The Gown!

Devyn was very firm about not shopping for her gown until the engagement ring was on her finger.  I concurred with her, but we had lots of people asking us when the gown shopping would begin!  Shortly after she was engaged, we had a trip to NYC, and then her sisters' birthdays. . .and of course, there's always school and work for her.  So we were all really excited when we realized that everyone was free on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and we could devote a day to finding THE gown.

Devyn made three appointments at three different stores.  The first was a specific designer store, the second a chain store, and the last one was a small and newer business.  She allotted about an hour per appointment, as there was some travel time between some of them.

We arrived on time at the first salon.  The woman who worked with us was gracious and kind, but we began to perceive a few things:  one, she was slightly patronizing of Devyn's opinions and budget, and two, there was no way we were getting out of there in under an hour.  I called and pushed back appointment #2 for another hour. 

Dev found two dresses that she liked fairly well at that store, but both were above the price level we had hoped to find.  I wasn't ready to commit to either of them because she didn't seem dazzled by either dress; rather it seemed as though she thought they were pretty and would do.  With some difficulty, we extracted ourselves from that salon and moved onto the chain store.

There we were greeted by a lovely young lady who really seemed to listen to Devyn.  She pulled the gowns Devyn had chosen from their website and allowed us to find a few more we liked.  We appreciated that unlike the first store, this woman gave us time alone to discuss each dress, and she didn't push anything--if it was clear Devyn didn't like the gown she was wearing, we moved on--there was no attempt to push her into something she didn't like.

The second gown Dev put on at this store was definitely THE one.  I could see a sparkle in Devyn's eye that hadn't been there before, and when the veil was added, we all agreed.  This was IT!! 

We found another nice thing about this store was that they didn't push additional purchases.  The consultant who worked with us suggested we check other vendors for certain items.  She was very relaxed and lots of fun. 

By the time the purchase was made, we were all STARVED--we'd been at it since before noon, and it was four o'clock by the time we finished.  We canceled our last appointment and grabbed lunch at the food court, happy to have another item checked off the list. 

Of course I can't describe the gown here, since Greg must be surprised, and Devyn's daddy has chosen to be surprised as well.  David, however, had to see a picture of it--he has to be in the know.  But I can tell you that it is beautiful, very Devyn and absolutely gorgeous.

Next up is the search for bridesmaids gowns. . .hmmm. . .