If you have followed us for a while, you have probably heard the story of how I found my wedding dress. It was unexpected, magical, and amazing.
I have worked at One Fine Day for 2.5 years and I have loved every second of it! I have tried on every wedding dress in our store- which is definitely a perk of the job! Once I got engaged, I was SO excited to start the dress shopping experience! I had a dress picked out for six months prior and I was certain that that was the dress I would walk down the aisle in. It was everything that I thought I wanted and I chose everything about my wedding because of this dress! I set up my appointment with all of my family and friends and was so stoked for it!
One weekend at One Fine Day, we had an Essense of Australia Preview Show. This amazing event showcases the gowns that will be in the collection for the next season. How cool is that? We were some of the first to see these gowns. We spent the week prior steaming and preparing these gowns for the show. Essense of Australia sends one of their representatives (who is absolutely amazing) to our store to help lead and celebrate our brides and the Preview Show. As the Preview Show began, we decided that I should try on some of the dresses for the representative so that we could give our feedback and input on these new dresses. As I was pulling dresses to try on, this one gown caught my eye. I will never forget that moment! I immediately thought, I am going to walk down the aisle to my groom in this dress. I did not say anything about it and I put on some of the other dresses first. Once I got to this dress that caught my eye, I put it on with butterflies in my stomach. I remember putting this dress on and being taken back by it. There was this whirlwind of emotions that encompassed me. I stood there in that dress that was absolutely nothing like what I wanted and I could finally picture my wedding.
I walked out to the workers at One Fine Day and the Essense of Australia Representative and the first words out of my mouth were “I think this is my wedding dress”. The next words out of my mouth were “someone call my mom!” My mom rushed over from work to see me in my dress. I was so thankful that she was able to get there so soon! I was so taken back by this gown because it was nothing that I thought I wanted. I had loved a dress for six months and the second I put this dress on, all of those feelings about the other dress totally faded away. I was so shocked, but so so happy.
I was surrounded by my wonderful mother, my amazing boss, Autumn, and a room full of people that loved me. It was truly one of the most special moments in my life.
I tell this story to encourage brides to go with their heart. It is okay to go with the dress that you never expected you’d buy and it is okay to be shocked by your choice! It is also okay to fall in love with a dress when you never thought you would. I was definitely not expecting to find my dress that day, but the timing was perfect.
Today, there is 11 days until my wedding day. I put my dress on this morning and stood in front of the mirror flooded with emotions and with tears in my eyes. I truly have never felt as beautiful as I do in my wedding dress. I am so thankful that I went with my heart and chose the dress that means so much to me. This dress is not just a dress. This dress is a dress that is filled with emotion and love and memories. This is a dress that I get to walk down the aisle with my dad in. This is a dress that I get to marry my best friend in. This is a dress that makes me a bride.
Gabrielle