So I bought my wedding dress! (The picture to the left is not it…) I made a special trip to Cincinnati this past weekend to Bridal and Formal, with my soon to be mother and sister in law. We had a blast. The customer service is unparalleled and my helper, Sarah B., was nothing but sweet, fun and complimentary. The store is huge with over 4,000 gowns in stock- they have everything from Vera Wang and Monique Loullier to Forever Yours and Davinci. You can try on anything you want, as many as you want, and it’s actually fun. I came in with a list of dresses I knew I wanted to see… research is good when taking on a place as large as that. So there was one dress by Watters and Watters that only Bridal and Formal carried because it was a slightly older style. I found it immediately in the rack and brought it out with about 6 others and got ready to try them all on. We started with the Melissa Sweet and Priscilla of Boston trunk show dresses that were entirely out of my price range but extremely gorgeous. I managed to wriggle my way into the sample sizes used for the runway show (a truly amazing feat for me) but they just weren’t right for me. So I started in on my other choices and slipped into the Watters dress. Sarah pulled and pinned it in the back to make it fit correctly and I walked out to my awaiting family. Their faces told me immediately.

It was perfect.

It’s very simple, classic and very romantic. Exactly what I was looking for. So I have the dress on and I’m jumping up and down with excitement. Then Sarah whisks me off to the Accessory Room, where a different girl did my hair in a quick up-do and let me go wild with veils and jewelry. I explained the look I was going for and they made suggestions, pulling all sorts of things for me to try. It was a total princess moment. I found a veil and some combs that were much too expensive but it was still a ton of fun. They even let me take a few pictures to send to my Mom in Buffalo. 

So I bought the dress!! I don’t like the sash that comes with it but I’m going to make my own and add a little sparkle. It’s cheaper and I can customize it to my liking. Bridal and Formal didn’t pressure me into buying anything, which was a nice change from other salons I’ve been to. It was a great day. Wonderful. I highly recommend a trip to this wonderful store if you’re confused on what you’re looking for or even have something specific in mind. They are a great help, the owner is an awesome guy from my hometown in Buffalo, who offered me his card and let me know if there’s anything else I need that I could call him personally. I expected to be overwhelmed at such a large store but they have a smooth process that gives each bride the personal attention she deserves and makes her feel very special. A big thanks to them from me- and I’m a tough critic!