What does it take to get a dress in this town!?

Finally we have a Bridesmaids dress!

Phew!

You have no idea what it took to get this. This is dress number 3, at store number 3 and I can say whole heartedly say I never want to look for a brdiesmaids dress, again. Ever.

Let's start at the beginning shall we. I take you way, way back in time - back when my wedding party was in it's original stage and no maids had been given the boot yet, or dropped out - back about 3 months ago...

I found the most perfect Jasmine B2 dress online, love at first sight. I called a store in the area and went in right away with my sister and then maid -of -honor (MOH) Stef to give it a look. We all agreed it was perfect, and I ordered some swatches from the shop Bella Bridal as I wanted the dress (see photo to right) Black with a pink sash and I needed to see the available pinks.

A month or so goes by and I've not heard from Bella Bridal on the arrival of my swatches, so I call. They have no idea who I am, or that I have ordered the swatches. I'm a bit put off as I've personally spoken to the sales gal there 3 times and 2 of those was in the shop itself.

I simply make the decision that I will get this same dress elsewhere as any store that can't keep a swatch order straight, probably won't get the dress order right either.

By this time a maid has backed out of the wedding, and one has been booted for good reason. I've not got to replace 2 maids and then find a new shop with this dress.

I come across Our Shop, in Stillwater MN. They have the same dress AND it's centrally located for all my girls. I start getting excited - they are all going to meet and we're going to have a blast!

Upon arriving at the store, I looked for my dress in the millions of others hanging from the racks. When I didn't find it I asked a sales guy for help, as they told me they had the dress when I called. He pulls out this teal and white number which he says has the same style number on it.

I'm not convinced. My sister, who has tried it on swears on her pregnant belly - it's not the dress. All my maids are making this face like someone farted and I decide we need a new dress.

We settle on this lovely little number by Bill Levkoff, a bit more expensive but it has 2 great qualities. 1 - it's flattering and 2 ALL the girls loved it.

We go through the horrendous task of measuring everyone in a packed, over booked shop. Out seamstress was losing her mind and my girls we're all getting hungry. After an hour, we start the task of checking out, another 20 minutes PER GIRL, and the worst part is the woman in the shop are not even measuring right and the dress sizes they want to order for each girl is completely backwards.

Example, they wanted my tallest and biggest girl in a dress smaller then one of my smaller girls and the small girl in the big dress!? I had to have faith they knew what they were doing, after all the shop had been there for years, they had to be doing something right.

A day later my girls tell me they aren't comfortable with the shop either. So I called them up, got the money back as nothing was ordered yet (waiting on my 5th our of state gal to call in) and proceeded to look for a new dress, at a new shop!

Stressed out, and really sick of Bridesmaids dresses, I go back to looking at Davids Bridal, which is where I got my wedding dress. After an hour on line looking and 2 hours on the phone with my Bridesmaid MJ, we settle on one dress. Knowing it's the ONLY one there I pray to the God of Dresses and Sanity that it will work, and I scoot off to the shop to peek at it.

So there it is, hanging on the rack. It looks great.

Looks can be deceiving. I reach up and carefully check the price tag, figuring as it looks nice it must cost a fortune, right?

Phew! Cheaper then both of the first 2 dresses.

Alright, things are going good - so it must look like crap on. My FMIL (Future Mother In Law) makes me go try it on, as the black on is a 6 and it should fit. I slip it on and run to a mirror -

OMG - It's perfect, it's flattering, it's cheap IT'S THE ONE!

After 6 months, 3 dresses and 2 disaster at dress shops I have the one I need! I thought that you have this kind of anxiety over wedding dresses...lol...not bridemaids dresses!

I've contacted all the maids about the dress, and told them if they get it on and hate it - tough....lol, they are wearing it ;-)