I’m a dress girl. I love ballgowns, red carpet gowns, wedding dresses, and prom dresses. I have a pinterest board devoted to just wedding dresses with 100 pins on it. I’m the kind of girl who can tell you who wore who the night after an award show she didn’t actually watch. And with all my obsessions about dresses, I had never heard of BHLDN until my boss at work asked me if I liked their stuff. When I told her I hadn’t even heard of the brand, she grabbed my hand, dragged me to the nearest computer, and showed me their website. I was enthralled. I immediately texted my mom and maid of honor letting them know that we would need to make a road trip to Chicago, the nearest location of BHLDN.
I was full of nervous energy on the way to Chicago- we had an appointment scheduled at BHLDN at 3pm and three scheduled the next day in case BHLDN didn’t work out. I’m a practical girl, but I had been spending the weeks leading up to the trip visiting BHLDN’s website daily, writing and rewriting the list of gowns I loved and had to try on. We got in to Chicago with enough time to eat lunch nearby but my nervousness led me to not finish my meal and get very confused why there was spearmint on my Margherita Pizza. Apparently I’ve just never had fresh basil before- don’t judge me.
BHLDN was gorgeous- the downstairs showroom was bright and airy, devoted to bridesmaid, mother of the bride, and reception dresses. We were escorted upstairs to the bridal showroom where I totally geeked out and took a picture with my phone…
The actual process of trying on dresses was a little tedious for me. As much as I’m a dress girl, I’m also the girl that will buy something without trying it on and return it later if it doesn’t fit just because I hate trying things on. So after the fifth or sixth dress, I was growing tired and frustrated. I’d watched enough (or too many) Say Yes to the Dress episodes to know that I wasn’t feeling the way I should have about any of the dresses. By the eighth and ninth dresses I was ready to walk out the door. The dresses themselves were gorgeous and all styles that I had picked out myself, but they just weren’t right. Then I tried on the one.
Champagne was served in tiny cans with straws, like a grown-up’s Capri Sun, we all hugged, and squealed, and then spent the rest of the weekend exploring Chicago and shopping. Like my own little happily ever after.
And please excuse the poor quality iphone photos!
Keep smiling!
Kaylina
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