And two of my all time favorite wedding vendors.

 

This post is in my Photographer Turned Bride series where I share what it was like for me on the other side of the camera planning my wedding. To visit other posts in the series go here:

Finding The Venue

Wedding Flowers

One of the most fun parts of planning a wedding for me was finding my dress. I of course had several styles pinned and thought I knew what I wanted but in the end went with something totally different and unique. And that’s part of the fun. You get to try on dresses and see what you love and what fits with your wedding day. Often the dress determines the theme of the day too.

I’ve known for years that no matter what dress, I wanted to buy it from Church Street Bridal. They are a non-profit organization in Lynchburg that has all the dresses donated and lets brides come and purchase them at a fraction of the cost. So you save money – win. But the best part is that all the proceeds go to help women and children in the Lynchburg area so you support a good cause – bigger win. Their mission statement is, “The YWCA of Central Virginia is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.” And they help fight domestic abuse and serve all women and children in the central Virginia area. (Find out more here)

However, we didn’t start there. I knew I wanted a place where I could try all the different styles and options out first. So we found a weekend that worked and headed down to Raleigh to stay with my cousins and try out all the bridal shops there. At the first store we went to I tried on and loved this David Tuterra but since it was the first store we took lots of pictures, wrote down the information, and moved on to the next one. (P.S. excuse the mix of iPhone/camera pictures they were a team effort :)

The next dress I loved was over half my wedding budget :) So even though this Monique Lhuillier was GORGEOUS, it was a definite pass.

So after a long weekend and about 30 dresses we headed back to Virginia with some great ideas in mind. A few days later we headed over to Lynchburg to see what we could find at Church Street. And after a few try ons we found the one. It was different from anything I’d tried on and so so beautiful. And after a few more dresses I put this one back on a decided it was the one.

The great thing about Church Street is they work really closely with The Gilded Thimble (my other favorite vendor). They specialize in bridal gown alterations. Since a lot of them are floor models or specific sizes that may not be exactly what you want, after purchase they send you over to her and she works miracles. My dress fit pretty well but there were a few places that needed touching up and some boning repaired. And of course hemmed and bustled. She offers all day appointments so you can show up in the morning and she sews while you wait and you leave with a finished dress (perfect for us who live farther away) or you can drop your dress off and she works on it over a matter of time.

When it came time for my sisters wedding a few short months after mine we headed straight back to Church Street to start the search. She already knew the style she wanted and so didn’t need to try on as many. We found hers and it was gorgeous.

The whole shopping crew :)

But it needed straps and some alteration so back to The Gilded Thimble we went. After a day there she ended up with the beautiful dress you’ve seen on the new website already – but here it is in process:

Over all, I love that we were both able to get our dresses for such a reasonable price, they were so beautiful and unique, and we donated to a great cause. If you are looking for a dress I definitely recommend paying the ladies at Church Street a visit. Here are a few of my recommendations before you do:

1. Go with a style or fabric in mind, but be open and flexible to trying anything. I thought I wanted lace but ended up with something totally else just because my sister said I should try it for fun.
2. Try styles of dresses you aren’t sure you want. You never know what will look best on you and with your body type. I thought I wanted a high-neck, open back dress but once I tried them on realized strapless was more flattering on me.
3. Just because a dress isn’t exactly what you want don’t write it off. I’m telling you the ladies at The Gilded Thimbal work miracles. Julies dress started strapless and they added the straps she wanted. And you can see other huge transformations they’ve done on their website – from adding or removing sleeves to changing necklines, and adding beading or lace.
4. So as long as you are flexible and have an open mind you’ll be able to find something you love at an affordable cost and for a good cause.
5. Try the dress on with a veil. It makes all the difference and for me is when the tears came and I could see myself in it walking down the aisle. It completes the bridal look.
6. Don’t do what I did and forget your shoes! Or any heels for that matter. Bring a pair with you so you can see what the full look will be.
7. Have fun. It will get overwhelming by dress 8 or so but just remember to take it all in and have someone take lots of pictures so you can see it from different angles.
8. Lastly, if you think it’s “the one” but aren’t totally sold, try on a few others then go back and put it on again. You’ll see it with fresh eyes and it makes the decision easier.

I hope this helps and no matter where you get your dress that you love it and can’t wait to walk down the aisle in it! My last piece of advice is once you buy it – stop looking at dresses on Pinterest! For me it made me doubt if it was really the perfect dress so I had to stop and revisit the pictures of me in it (and ok, try it on a time or two :) ) to remember that I did love it!