Yes to the dress! :) (KEVIN DO NOT READ)

Hello friends + family!

I have exciting news to share: I FOUND A WEDDING DRESS!

So, I went back home to California in hopes of finally finding + purchasing a dress. The designer of the dress I had fell in love with back in Omaha was having a trunk show at a bridal shop in Anaheim, so it seemed like I might be able to find the dress AND get a great deal on it, as I felt it was too much at full retail price. Anyways, when my mom and my friend Ashly and I arrived at the bridal shop on Friday, we were told that there were no sales or discounts, and that the "trunk show" meant that there were just more gowns from that designer in stock that weekend. Please note: This is NOT what their website said. Although we were quite angry, I decided to try on dresses there anyways and ended up finding a (different) dress that I love even more than the first one, which for awhile I didn't think was possible :)

The saleswoman was a bit rude and pushy toward us near the end, so we decided to let her know that we were going to think it over for a day or so before making a final decision. I went home and researched where else in California and Arizona that dress was sold, and discovered there were several places that would be more convenient to buy it from.

After a little more digging (websites that sell replica designer dresses from China, website that make replica dresses in the US, and some total scams), I came across www.preownedweddingdresses.com!  PreOwned Wedding Dresses connects sellers of designer wedding dresses with buyers who have found the dress of their dreams but maybe aren't able to afford it. Sellers list their dresses at a fraction of the price and the dresses have typically been worn just once or not at all, and are in excellent condition.

As it turns out, there were a few sellers on the website selling my exact dress. I ended up connecting with a seller of my dress that has almost my EXACT measurements. Too good to be true? Nope. I messaged her on Saturday and heard back late last night; she is still selling the dress and it has been cleaned and preserved since her wedding last year, and is in great condition! Best yet, the dress is about 60% off of the original price. We have started the transaction process and I should have the dress in the mail sometime next week :)

Here are a few pictures of the dress; I will post some of me wearing it when I get them from my mom and Ashly's cameras.

the dress has a lace sweetheart strapless bodice with cross-over taffeta cummerbund at the midriff. the skirt is organza with scalloped lace at the bottom.