Meeting LaRaine

I want apologize for the lack in posting lately - with school, work, and holiday activities ... things have been busy! But that is no excuse...so sorry! (on with the show...I mean...wedding dress hunt) When I decided I needed to hit up more bridal shops - it was prime football season in the south. And Saturday games leave little time for Saturday fun (outside of a tailgating party). So I decided to continue this hunt by myself. I didn't want to bother my girlfriends (who are all avid UGA fans), so this bee (GA TECH) tried to buzz off by herself!

LaRaine's Boutique was the only shop that Alisa from Kelly's Closet starred. She explained that I would absolutely need to go there.

I made a Saturday morning appointment and then wondered what would happen if I found the dress and didn't have a second opinion! I had left all my girlfriends out of planning because I knew they were going out of town for the UGA game in Athens. After getting yelled at by J (for not including the ladies and not having enough fun) and J telling his Best Man that he had to go with me (boy you should have seen the wide-eyed shock on his face), and calling my brother to find out that he would love to go - but he was already in Peachtree City, I called my MOH's Sister-In-Law. She has been helpful, informative, and very enthusiastic about all things wedding - so I was elated when she agreed. Little did I know - my Maid of Honor decided to delay her trip to Athens just so she could go with me too!! She rocks...

We met the infamous LaRaine and she helped us with all of our dresses. After she explained the layout of the store - we selected about 5 dresses that we wanted to try on. She lets you change by yourself in the dressing room and simply zips you up when you come out. It was quite nice! She was very helpful and it is funny because she also said that Kelly's Closet was the ONLY other salon that they recommended to their brides as well.

The three of us at LaRaine's Boutique in the Virginia Highlands. MOH on right.

Paloma Blanca above and below

This was pretty -- but walking would have been difficult!

And then I found this. Alfred Sung - Paradise. It was so different from anything I had seen - I loved the chiffon - you could swirl around and around and it felt so romantic! The downside was that could have also been a very beautiful maternity dress :( But...once I showed it to everyone else -- the majority of them were slightly amused rather than excited. Have you ever gotten that kind of reaction? Had your sights set on a dress (or something else) and everyone else simply disagree? Maybe it means a better dress is on the horizon?

....stay tuned for the second visit to La Raine's Boutique with both Maids of Honor and the Mother.

Read more!

Finding magic in Kelly's Closet

So...unlike most women, I had completely put off finding my dress. I am not sure if this is because I don't think I will find something I like, I don't want to spend more money than budgeted, or I don't want to waste the weekends running around Atlanta. I simply decided to find a dress online, send it to my friend's Aunt's dress shop in the Philippines and call it a day.

But...I felt like I was neglecting my mother. Here is her chance to go shopping with her daughter to find that one special dress and I simply thumbed my nose at the idea. She didn't make any noises about it, just sat patiently by while her middle child quickly became consumed with guilt and started to make some appointments. The first one isn't worth mentioning - we practically snuck out of there. But the second one...I am so happy to sing their praises because it was the experience I needed.

Kelly's Closet, near Little Five Points, was an incredible experience. Since I made the last minute decision to go dress shopping, I emailed them that Sunday morning. They quickly responded with times they had available and we picked a 3:00 p.m. slot. It is the cutest boutique which has both street clothes and Bridal dresses. FYI: you must make an appointment for the Bridal side.

Alisa helped us and I couldn't have imagined a better person to steer us through their unique designers. She was funny, helpful, and took the time to figure out what I was looking for (because I didn't quite know myself). She introduced us to some fun dresses and the only qualm is that I wish I could have taken pictures there! It was great because we didn't feel rushed and felt like we could have spent the whole afternoon there, just laughing and gabbing away!

Out of all of them, here are my top picks!

Australian designer Mariana Hardwick designed this simple number. I didn't think I would love the strapless A-line - but it was quite flattering on!
This "Kitten" Amy Michelson dress was a little too sexy for my mother! But the front is rather simply and pretty - it would just give everyone in the pews something to gasp at ;) It's called Flash... go figure! The one I tried one had a cross made of silk, not the bedazzled version in the pictures below.
Our favorite though...the one we call our Lottery dress - was by Justina McCaffrey! If only we won the lottery...then I would be walking down the aisle in this number! Simply beautiful and classic!

As you can see -- I am quite all over the place in trying to select my nuptial attire!


Overall, we spent a wonderful afternoon with Alisa going over so many options. She was so sweet to us, even when she realized that we didn't find the dress we wanted, simply saying that I shouldn't settle! I couldn't have been more in love with Kelly's Closet. All the dresses gave me a romantic and whimsical feeling!

I walked out slightly disappointed simply because I wanted to buy my dress from such wonderful people - but a majority of their dresses were more than I was willing to spend. Alisa gave me a list of other shops that she recommended and starred La Raine's Boutique as the first shop I should visit next. I really appreciated her honesty!

I also received a sweet postcard in the mail from Alisa the next week, just checking up on me! I highly recommend them to ANYONE shopping in the Atlanta area for their dress! Do you have any hidden dress finds in Atlanta? My shopping wasn't as extensive...so where else would you recommend a bride to shop (and find great customer service)?

Next stop...La Raine's Boutique.

Read more!