My Wedding Dress + The Dresses I Didn't Choose!

My favorite wedding dress photos as well as, the gowns I tried on at Modern Bride & Formal Shop in Bedford, NH that I didn’t choose!

Everything I thought I wanted, kinda went out the window when it came time to trying on gowns! Once we definitely decided that our ceremony was going to be taking place in church – you can read about our ceremony here…I knew I needed a dress to match! I originally picked out a stunning short white dress from Revolve that I actually ended up keeping because it was too cute & I’m sure I’ll wear it (maybe for our first anniversary?), but I was pretty much set on that & my blue Manolo’s! That was, until wedding planning got a little more serious! My now MIL, booked me an bridal appointment at a local bridal shop here in New Hampshire, & the rest was history!

I went into dress shopping with a VERY open mind – I technically already had a short white dress I loved after all! We went to Modern Bride & Formal Shop in Bedford, New Hampshire, & Danielle was my bridal consultant for the day! I told her that I loved simple silhouettes, was probably going to gravitate towards something more form-fitting, lace, preferably dresses with a low back, & nothing strapless! I kinda left the rest up to her! The appointment was seriously so much fun, especially for a “Say Yes To The Dress” fanatic like myself haha!

But I will say, I was NOT expecting to find a dress!

Until, I tried on the first dress & almost stopped there haha!! Seriously! All of the dresses I tried on are below – I only tried on a total of six gowns! But I really did love the first one, a lot, especially the fit! Since my wedding was less than a month away, I had to purchase a sample gown directly off of the floor. Thankfully, most of the gowns, including the one I ultimately chose fit me extremely well & only needed minimal alterations, which we outsourced! The salon needed at least 6-8 weeks for alterations, which of course, didn’t work for our timeline! My mother-in-law remembered a seamstress she had worked with in the past/known for years & we contacted her right away!

But back to trying on gowns!

I really did love trying on the different gowns…I mean, who wouldn’t?! It’s the ultimate dress up! My mind was like 95% set on choosing the first gown until I mentioned that I would love to try something on with a bow. My consultant had to think about what she had with a bow & worried that they had sold their last “bow dress” at their last trunk show, but then brought a stunning gown out for me to try, with a detachable bow!

And that was that! As you can see, in the photos below, the dress I chose was quite different than the others I tried on. It was simple, gave me the most regal feeling, was the most stunning off-white color, & truly made me feel like a princess!

AND it of course, it had a spectacular back with a bow – yay!

After trying on this stunning Modern Bride Couture gown, I actually tried on the first dress again, just to be sure…& hands down, I knew the couture bow gown was my dress! So I said yes!! I paired the gown with a cathedral veil & a beautiful pair of blue Manolo Blahnik’s that I have been lusting over for years & years!

Below, are some of the photos we took while trying on dresses – none of them are posed, which is why my face is hysterical in some of them haha! A huge thank you to the team over at Modern Bride in Beford, New Hampshire too. They truly made my first & only dress trying on experience nothing short of perfect, & so so enjoyable. And of course, I wanted to share some of my favorite dress photos from the wedding day too!

The Wedding Dresses I Didn’t Choose…

All from Modern Bride & Formal Shop in Bedford, NH

Dress #1:

This was the first dress I tried on & honestly I thought it might have been it! It fit like a glove, didn’t need any alterations, had a stunning neckline, gorgeous train, delicate beadwork, & buttons down the train which I loved. I really did love this dress & tried it on twice, because I ultimately decided between this one & the dress I went home with!

Dress #2:

This was for sure a front runner too – I LOVED the gorgeous simplicity of this dress, the buttons, the sheer detail on the back, the train, & the neckline. Unfortunately it was too big around my hips so it would’ve been a little tricky making those specific alterations in such a short time frame, which influenced my decision to ultimately pass on this dress. I really did love it though.

Dress #3:

My consultant really wanted me to try this one on because it was a favorite of hers! I really loved the neckline, I thought it was beautiful, but I didn’t care for the all-lace back. Overall, really pretty dress, just was a little too busy for my preference!

Dress #4:

How beautiful is the back flower-lace detail on this one?! Again, this dress, wasn’t really what I was going for, but definitely had an effortless beauty about it! I enjoyed trying it on!

Dress #5:

This dress was more of a beige color but I LOVED the way it fit me! It was a true fit and flare/mermaid type dress, which was the only one like this that I tried, but I thought it was absolutely stunning! I didn’t care for the cut out detail that circled around the bottom of the dress. But I loved the neckline, the way it hugged my body, & I adored the buttons that ran down the train. It was a gorgeous dress.

& FINALLY, the dress I chose…

As you can probably see, the dress I actually chose was quite different than the ones I tried on prior! We were kinda of nearing the end of the appointment & I asked my bridal consultant if she had anything with a bow. At first thought, she thought they recently sold one of their only dresses with a bow at a recent trunk show but then brought this one out for me to try. I knew it was my dress pretty much right away. It was everything I never knew I was looking for: elegant, regal, classic, simple, stunning. I adored the off white color, the cut-outs on the back, the buttons that reached down to the end of the train, & of course, THE BOW! Also, did I mention it had pockets?!