The full monty in Boston

There's so much Champ and I love about having our wedding in Colorado. But the one thing that's not so good about a small town? Shopping for a dress- although I've been able to find pretty much everything in a town that's incredibly small, a wedding dress was not on my list of to-dos in Vail. In fact, when I was a kid my mom and I used to drive two hours to Denver for "back to school shopping". It was always a special trip, and became tradition for the two of us. Two hours to the nearest mall...gasp!

The good news? I went to school in Boston, and Champ's family is still around the area. I actually lived on historic Newbury street about a block away from Priscilla's, L'elite, Ana Hernandez, and Vera Wang so I was constantly surrounded by designer dresses. Talk about inspiration!!!

You've seen the insane list of dress shops I visited in Boston, so I thought I might share some of my experiences for brides who may want to purchase their dress in the Boston area.

First stop,

Yolanda's (Waltham, MA): I had actually heard a lot about Yolanda's before I ever set foot in the store. I had heard that there was a very large selection, but you really had to go in there and act like they were no better than you. Does that make sense?! Basically, some people really like it and some feel like the experience is a bit intense. Me? I was in the middle. I really liked the dresses they had, but it was the first place I had tried on any dresses, so I was not taken very seriously (understandably so). Overall, I wasn't sure it was the best place to try on a first dress and it's because I was placed in a dressing room with my guests- both my FMIL and future sister-in-law. I guess I pictured dress shopping like it's shown in movies: the bride walks out with the consultant to reveal the dress to her guests. Instead, I was in my bloomers in front of them as they saw me awkwardly slip my first wedding dress on... no fairytale vision here!

Next stop:

Le Reine's (Waltham, MA): I love two things about this place: one is Jennean (a consultant), and two is that the bride dresses behind a huge Victorian curtain... I felt pretty special. If you go here, you MUST use Jennean. She's great, and really listened to me. At one point, I mistakenly gave her a little misdirection by telling her I wanted sort of a "Spanish feel" to the dress. She completely listened, and brought out a dress similar to Elizabeth Hurley's below. It looks beautiful on her, but I felt like I was drowning in ruffles! It was a moment I'll never forget and it's this moment that makes me wish LaReines was camera friendly.

Source

I came to her knowing that I wanted a few things: a mermaid-ish fit, and a sweetheart neckline. After a few dresses and some great laughs, Jennean brings out a dress and tells me I have no choice but to try it on... what could I lose? I loved the dress, but ended up going elsewhere to purchase. My second trip to La Reines I brought one of my best friends and a bridesmaid and the owner just happened to be there. Ultimately, things just didn't feel right, so we moved...

...onto the next!

House of Brides (Woonsocket, RI): If you're willing to deal with a little funky smell and some 70's carpet, this place has an amazing selection. I mentioned before that I found two dresses I loved, and HOB had both to compare. At this point, I'd swallowed my pride as again my guests were witness to my undies. Whatev, I have no shame. Another note to mention is that our consultant was Andrea, and she was wonderful.

Allure (Westwood, MA): Honestly, I barely remember this place. I think it's because I only thought about a few dresses here. They do have a wonderful selection, but we had seen most of them by now. The dressing rooms were great, but I made the mistake of dress shopping during prom season. Oops! I had 15 year-olds whispering comments about the dresses I chose. Kids- they can be so cruel :/

Champagne break.... aaand next stop:
Pronuptia Bridals (Worcester, MA): This is where I ended up purchasing my dress. The reason? I just felt comfortable, and I was not pressured at all. It's really that simple for me in the end. Pressure me? Buh bye. Treat me with patience? Hellooo lovah. Another plus? They let me take pictures. It's obviously not the most important thing, but it certainly doesn't hurt. My contact: Susan

Last stop:

Priscilla of Boston (Boston, MA): Obviously this needs no intro, and I really have nothing bad to say about the experience. I absolutely loved our consultant Phyllis, and she's been in the business for SO LONG. She helped me put together the perfect look, and really really listened to me. The fun part? I tried on anything I wanted- no questions. The dress I really loved was the Lia (Come on Lia brides, there are so many of us that love that dress!). Ultimately, Priscilla's really makes you feel like a princess. It was the end to a perfect, and packed, dress weekend.

I leave you with our little man Maxwell and some thoughts about the whole dress shopping experience.
I honestly think that every bride should think about a few things before dress shopping: invite honest guests to give you input, tell the consultant exactly what you do and don't like about the dresses you try on- if they're good they will listen. Oh and another thing? Wear some boy shorts or full coverage underwear (trust me on this one- as I fully revealed myself to the entire Champ family), and bring a strapless bra!

Any other words of advice? How did you prepare for your dress shopping experience?