Wedding Dress Hunt

When I was on the search for my wedding dress, I looked at a lot of wedding dresses. This is a post to talk about and show a bunch of other dresses I tried on or found and felt inspired by.

David’s Bridal

David’s Bridal was my first in-shop experience. Sadly, our attendant was juggling multiple clients, so I am holding a couple of these in place vs clipping to understand how the dress will fit. Even though I told them I planned to add color, the quinceañera dress they brought out was gorgeous. I appreciate them trying to show me a dress with color, just to see another way a wedding style dress could be colored. The embroidery was such a fun touch! The other dresses were not inspiring, and I didn’t feel confident, let alone bridal. This stop let me cut out ball gowns as those made me feel like one of those old Barbie cakes, and the tighter fits like mermaid and sheath were probable no’s as we were going to hike for photos!

Weddings 826

This shop made me feel so special! I had told them about the sheath and mermaid fit being a potential problem, but they offered dresses that were just so stunning I had to try them on. When I requested abstract patterns, this shop understood the assignment. I didn’t want typical lace. In the end, the last 4 were my favorites. The A-line shape was making me feel confident and the patterns felt inspiring! These dresses were a bit more expensive than I felt comfortable spending, but they were embedded in my mind. If I didn’t find something that caught my eye more, I may have come back for the last dress.

The Wedding Loft

When I walked into this shop and told them my plans to paint my wedding dress, they were so excited for me, but worried they wouldn’t have abstract enough dresses for me. They pulled these 2 gorgeous dresses for me, one they called a mannequin star. They liked displaying it, but it was a bit more glam than a lot of brides want. The other was draped in pearls. It was so pretty. Both made me feel so special, bridal, and it turns out one of them stuck in my mind! I told them their mannequin star made me feel incredible, but I wanted another week to think on it.

Bridal Rack Indy

In this shop, I tried on a few more traditional styles. The sleeves of the first one made me happy. The silky, swishiness of the second dress was fun. The simplicity of the third dress made me feel like a Grecian goddess. My favorite dress here was the golden glittery roses though. That one made me feel like I was going to a gala of some kind. None of them felt inspiring enough to buy. Sadly, this shop closed their doors in Oct of 2023.


After going to Bridal Rack, I took time to think on the dresses I had tried on, looking over photos, and thinking hard on my feelings. I was so nervous someone would come into The Wedding Loft and buy that Stella York dress. I called them… Turns out they weren’t even open during the beginning of the week. They agreed to hold the dress for me until Saturday when they did open and check their voicemail. I appreciated that a lot. I went back, bought the dress, and took it home that day. I started the mock up process soon after that… Check out My Dress Story if you’d like to see that process!