THE dress

This is my dress!  It is the Allison Marie by Maggie Sottero.  I never would have chosen this style for myself by just looking at pictures.  I went to Fashion Corner in Sunnyside WA.  Irene was so great about finding dresses that I felt good in.  She had this one hanging in the dressing room and I kept looking at the color and thinking it was pretty.  I am sure Irene knew this was going to be the one, as she saved it for last.  I really love this dress and I had so many compliments at our wedding.  Several people told me it was the prettiest wedding gown they had ever seen.  I know that Darrell thought it was perfect and completely different from anything he expected.  I am so glad I surprised him with my choice.
http://www.maggiesottero.com/

When we went for my final fitting at Fashion Corner we found this maid of honor dress for Anna.  We had already purchased a different dress but once we saw this one on her we knew we had to get it.  Isn't she lovely?
http://www.fashioncornerbridal.com/index2.php

I wanted to be Lizzy Bennett!

Of course I wanted to be Elizabeth Bennett from Pride & Prejudice!  Who wouldn't?  I am glad I never got to try this dress on because I am pretty sure I would not have met it's expectations.  If you have met your Mr. Darcy and love this dress you can find at at 2Be Bridal - by Elizabeth Darcy.
http://www.fashionablebride.com/gallery/110/fashiontrends/Wedding-Dresses/2be-Bride-by-Elizabeth-Darcy

another dress option

The other dress I tried on at Alicia's Bridal was Viera by Maggie Sottero. This dress was so lovely! I would have bought a dress there if I was from the area, but fittings would have been very difficult. I really appreciated the shop and how they made me believe that being a beautiful bride could be a reality for me. If you live in or near Bellingham WA - or can travel to buy your dress I highly recommend them.


http://www.formalhouse.com/

The dress

Looking for a wedding dress when you are 49 years old and overweight can be a daunting experience. I started this process thinking I could never wear a traditional wedding gown. I thought it would be easier just to find a nice dress - but it needed to be special. 

The first dress I ordered looked perfect in the pictures and I still think it's beautiful, but on me, not so great. I sent it back and continued searching on the internet and in magazines. My daughter finally decided I needed to try on wedding gowns and drug me (almost literally) to David's Bridal. I found a dress that was okay but I felt like I was stuffed into it and they didn't seem to have any options for me to cover my arms - and that was important to me.
I visited my daughter in Bellingham and went to Alicia's Bridal. They were so helpful and nice. I didn't have an appointment but they helped me to see that even an older and plumper bride can be beautiful. Here is one of the dresses that made the top of my list. It is from Casablanca and they had great sleeve options for me. This one made me feel like a fairy princess.

http://www.casablancabridal.com/products/best_sellers

The perfect cake topper

I don't know why I wanted this so badly - except that it is just dang cute. I found this early on in my wedding planning by Googling "bird cake toppers" -

http://www.annwoodhandmade.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14&zenid=03a7192266a6f0c55be152a105162c24

I kept searching for something that would please me as much as this one but I just couldn't find anything to compare. I love it! I had a bit of a bird theme to my wedding and this was perfect. Thankfully my groom didn't want me to settle for less than my "perfect" cake topper and opened his pocketbook up a little wider. I have no regrets!