My search continued in the suburbs, with my mum and oldest friend (flown in from Townsville).

The first stop was the store where I obtained my Debutante Ball dress fifteen years ago. Their gowns were gorgeous, but rather ridiculous in their use of hoops and taffeta. So. Much. Fabric. I’m only a little person and some of these dresses weighed more than me. It was fun – don’t get me wrong – but not for me. We then ventured to a store that made you wear gloves whilst browsing the dresses and trying them on. The less said about that store, the better.

I was at the end of my patience. This was supposed to be the bit I was good at! The fun part! Everything just wasn’t right though, and I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. My google searches and instagram trawling were showing me all these amazing frocks, that I couldn’t find in Australia, until I stumbled across my next appointment, with Lucy at Era Vintage Bride.

Within minutes, I was sure I had found ‘the one’. And not the one as in the dress, but the one in terms of the person I wanted to work with to make the dress. My search was over. Lucy has a collection of vintage dresses on site, but I had other ideas in mind. We chatted and brainstormed and I spent the next two days thinking about working with her.

The following weekend I went on a pre planned trip to Sydney to look at dresses whose labels are not stocked in Melbourne. I tried on more frocks, mostly two piece outfits that I thought would have more wearability post wedding, and had still more ideas about how my dress should look. Maybe I should have two dresses!? The opportunities continued to present themselves. But I remained committed to Lucy and the ideas we had come up with.

A side note about a Sydney wedding dress stores vs Melbourne wedding dress stores. Sydney like to charge you to come in on a Saturday, or will take a credit card number in case you don’t show up. Melbourne is a bit more relaxed but you can’t just walk in and try on one dress on a Saturday, even if the store is empty. The wedding dress game is a well oiled machine and bridal store assistants are a breed of their own. Some were fantastic and made you feel amazing. Others made you feel like you were simply interrupting their day. Proceed with caution.

Lucy, on the other hand, is a delight. A week after I got back from Sydney, we started talking fabrics, and next week I’ll head in for measurements. I have a new secret Pinterest board with yet more ideas (poor Lucy isn’t going to know what she’s in for!) and a 2 inch square of lace that I’m showing anyone who’ll listen.

Now the hunt for shoes starts. Wheeee!!!!

Images 1 and 2 thanks to instagram.com/eravintagebride and 3, instagram.com/thebabushkaballerina