Dress Adventure - Part I

Unfortunately this isn't as exciting as the search for the dress (I shared some of those not chosen here), but I did want to share the journey of my dress as it is making a longer commute for the wedding than me! Our venue is only a few blocks away from where we live, but the dress is coming from NYC / wherever the designer made it and has already had quite an adventure. 

Let's back up first...in February (just over 6 weeks ago), I mentioned that my dress had arrived and I was SUPER excited. However, due to scheduling difficulties with Kleinfeld, the fitting was scheduled for late March. It was such a tease and I was sad that I had to wait so long to see my dress again.

Luckily, things got busy and I (kind of) forgot about the dress until it arrived one Thursday evening. Now I was excited...and impatient. 

It's a dress in a box (makes me think a certain (NSF) SNL skit...is that wrong?)

You're probably asking yourself why the dress was shipped to me instead of remaining at the shop (where I was planning to do alterations). Well, you don't pay NYC taxes if you ship your dress out of state (big time $ savings)...but there are a few catches. 

First, you can not open the box until you get to Kleinfeld. Second, you have to find a way to get the box back to NYC from wherever you are. Lastly, you are constantly taunted by a giant box.

Although it was painful not to be able to open the box...I was most worried about transport.  I'm not kidding you when I say that dress in a box (from here on out referred to as DIAB) was the size of a (box-shaped) toddler. And awkward. And without a handle.

I fashioned a handle late Friday night out of some packaging tape (I was inspired to be resourceful after watching The Hunger Games) which seemed sturdy enough to get me to New York. And so, way too early Saturday morning I was ready for my fitting.

I have managed to cram everything else I need in a very small duffel (hidden behind my back)

The handle made me feel a bit better about DIAB's commute, but there was a part of me that was worried Amtrak would take issue with my giant carry on luggage. I made Mr. Turkey wait with me in the station in case there were any snags, but luckily I made it through and onto the train with no issue. I even managed to grab a seat on the end so I could watch it (and enjoy some extra leg room). 

My luggage is bigger than your luggage

DIAB and I made it from the train station to a family friend's apartment in Gramercy Park (she so kindly hosted me and Turkey Mom for the evening) and then a 15 minute walk to the store.

Turkey Mom & I had a photo shoot with DIAB in front of Kleinfeld

Aside from DIAB, we arrived at the fitting prepared with my shoes, hair flower, appropriate undergarments (hooray for the $3 bra Turkey Mom found at Macy's!) and some jewelry options. Within about 4 seconds of arriving in the store, DIAB was whisked away from me and we were directed to sit and wait downstairs. After 15 or so minutes (we were early), it was time to meet the fitter and be reunited with my dress!

Reunited...and it feels so good (throwback)

Within a couple minutes I was in my dress (thanks to fitter Josephine), falling in love all over again! It was just as pretty as I remembered and even sans alteration fit OK!

However, not shockingly, I wasn't going to be able to walk home with the dress. There had been some extra length added on, so there was some hemming needed (though not much - thank goodness we added it!). It was also a little big on top, so alterations were necessary there as well.

Now, here are my tips / observations from the first fitting:

1. Come prepared
This could also be titled "do NOT forget your shoes". Not sure if it's just a Kleinfeld thing, but if you forget your wedding day shoes, they will not do your fitting...or maybe make you feel forced to buy the Jimmy Choos they had for sale there (would make for a very costly mistake).

Besides shoes, as mentioned above, I had undergarments, jewelry and my hair piece. If you have a veil selected or a jacket / bolero, I'd recommend bringing that too.

2. Posture, posture, posture
If your fitting is anything like mine, you will find out quickly if your shoes are right for you, as you will be standing in them for about 45 minutes while a person moves about you with pins. My feet were in good shape, but I was very conscious of my posture. Granted, I was staring in a mirror the whole time, but even that didn't keep me from slouching. Eek - gotta work on that.

Not the look I'm going for on wedding day (source)

3. Think about your hair
I would highly recommend trying your best to recreate whatever hairstyle you're planning for the day when going for your fitting. This is especially important when evaluating your jewelry options and trying on veils. I improvised with a messy side bun, but could have saved time / had a clearer image if I just pinned up my hair beforehand.

Maybe this (terrible) photo will inspire other brides to learn from my mistake!

If I was to give really specific advice, I might recommend trying to see if you can pull off doing your hair trial the same day as your first fitting. You would have a TRUE idea of how it looks.

Stay tuned for more dress adventures...can only imaging how much more complicated it's going to be when DIAB turns into DIAGB (dress in a garment bag) and is even more awkward.

Did any of you have a journey with your dress? Any tips for brides on their first fittings?