I had already said the first “Yes”, now it was time to say “Yes” to my Dress. My mom, dad, and I had scheduled an appointment with Bliss Bridal in Fairhope, AL for me to go look and try on a few dresses. I had heard so many great things about this Bridal Boutique so this was the first place I wanted to look, but to be honest I wanted to look several places.
So the day arrived and my parents and I set out for the beautiful town of Fairhope, AL. If you have ever been to the city of Fairhope, AL, you can attest that this city leaves you feeling like you just stepped into a movie set. It is picture perfect and all the people are warm and friendly, so of course it would be the perfect setting for a bridal boutique to be. It was such a pretty day as we drove across Mobile Bay. Everything still seemed so surreal. I was really engaged!! This was a real engagement ring on my hand!! I was going to be Mrs. Isaac Mann!! My heart was so full.
When we arrived at Bliss Bridal Boutique, we were met by the owner Katie Ward. She was so amazing to work with. We sat down and discussed what I was looking for in overall style as well as my “dream dress” I have found and just knew would be a contender. Katie was wonderful and went to work doing what she does best; wedding dresses!!!! The first dress Katie pulled was my “dream dress”. I was so excited to try it on… but when I tried it on, it was all wrong! I hated the way it fit like not that the size was wrong but the way it was made to fit. It wasn’t for me. This kind of caught me by surprise because I so thought it would be a contender in the final round of choices. I am not sure why this surprised me so. I had asked God to show me and confirm to me when I found the dress. It would not just be “my” dress; it was a dress for Isaac. I wanted something that would make his head turn for sure, but also that he desired to see me in, a dress that was part of my gift to him.
Katie had pulled three other dresses which met my overall style I was looking for. I began trying on the other dresses and modeling each for my mom and dad. It was fun putting on this mini bridal fashion show, you would have to know my personality to know this was so me. We finally came to the last of the three dresses. I could tell when I put it on that something was different about this dress, but wasn’t completely sure. When I stepped out to show my parents, they both started crying. My dad who is such a vital part of my life and walk with the LORD, looked at me and said, “This is the dress.” I then knew he was right! Wait, what? I didn’t cry. I thought I would cry when I found the dress. I had only been to this boutique and only tried on four dresses. Was I really deciding on a dress today? What if there was a dress somewhere else? I went back to the dressing room with Katie and asked to try on the “dream dress” one more time, just to make sure. As she helped me into the dress, I knew my parents were right!!! The other dress was “the one”! It was part of my gift to Isaac. I could see myself walking towards him for the first time on our wedding day and seeing his eyes light up with utmost Joy and Love. It was the dress, my dress!
I got dressed back into my own clothes and joined my parents to discuss details with Katie. You see this dress was a sample dress which was going out of stock; meaning it could not be ordered anymore. But as God would have things, the dress fit me perfectly!!! Like God designed it to be there just for me. Could this be another confirmation? 🙂 And to top things off, Katie gave us a phenomenal deal because of it being a sample and going out of stock. God is so good! Not only did I find my dress on a day I honestly didn’t think would be much more than just trying on some dresses, I found a dress that wasn’t the dream dress I thought I wanted and I left with my dress that same day!
I had originally thought I would take my bridesmaids back with me once I found a dress to let them see the dress, but since I brought it home with me I had to change those plans. So I invited my maid of honor, Hannah Yessick over for a modeling of the dress. My brother, Caleb and his wife Sarah were there also. It was such a special moment to show them and watch their expressions confirming to me that this really was “The Dress”! I also created that night a private Facebook page for my remaining bridesmaids to be able to see the dress as several of them are away at school or live in different cities.
I became a “Bliss Bride” and found my dress, “the dress” on this beautiful day in March. Now I blissfully wait for the day to become Mrs. Mann.
Naomi’s Advice:
Think outside of the box! Don’t let what you have always imagined yourself in to pull you away from wearing a unique dress. Schedule appointments at as many bridal boutiques as you can to look at options so you can never second guess yourself. Bring your loved ones or whomever you want to be there when you find the perfect dress with you. You never know when you may find the PERFECT dress for you! And lastly, if your Dad says get it, GET THE DRESS! Dad is almost always right and he hit it out of the park for me.