The Contenders - the wedding gown edition

Hola bloggies!

I figure since I even show you what I eat (on a fairly regular basis) I might as well invite you into another aspect of my life. Wedding planning! :o)

Some of you may know that I had previously gone wedding dress shopping in Vancouver. It was a traumatic experience to say the least. In fact at one point I had to fight back the tears in the change room. It didn't help that the sample sizes were impossibly small and I couldn't get (a lot of them) past my non-existent butt.

Oh the horror! lol

Given my previous experience I was suitably dreading going wedding dress shopping in Toronto. But I knew it was either here or Vancouver (the two really big cities I frequent). So it might as well be my home-town with my mom in tow.

This morning I headed towards an appointment at Ritche Couture on Avenue Road. I chose this salon specifically for its vast selection of Pronovias dresses. Pronovias is a Spanish fashion house based in Barcelona. Since we are getting married in Mexico and since I am of Spanish descent I wanted a Spanish feel to my gown.

I was fearing the worst but it was an awesome experience!!!! I tried on a ton of dresses and was able to get all but one on. A comforting thought when you're considering dropping some serious cash. There's something wrong about having to imagine what your dress would look like on you - it's too important a purchase.

At the end of the day I didn't buy anything - but that's because I fell in love with FOUR!!!! lol I went from not loving any to loving too many. They all have that exquisite Spanish feel I was going for. And they're all stunning. I couldn't go wrong with any of them.

So in the hopes of sharing my progress and getting some feedback, I present you The Contenders:

This is Rasia by Pronovias. She is stunning!!!! The back has the most exquisite detailing. In fact the layers are really reminiscent of elegant lace handkerchiefs. Plus it moves beautifully! I think this would be my mom's favourite. She couldn't stop staring at the skirt! :o)


The front of Rasia is a little different in that she ends up in a bit of an inverted triangle pattern at the front. This narrows the eye and is supposed to give a the illusion of a narrow body. I wasn't so sure about this detail. You see the Rasia I tried on was several sizes too small - as a result she was really tight around the hips and I felt too much like a mermaid. I suspect the right size wouldn't be nearly as constricting and would flow beautifully like the one above.

Meet Ronda by Pronovias! Like Rasia she is made of stunning layers of lace. But Ronda is extra special because she has two layers of intricately woven lace. It really is exquisite! I have to admit initially I wasn't sold on Ronda but looking back on the pictures we took today, Ronda is seriously flattering. I rocked this dress! lol :oP

This is Ronda from behind! She has the same cut as Rasia in that she's narrow along the hips and then mermaids out. She also has an amazing train that would look glorious standing at the front of the chapel. Le Sigh indeed!!! :o)

This is the gorgeousness known as Hebron by Pronovias. She was the only one of the girls with any sort of beading. My mom didn't like that particular detail but I was in love with her neckline!!! In fact I thought it opened up my face. When you see the pictures of me in this dress you can tell I love it because I have a broad smile like this --> :oD lol

This is the back of Hebron. She's not nearly as elaborate from behind as some of the other girls. Having said that, the simplicity of the train would likely make it easier to walk around than the other girls.

This is the only one of the contenders not designed by Pronovias. This is Diana, designed by Enzoani! Le sigh. Please ignore the hideous black flower! When I tried her on she had no flower. Thankfully asking for a flower-less Diana knocks $350 off the price. Unfortunately, Diana is the only one of the girls that is over my initial budget - about $500 over.

This is the only picture I have that shows a bit of Diana's back. She is amazing!!!! She's made of only one layer of lace which means the detailing is more obvious when seen from a distance. Also, in natural light there is a slight glimmer to the dress. I think I said something to the effect of "Oooo she's blingy!" lol Another aspect I love about Diana is the neck line - so flattering!!!

As you can see bloggies I have quite the dilemma! I LOVE them all! In fact if I could buy more than one I would. lol My current inclination is to return in December to re-visit my beauties and try on some of the 2010 line that should be in by that point. In between now and then I intend to keep on hard-core working out in the hopes that the dresses will be a bit loser and I can get a better idea of their fit.

All in all I have to say I was pleasantly surprised - I was expecting a disaster today but instead I walked away one giant leap closer to saying yes to the dress! :o)

So tell me bloggies - what do you think? Do I have a winner here?