Saying Yes To The Dress: The Finalists

Y'all.  You guys are amazing.  My poor phone was not prepared for all of the texts, blog comments, Facebook messages, etc. of everyone voting for the dress!  This was a fun little game!

Today, we will be announcing the two finalists.  But first, I will be sharing a tally of the votes.

Dress #1:  6 votes
Dress #2:  7 votes
Dress #3:  54 votes
Dress #4:  11 votes
Dress #5  23 votes
Dress #6:  1 vote

Next, in true former judger style, I will be giving reasons as we eliminate the non-finalists.  I was not the 2000 FFA High Point Individual National Champion in Dairy Reasons for nothing kids!

Drumroll, please.....

My least favorite was dress #2.  I honestly didn't care for this at all.  I felt like the top didn't go with the bottom.  I also don't like tulle.  Lastly, it had a halter top which does NOT go well on these ol' shoulders of mine so we were going to have to figure out how to make it strapless.  This one was off the list fairly quickly.

Next up we have dress #4.  This one was interesting because the truth is, I really liked the dress.  As did everyone else in the room.  In the end, though, we decided that it might have been a bit fancy for my particular wedding.  Were we doing something in a ballroom with The Boy from Texas in a tuxedo (I laughed just typing that), I might have bought this dress.  But the super fancy beading and lace was just a bit much for a venue that will include hay bales and a groom in boots and jeans.  Another one bit the dust.

Dress number 6.  I loved this dress.  Period.  Loved it.  We don't have a front view on my phone or College Roomie's phone (although I'll guarantee you The Boy from Texas' grandma has one on her camera because she was snapping pictures like the paparazzi!), but it made me look very skinny.  It was quite flattering and simple.  It was very light weight and the inside was lined with silk.  But this one was sort of on the opposite end of the spectrum of dress #4 in that I decided it might be a bit too casual.  I could wear that to a dinner party and no one would know it was a wedding dress.  Had I been getting married on the beach or something, you best believe I would have walked away with that dress!

So, for those of you keeping count, we're down to the final three:  1, 3, and 5.  I had a really hard time choosing between these three.  We went to lunch contemplating these three dresses.  I would have loved to wear either one. 

I ended up ruling out dress #5.  In all actuality, it might have been my favorite dress.  I loved the sort of campaign-y color, the lace, the sort of 1950's vibe, and especially the train.  It was gorgeous.  But....it was a sample and had pretty clearly been tried on several times.  There were some snags and things like that.  My mom and TBFT's Nana were pretty adamant that the other two dresses were much higher quality.  Plus, having the personal service at the local store (including the sweet owner saying she would physically go with me to alterations to be sure things were done correctly) was a major selling point for me.  So this one was off the list.

Good thing too, because when I showed TBFT a picture of this dress (I let him see all the "no" options), he made a disgusted face and said something along the lines of "Eww...it's not even white."  Well, okay then. Glad I didn't buy that one!

So...the finalists are #1 and #3.  Like you all, my entourage voted for #3, with the exception of my mom who preferred #1.  Here are my thoughts on them...

#1--I love the neckline.  I went in knowing I wanted to try on an illusion neckline for sure.  I love the "sparklies" all over the dress.  It feels very fancy.  I do worry about the fact that it's quite tight over my hips and rear and we had a lengthy discussion over whether, from the back, it made my ass look 3 miles wide.  The entourage assured me that was not the case, but let's be honest, were they really going to say it did?

#3--I love the lace.  I also really like the sparkly belt and feel like that dresses it up quite a bit.  I also really like the long train.  I wish it had some more sparklies all over it to make it a bit dressier.  I also feel like it might have had too much poof (it looks less poofy in pictures than I thought it did in person).  No concerns about size of rear end here.  Always a plus.

The funniest part of this whole thing is that I walked in with four thoughts.  (1) I want lace.  Accomplished.  (2) I want strapless.  Nope.  Neither finalist is strapless. (3) I do not want a trumpet fit dress.  Well one of the finalists is a trumpet.  (4)  I do not want a long train.  And the other finalist has a long train.  What the heck do I know anyway?

Just 99 days until you know which one I picked!  Stay tuned...