Dress Stress

I’ve had a couple wedding dress adventures over the past couple weeks that are noteworthy. In chronological order, I’ve had three boutique excursions in the past couple weeks.

Schaffer’s Bridal
I had big plans for the East Village during Relays while in Des Moines. I wanted to visit my favorite-ever gallery, Sticks, and the best bridal boutique I had ever been to in my extremely limited experience with such establishments. That experience previously included David’s, House of Brides, a store at the mall… and Schaffer’s. My experience at Schaffer’s was during a Metro Arts wine and cheese party with Jess, when we walked around and loved everything on the mannequins, decided what we “did” and “didn’t” want in a dress (my how those standards change when you start trying on) and expressed that Schaffer’s is what a bridal experience should be like.

All that in mind, I’ve been looking forward to a return trip since we got engaged. Although I didn’t end up having time for Sticks or visits to Metro Arts or Meredith, I made time for Schaffer’s. It was a breath of fresh air. You can SEE the dresses, meaning they’re actually out on display. The racks of dresses are reasonable so you don’t have to paw through them for several hours.

They also had fabulous selections of bridesmaids’ dresses (the first one I saw is the one I’ve had in my head for months), tuxes for the men in the party and bridal accessories.

The issue, of course, is that Schaffer’s is in Iowa and I now live in Chicago. Buying a dress in Iowa might save money, but would be ridiculous since anything there is available here as well. I just didn’t know where to look in Chicago because of the lack of previous brides in my life. I may be back to Schaffer’s on a trip to Iowa that my Mom is also around for, but maybe not…

Irena Bridal
Although it sounds seedy or reminds many from my graduating high school class of a girl we all knew, I visited this Villa Park salon at a recommendation from my wedding buddy and co-experimenter Jess.

Antsy to try on dresses again because it had been awhile, although not hoping to find anything spectacular yet, I convinced Mom to go to the salon with me at 4 p.m. despite it closing at 5 p.m. We got to the salon and knew right away that we were having better luck. Although the prices were about the same as those at the big retailers, the dresses had more of that something special our tastes converge on. The quality was also showing itself in the little details.

We pulled out several dresses for the sales associate to drag (those things are HEAVY) to the fitting room. She put those and one from the front into my room and I started the dance through the layers of tulle, taffeta, lace, pearls and beads. We have everything in every color in that trying room.

Long story short (because I can’t give it all away!), the dress the woman pulled from the magical, secret rack in front just might be THE ONE. I doubt I’ll find anything that strikes me and suites me so well after this one. It’s just me.

Despite that…

Marshall Field Bridal Salon
I took the afternoon off work on Tuesday to go see the Conan O’Brien taping in Chicago. (That’s right, the greatest fiancé ever got us tickets to see Conan, hoping I’d get the tickets by Gavin’s birthday. I found out I had seats the week after his bday, but it was still a great surprise!)

I had heard so much about the Marshall Field’s bridal salon and its great selection of beautiful dresses from when my mother tried on gown until today that I decided I would take the opportunity to check it out for myself. I usually stake out these places to see if I’d like to actually make an appointment to try on dresses later.

After winding through the tourist-laden store (I hate the Field’s on State Street… it’s only fun from the outside and in the candy department…), I located the bridal boutique in the back corner of the fourth floor. The boutique appeared to be just a big, circular room with six dress-clad mannequins – no dresses to be seen.

I waited for an associate to show up for about five minutes to ask “how does this work?” She told me they were “by appointment only.” Duh.

So I pressed for what are, apparently, no obvious details regarding the lack of dresses in plain view or in the dressing rooms.

“We bring the dresses out to you. We have thousands in the back.” I can’t go back and see what’s there or pick a couple out if I have an appointment to give you an idea of what I would like? “Well, we have thousands of dresses sweetheart. There’s an enormous room of them.” Ok…

I hate when people try to shop for me like that in a store. When they try to guess what I’ll love from scratch just by sizing me up and trying to paint a picture in their heads instead of just letting me show them what I want. But fine, I think, because there must be some reason for the salon’s reputation.

What’s the price range on your dresses? “We have a few that are between $1,500 and $2,000. Really, our nice dresses are in the $5,000 range.”

That’s where it gets the reputation… how could I not realize!?

I tried not to laugh at her smug look after proclaiming the cost of their “nice” dresses. Would the dress come with luxury features such as a chair underneath to sit down when my feet hurt? Changing sparkle and glow according to the lighting throughout the night? What on earth qualifies a dress to cost so much unless you’re just rich and have to throw your money around somewhere? Oh… of course.

So, I left. Despite the Chicago girl in me, I’m not so sad to see Marshall Field’s die as a store anymore. The only nostalgia connected with it is really just the façade of the State Street store and windows at Christmas. Every time I go in one, I leave vowing to never put myself through such a miserable experience again. And yet I keep visiting. I think this does it though, unless I’m buying gifts for registries.

In fact the one thing that causes a tinge of sadness for the Chicago retail giant’s lost identity is that we won’t be able to register there for quality kitchen items. We’ll just have to do our homework yet again. All part of the territory for being among the first of our friends to tie the knot!