David's Bridal - Your One Stop Shop For Special Occasion Dresses

When my sister recently announced that she not only wanted me to be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding, but that she also wanted my daughter to be a flower girl, I was honored.

As she dived into her wedding planning, my sisters and I kept asking her, "What bridesmaid dress do you want us to wear?" and she kept responding in her laid back way..."I don't care, whatever you want."

Now, there are four of us sisters, so that means that three sisters with three very different body types and three very different personal styles will be standing up next to my sister on her wedding day. While the idea of us each choosing our own dress is wonderful - in theory - I had nightmares about us all wearing completely different dresses and looking ridiculous standing next to my well-meaning sister at the altar on her special day.

My aunt eventually talked my sister into choosing a certain style and color, but she maintained that we could choose our own dress, as long as they all looked somewhat similar. We decided we would go for the same color, length and material; that would allow us to sort of match but still find a dress that suited our bodies and our personal taste.

I immediately knew that David's Bridal would be the place to look for bridesmaid's dresses. I bought my last bridesmaid dress there, as well as my own vow renewal gown!

When I arrived at David's Bridal on Monday, I was assisted by a very sweet and helpful sales associate who actually assisted me in this review - she snapped all of the photos!

As much as I loved this first dress, I knew better than to choose the first one I tried on! While it was beautiful, I knew that I had seen a ton of other equally glamorous bridesmaid dresses in the catalog!

While the next dress I tried on was also really pretty, I felt that it was a bit too much - I'm pretty short and it just didn't suit my frame the way I'd hoped it would! My sales associate was extremely helpful and brought me this pair of shoes to wear while trying on the dresses, but my short little legs just didn't look so fab in this length!

I fell in love with the last dress that I tried on. They didn't have it in black, so I had to place an order for it. As sad as I was that I wasn't able to take it home and show the bride-to-be, I sent her a quick text with this photo and she immediately responded, "I LOVE IT!!!!"

I probably wouldn't have thought to even try this dress on if my sales associate, Candace, hadn't encouraged me to. The yellow turned me off so much! She convinced me that once I had it on, I would see it differently, and I did. She was totally right about going with a soft chiffon instead of a heavy sateen material for the dress - chiffon is a curvy girl's best friend!

After I chose my dress - which was the Short Chiffon Halter Dress with Pleating (Style F13954), priced at just $99 because of the sale they are currently having - Candace informed me that it would take about 6-8 weeks for my dress to arrive in the store. That time frame was fine with me because the wedding isn't until March - but she also told me that if I needed it sooner, I could order expedited shipping and get it earlier. There were also other dresses that I could have bought and taken home the same day, if I was really in a time crunch!

Because I have just recently quit smoking, I have gained a bit of weight. I was concerned about which size to order, because honestly, I know that I am going to lose this weight, and I don't want a baggy dress on my sister's wedding day. Candace had me try on the next smallest size and we decided that once I lost the weight, it would fit my frame perfectly. If I lost more weight than anticipated, she assured me that I could have the dress altered. The alterations process usually takes about 6 weeks, but you can also have that expedited if need be. I was pretty happy to hear about all of the options I had, it makes the dress-buying process a lot less stressful!

I was really pleased with the dress selection at David's Bridal - they had over 20 special occasion dress options to choose from in the store, in over 40 colors! On top of all of the color, length and necklines, Candace also told me that if I wanted to do any special alterations, it wouldn't be a problem! I could change necklines, add sleeves, change the length...the possibilities are endless at David's Bridal!

David's Bridal also has a large selection of perfectly appropriate dress shoes, clutches and accessories, so I just might have to go back when I am ready to buy the shoes to match my dress!