Disney Merchandise

While I have been keeping up on my goings-on and various travels, events, and experiences in Zannaland on Instagram as well as facebook and twitter, I took a little blogging break while trying to re-tool my site after a series of fun hacker incidents last year. {They weren’t actually fun at all}

As an update for those who may not follow along in those other places, I got engaged back in September, and October. It’s kind of a long story, which I’m sure I’ll share soon, but basically I think my fiance may have been going for some sort of record for the number of times he could propose. Knowing my friend and fellow blogger Lee Allport was renewing her vows and had a wonderful partnership with Alfred Angelo to showcase their gorgeous dresses as well as their “Real Women Real Brides” program…when she asked if I wanted to join some fellow bloggers at a special event to try on dresses and share our thoughts on our blogs, well of course I said, “yes!” {I’m getting kind of good at that now.}

Let me preface this account of the event by saying, generally speaking, I’m quite shy, and don’t yearn for the spotlight. Sure, I take selfies like it’s my job some days, but that’s on my terms. Trying on dresses designed to make all eyes turn to you, and thinking about the fact that I am actually going to be getting a dress for real and walking down the aisle again soon, was a little overwhelming to me. I may have had a tiny internal panic attack when I arrived at the Alfred Angelo salon in Altamonte Springs, FL. However, Jocelynn soon put me at ease and did not treat me like the ancient, wrinkly 3000 pound hag that I may have felt like on the inside {yes, I have self-esteem issues, I know.} So let’s see what happened next, shall we?

Well, first, Lee spoke for a few about how different Alfred Angelo was, and how they suggest dresses to try on based on the personality of the bride that shines through when first meeting her. With sizes up to 26, they really are for “Real Women,” making sure everyone looks and feels beautiful on her wedding day. I was feeling more at ease already. But…I still just let other bloggers go first and try some dresses on. It was fun to see so many different styles and designs. And interesting to see things that I may not ever have considered for myself, look perfect on another person there. It’s funny how one dress can say so much about you and let you shine through on a day you’ll remember forever. Then, it was my turn.

The first dress I tried on was one of the Alfred Angelo Disney Fairy Tale Weddings dresses – a Snow White. I had looked at all of the Disney dresses, and while I love princess ball gown style dresses, I knew that this time around (second wedding, 41 years-old), I wasn’t going to go that route. So the Snow White dress stood out to me as simple, yet different.

I have recently lost close to 50lbs, and I’m still losing, but I’m still not super comfortable with how I look in a dress. And obviously my top is not shrinking very much, so I have that to consider when choosing a dress too. I did really like the lace on the Snow White dress, and the little cap sleeve detail. I don’t think it would be THE dress though. But I may think something else entirely after I’ve lost more weight and things fit differently.

Next up, I happened to mention that I wondered what a mermaid style dress would look like on me, so Jocelynn brought one out for me to try. I really had never, ever considered wearing a mermaid dress, as I just didn’t think it would look flattering on me at all. In addition, I wanted to avoid a strapless dress because of that top heavy thing I mentioned above. So I was pretty shocked when I tried on style 2520 {I think it’s actually not this style but very close to it} and I actually liked it. Actually, I wasn’t sure I liked it, until I saw photos after the fact. Then I thought, “wow, that actually looks kind of good” which is not something that usually crosses my brain. {Click to enlarge all photos}

Am I a mermaid?

Maybe?

I tried on a few other dresses after this, but didn’t like any of them enough to take photos of. Finally, I tried on a dress that had become my favorite online, and I was kind of holding out hope to be the ONE. It was unique, had a bit of color and a sash that made it stand out. Alfred Angelo style 2251 was up next.

Close-up of the sash detail

Style 2250

I wasn’t sure what I thought of this either. I love the dress, but I wasn’t sure if it looked right on me. So many dresses, it’s so hard! But what I did know was that I wanted to come back to Alfred Angelo and try on even MORE dresses. I now had the bug to try dresses on, and I know the right one is out there for me. I love that Alfred Angelo has such personal service and really does work with you and let you know what will look best on you. I’m excited for some one-on-one time and looking forward to finding the dress that just speaks to me.

One of the main reasons Alfred Angelo is so well-respected is both their long history making happy brides happier, and their partnership with Disney Fairy Tale Weddings. The Disney Princess dresses are unbelievably unique and with more designs each season, there is so much to choose from. I love that they come in colors representing the princess too. Two of my favorites from our blogger night were the Ariel dress and the Belle dress, seen below by fellow bloggers, as well as the Elsa dress and a different Ariel dress:

The back of the Ariel dress

Ariel – style 249

The Belle dress – style 206 – the little sleeves come off!

The Elsa dress and a different Ariel dress

Ariel’s Princess dress style 242

Elsa and Ariel

So as you can see, there really is a style and a dress for every woman. Head to Alfred Angelo to see what dress you can’t wait to try on, then make an appointment and let the fun begin! For more Real Women and Real Brides, follow along with Lee as she showcases them on her site, MySentimentExactLee, as well as the Alfred Angelo site! It’s so great to see dresses on real women with real bodies. It makes the whole thought of finding the perfect dress less daunting and something even this second-time bride is looking forward to.

Which dress that I tried on is your favorite? Or which one do you think I should try on when I go back? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

You can also follow along with Alfred Angelo on social media:

Disclaimer: For attending this blogger event, we were given a gift certificate for $200 toward any bridesmaid’s dress. My opinions and my experiences are all my own – this was actually a very cathartic experience, so big thanks to Lee, Jocelynn, and Alfred Angelo bridal salon for the wonderful event! Thanks too, to all my fellow bloggers for a fun night and letting me share your beautiful photos here.