Dress shopping déjà vu

As I previously mentioned, my own dress shopping process wasn't exactly calm, cool, and collected.  Instead, it was more like frustrating, anxiety-provoking, and confusing.  Regardless of all of those bumps and bruises, I ended up with a dress I couldn't be happier with, so it just goes to show that an annoying process can still definitely result in a happy ending.  And all I have to say in response to that is thank gawd because it appears as though we're going through the dress ringer yet again, with BM dresses!

I ventured out into the big, bad world of Pittsburgh bridal salons with MOH H to find a BM dress, or a few BM dresses, depending on how things played out.  She was only visiting for about 36 hours, so I naturally placed a ridiculous amount of pressure on this outing, determined to finalize my choice(s) and be done with it.  And, like all good-intentioned plans, it went into the crapper pretty quickly.

First stop - we went to The Exquisite Bride, where I got my dress.  They carry a few lines of dresses that have caught my eye, plus we get a 15% discount for having a large bridal party and as a reward for purchasing my dress from that salon.  Not bad!  After MOH-H graciously tried on about 15-20 dresses, we walked away with a few contenders.  Take a peek (warning: picture barrage ahead):

 Bill Levkoff 578 - simple, but it didn't really trip my trigger.  Plus, there's a sizable bow in the back.  ::Cringe::

 Jasmine P39003K - once again, not too bad, but didn't knock my socks off.  Probably too plain for my taste.

 Bill Levkoff 532 - this was my personal fav coming into the trip, but it didn't garner a positive review from MOH H or my madre.

 Bill Levkoff 372 - MOH-H's least favorite, my Mom's favorite. 

 DaVinci 60003 - I liked this one because it was different than others, with kind of a more youthful look.  But after looking at the photo, I'm struck by how poorly it photographs.

 Bill Levkoff 528 - my personal fav of the trip, but I can't shake the thought that in 2 years, a one-shoulder BM dress will just SCREAM 2010-2011.  The horror!

We then headed to the local Alfred Angelo.  I had high hopes for this option, since it would likely be an easy option for my 'maids all over the country to visit a store, try on the dress, and get measured.  I also knew they had a set number of colors and lengths, so it would be "easy" to find that mix-and-match look I was considering with different necklines and silhouettes.  Welllll, that didn't go according to plan.  Of all the AA dresses MOH H tried on, only one was really photo-worthy.

Alfred Angelo style 7122 - cute, but probably not as a well-received as the other options from the first salon.

So, even though I was hell-bent on knocking this decision out in one day, the wedding gods have conspired against me to get me to take a step back and re-evaluate.  The good news?  Um, not too much.  I'm less convinced that I want short dresses, and I'm wavering on my commitment to satin as a material.  I'm trying to look at the positives... if I'm willing to re-consider the length and/or fabric choice, I'll open myself up to a host of new possibilities which could be a great help!  I struggled to find my own dress, so it's only fitting that I should struggle a bit to find the other dresses in the wedding, too. 

Did you walk away from your first BM dress search empty-handed?

(all photos personal.)