to show much of my arms BUT I was so pleasantly surprised with how I felt in this dress. Snatched at the waist, beautiful train with the perfect mix of sparkle and embroidered appliqués. I loved this one so much more than the first but knew I still had more dresses to try on. Nash moved to the #1 spot behind the Lazaro.
This next dress I was SO excited to try on as every time I kept looking at dresses, I always came back to this one. JLM had a few options for me to try on which was exciting to see it a few different ways. This is called the Lorelei gown, SWOON right?! I got to try on both the blush and the ivory, which actually had a slightly different bodice for those who have a larger chest for more support. A little about the dress which makes it so special; tulle ball gown that has floral beaded and embroidered bodice with illusion bateau neckline and low open back, cascading tiered skirt with horsehair trim. The movement of this dress is unbelievable, also making it SO light because of the fabric and how it lays on the body. The illusion sleeves were extremely flattering and shift from the bodice to the skirt made my waist look so good. This one made me smile and loved how I felt in it but knew there were more to try on!
Next dress I wanted to try on was another sleeved Hayley Paige but this one had a different vibe than the Lorelei gown previously. This is one of her most iconic sleeved dresses, ironically named Hayley, after herself, so I knew I had to try this one on! This dress doesn’t have a lot of sparkle to it but does have a beaded and embroidered bodice with illusion bateau neckline and V-neck front, full intricate back, tulle skirt and a long cathedral train. Another thing I loved about this dress option was that it comes in ivory but also in this whimsical color way that has light pastels like amethyst, rosewater and lavender, so unique which I loved! While this dress looks angelic on so many people, it unfortunately made me feel a little matronly and too mature for what I was going for and felt comfortable in. This was an easy pass for me.
After a long appointment going back and forth, trying on a few more dresses, I just knew I found the dress for me & of course, it was no other than a Hayley Paige! I was SO excited to say yes to my dress and went home that day with the most gorgeous dress I CANNOT wait to get married in.
