Wedding Dress... #2?

I never thought I would be the bride to do this.  I have found a SECOND wedding dress that I really like.  I found it on accident.  While my parents were visiting from Oregon, we went to the David's Bridal store in Eugene.  My mom walked past one of the mannequins in the store, and she insisted I try on the dress on it.  It was a gorgeous dress, so I decided it wouldn't hurt to try it on.

You may not be able to tell from the picture, but the flower detail and the banding around the hip and the hem is VERY sparkly.  The dress is lace, and it looks very elegant.  This dress is part of the Oleg Cassini designer collection at David's Bridal.  I loved the fit of the dress, the floral detailing, and the beading.

David's Bridal does allow exchanges, but this dress is approximately $500 more expensive than my first dress.  Also, the alterations on this dress would be very tricky because of the beading around the bust and the hem.  David's Bridal estimated the alterations would cost $200 to $300 if done in-house.  However, I think it would be worth it. After all, the dress is one of the most important aspects of the wedding! 

It's funny, but I still really like my first dress.  They are both very different.  My first dress is much more casual.  I will include a picture for comparison.  Then, tell me your thoughts!  Should I say "yes" to the dress twice?

Hiding the Zipper

I am not overly fond of exposed zippers on wedding gown, so I came up with an idea to hide mine: crystal buttons.  I want to attach a few evenly-spaced crystal buttons above the bow to close off the zipper.  I'd like the buttons to be small and the kind you would button with a little loop. 

So, good idea, or bad idea?  What do you think?

Alterations

Alterations kind of scare me.  Not because I don't want alterations, but because I'm counting on them for that "perfect" fit.  Wedding gowns are so heavy, and I don't want to be pulling it up all night.  I want the top to be REALLY tight and form-fitting to my body.  On "Say Yes to the Dress," they say the wedding gown is the tightest piece of clothing a woman will ever wear!  I just hope when I get alterations done they can make my gown stick to me so I don't have to feel self-conscious about it slipping down! 

My wedding dress is just slightly too long in the front, so I'll require a tiny alteration to either pick-up the hem in another spot (a nice advantage of having a dress with pick-ups in the skirt) or completely hem the gown.  Plus, I'll need a bustle, and the dress will need to be steamed. 

The final alteration I really want to make happen is adding a true sweetheart neckline.  I found a perfect example of one the other day:

I hope these alterations don't end up being too pricy! 

Dresses

Here's one of the parts I'm most excited for: picking out the wedding dress. I've already talked to my mom about dress shopping over Christmas. I don't know if I will buy a dress at that point, but I'm very excited to try them on and see which styles look best on me.

Here are some images of dresses I like various aspects of. (Not necessarily in order of ones I like best to the ones I like the least). I'll describe why I like each of these dresses as I go along.

Dress #1: I really want a dress that has "visual interest." I usually don't like all-over beading, but I think this dress has a really unique design. I also like dresses that are ivory, not snow white.





Dress #2: I like the clean-cut lines of this dress. Also, I like lace on dresses, because it adds that visual interest that I'm looking for. I like the low back of the dress. I'm definitely not opposed to a dress with straps!












Dress #3: I love ruffles! This is a common theme you may seen in some of the other dresses.


















Dress #4: This is really whimsical. I usually gravitate toward the fit-and-flare/trumpet style gowns, but I could see myself this dress in spite of its shape. Again, I adore ruffles.

















Dress #5: I like the shape of the bodice of this dress. This dress is pretty simple, but it has a bit of ruching and some beading. I seem to like when the fabric is pulled together with some beading on the hip of the dress.
















Dress #6: I don't ever think I would want a brown ribbon around my waist, but I could see myself replacing it with a sparkly belt or an ivory ribbon. I would be willing to try on halter style dresses, and this is my favorite halter dress I've seen. I like the all-over lace and the shape of this dress. I also like that the dress would show off my curves.














Dress #7: This is very elegant and formal. I don't like symmetrical pick-ups on a dress, but I do like the asymmetrical pick-ups of this dress. This dress has lots of visual interest with the beading and ruching.
















Dress #8: I like this dress because of its shape. It's not completely a column-style dress, but it's not completely a trumpet-style either. I mostly like the ruffles on the side of the dress!
















Dress #9: I love how this dress looks like it has a braided bodice. I think the woven bodice look is so interesting.


















Dress #10: I want to try on a dress that has this shape. I think it looks very sophisticated. This probably wouldn't be my first choice, but I'm curious to see how the dress would fit.
















Dress #11: I like the slight all-over ruching of this dress. I also like beaded belts around the waist. I like to accentuate my waist!

















Dress #12: I love the ruffles down the back of this dress!



















Dress #13: This is one of my favorite dresses. I love the ruching on this dress. Also, it has a sweetheart neckline and some well-placed beading. Beautiful!

















Dress #14: Another one of my favorites. Again, I'm a huge fan of the ruching. I love the flower details on the hip. I also like how the dress opens on the side to reveal a lace panel.

So in review, here are things I would look for in a dress:

1. Ivory or off-white in color
2. Details which add visual interest (especially ruffles and ruching, and also including lace, beading, flower decals, sashes, woven fabric, etc.)
3. If strapless, a sweetheart neckline. But not opposed to straps!
4. Fit-and-flare or trumpet shape

Which dress is your favorite? Feel free to post links to dresses you might like!