My wedding dress shopping experience - Oahu, HI

I tried on about 49 different wedding dresses while I was looking for "the one", and I actually really enjoy looking back on some of the photos. Many of the dresses have such gorgeous lace, trims and details that I thought would be really great to share.

Oahu actually has a really decent variety of bridal boutiques, and I had never done any research on them prior to being engaged. Based on expos, word of mouth and just google searches, I knew I wanted to visit 4 stores/boutiques: David's Bridal, Masako Formals, Bijou Bridal and Casablanca Bridal & Formals.

I started wedding dress shopping about 13 months out from our (initially) planned ceremony date. **Please keep in mind that all photos/try-ons shown in this post were done pre-pandemic (October - Dec 2019). That's why no one pictured is wearing a mask and there weren't as many limitations regarding guests at each appointment.**
I didn't anticipate being able to buy a dress off the rack and wanted to be able to give myself enough time to make a decision without rushing + allow plenty of time for alterations as well. Some of the boutiques mentioned that their dresses could take as little as 4 weeks to get a dress in while others mentioned closer to 6 months!

At the beginning of the process, this is what I thought I was looking for in a dress:

- floor length/long dress in off white/ivory
- off shoulder sleeves or sleeveless (but not spaghetti strap)
- A-line or fit and flare silhouette
- lace and beading are okay but not mandatory
- material not too heavy

I know my body overheats pretty easily and wearing a long dress on a hectic day while the sun was out and interacting with a lot of people with attention on me would already be a lot. So I knew I definitely didn't want long or short sleeves and I didn't want a high neckline so at least that part of my body could breathe easily. For that same reason, I was hoping to find something I liked that was more light and airy.

Please note and enjoy all the really derpy faces and obnoxious posture that I have throughout all the photos in this post. I felt pretty uncomfortable for most of the appointments just having so much attention on me and having my photo taken. I'm really not sure why. Apparently I compensated by just trying to make myself look as weird as possible, so no one can assume I'm even trying to look decent. These photos were not taken at all with the intent to be blogged, but I hope they're still fun to browse through.

Unfortunately I don't know the names or designers of many of the dresses in this post because I just wasn't invested in many of them enough to ask or take notice during the appointments. I will provide designer/dress name when I could track them down by manually search through the designer websites myself, but didn't have much luck for some.

David's Bridal
Designers: David's Bridal Collection, Galina, Galina Signature, Melissa Sweet, Oleg Cassini, White by Vera Wang & more
We only relatively recently got this chain here in Hawaii and I had interpreted it to be the most casual of all the places that I wanted to visit. Since I had no idea what kind of dress I was looking for, I thought it might be the best place to start to get a good base for what to continue to shop for going forward.
I made an appointment online and filled out the online questionnaire as requested by email and also a phone call. On the day of, I arrived maybe 5 minutes early and was shown the selection of dresses I should look through and to identify any that I was interested in trying. My mom and I looked through the racks and picked about 5 dresses. My assigned stylist, Beth, then went to go find a sample that was closest to my size. Each dress was hung for me in the dressing room and then I changed in and out of each one myself. Once I was mostly in the dress, Beth would add clamps to hold the dress in place since many of the samples didn't fit properly. I stepped out of the dressing room to see what I looked like in the mirrored surface of the dressing room door.

DB Dress 1 (Oleg Cassini Beaded Lace Off-the-Shoulder Mermaid Wedding Dress XTCWG808)

DB Dress 2 (David's Bridal Collection Sheer Lace and Tulle Ball Gown Wedding Dress WG3861)

DB Dress 3 (Galina Signature Beaded Bodice Plunging-V Illusion Wedding Dress SWG837)

DB Dress 4 (Melissa Sweet Scalloped A-line Wedding Dress with Double Straps MS251177)

DB Dress 5 (Melissa Sweet Swag Sleeve Layered Lace Trumpet Wedding Dress MS251196)

DB Dress 6 (Galina Signature Sheer Beaded Bodice Lace Wedding Dress SV830)

DB Dress 7 (Galina Signature Plunging Illusion Bodice Lace Wedding Dress SWG772)

Dress 7 was my favorite from this first appointment when the stylist added just a small thin rhinestone belt which would just add a little detail to the front and emphasize my waist. I was really enamored with it and looked it up online that night, also searching through tons of "real brides'" photos! This was definitely the one to beat going forward.

Masako Formals
Designers: Antonio Riva, Basix Black Label, Christopher Paunil, Casablanca Bridal, Enaura, Justin Alexander, Karen Willis Holmes, Lillian West, Love Story, Nicole Miller, Palazzo by Jane White, Rembo Styling, Sincerity, Sweetheart, Tadashi Shoji, Victoria's Bridal
I felt like I had a pretty good experience at David's Bridal, but definitely wanted to try on more from different boutiques. I made my next appointment at Masako Formals about 3 weeks later just because some things came up in between.
Upon arrival, I was greeted by my stylist Zoe and she asked me what type of dress I was looking for after filling out a paper profile form. Based on my favorite from David's Bridal, I asked for a fit and flare silhouette, off shoulder sleeves or tank type straps, a low back and possibly a deep v neckline. She pulled all the dresses for me based on her knowledge of their stock and unfortunately I haven't been able to identify most of the dresses since they offer quite a few different designers at Masako. She would put 2-3 dresses in the dressing room and I would put them on myself and have her clip the dresses once I had them on. I then took a couple steps to an small elevated platform with a tri fold mirror.

MF Dress 1 (Casablanca Bridal Style 2306 Savannah)

MF Dress 2 (Lillian West Natural Waist Fit and Flare with Lace Details Style 66012)

MF Dress 3 (Sincerity Off the Shoulder Lace Gown with Open Back Style 3938)

MF Dress 4 (Casablanca Bridal Style 2201)

MF Dress 5 (Tara Lauren Farrow)

MF Dress 6 (designer and name unknown)

MF Dress 7 (designer and name unknown)

MF Dress 8 (Beloved by Casablanca Bridal BL219)

MF Dress 9 (designer and name unknown)

MF Dress 10 (designer and name unknown)

I left this appointment without a clear favorite. When I looked back on the pictures later, I realized that I actually really loved MF Dress 2 which my mom had a negative reaction to because of the sheer bodice. But since it could be lined, there really wasn't much reason not to love it because the neckline and lace placement were definitely A+ for me. I also ended up quite liking MF Dress 7 in photos even though I was pretty opposed to it during the appointment and only tried it on to appease my MOH and my mom.

Bijou Bridal
Designers: Chic Nostalgia Bridal, L'Amour Bridal by Calla Blanche, Lunanovias, Nicole Spose Milano, Maggie Sottero, Nicole Miller, WTOO Brides, Stefan Jolie, Willowby by Watters
This was the third appointment I scheduled and a boutique that was recommended by my coworker who recently got married based on their selection. I easily scheduled an appointment over the phone. I checked in and filled out an information sheet before being introduced to the showroom. The stylist, Pauline, allowed me to look through the dresses on the racks while she picked some herself as well. At this point, I was still looking for the same features in a dress that I was at Masako (fit and flare, off shoulder or tank neckline, etc). Pauline had all the dresses I was to try on outside the dressing room and handed them to me one at a time to step into myself. She assisted with clamps once I was in the dress and then I went to the mirrored platform area.
(Sorry I had so little luck identifying these dresses! It could be that by the time I looked, the designers transitioned to having only 2020 collections featured on their websites. Or I could just be shit at matching them to the photos.)

BB Dress 1 (designer and name unknown but Maggie Sottero Henrietta is similar)

BB Dress 2 (designer and name unknown)

BB Dress 3 (L'amour Calla Blanche LA9116 Gilly)

BB Dress 4 (designer and name unknown)

BB Dress 5 (Maggie Sottero Nola)

BB Dress 6 (Maggie Sottero Glorietta)

BB Dress 7 (designer and name unknown)

My absolute favorite from this appointment was Dress 5 and I was very close to thinking it was "the one" once the straps were changed from spaghetti straps to something softer like lace. Pauline had pulled two other brides' dresses to show me what it would look like in other colors and I knew I would probably want it in ivory versus champagne, but I still wasn't extremely sold. I did like the selection at Bijou but all of the samples were so much bigger than me that it was a little hard to picture some of backs and even some of the front necklines in my size.

Casablanca Bridal & Formals
Designer: Pronovias
I made an appointment by calling on the phone. Appointment was to be approx 1.5 hours.
Upon arrival, the stylist asked a few questions regarding what I was looking for and while she started pulling dresses based on what I told her, my mom and I looked at a catalog/lookbook of Pronovias dresses.We tagged any that we wanted me to try on and the stylist pulled those if she hadn't pulled them already. All the dresses at this salon are from the brand Pronovias so the style/vibe of all the dresses were very similar.
At this boutique, 2-3 dresses were placed in the dressing room and then the stylist would help clamp me in. When I was changing out of the dresses, I handed the dress back to the stylist directly before putting the next one on.

CB Dress 1 (Pronovias Imelda)

CB Dress 2 (Pronovias Rhea)

CB Dress 3 (Pronovias Eos)

CB Dress 4 (Pronovias, dress name unknown)

CB Dress 5 (Pronovias Emily)

CB Dress 6 (Pronovias, dress name unknown)

CB Dress 7 (Pronovias, dress name unknown)

CB Dress 8 (Pronovias Franca)

CB Dress 9 (Pronovias Ariel)

CB Dress 10 (Pronovias Aethra) (added sleeve)

CB Dress 11 (Pronovias Zaha) (added sleeve)

When I left Casablanca, I didn't feel too strongly about any dress in particular, but I did keep thinking about the Ariel (Dress 9) a lot and how it just seemed like a breath of fresh air amongst all the form fitting dresses that were starting to look samey. I bookmarked Dress 9 and 10 as frontrunners from this store.

I also tried on my mom's dress from my parents wedding in the 80s. Honestly it kind of almost fit perfectly for length and waist. If it weren't for the material, I might have considered just making a few alternations (definitely the sleeves) and wearing it lmao.

David's Bridal visit 2
Having a somewhat renewed perspective after visiting all the boutiques and not finding anything that really stood out, I realized that I wanted to go in a different direction with my dress search. Since I kept going back to pictures of the Pronovias Ariel (CB Dress 9), I realized that I might not have been finding a fit and flare dress that I loved because I was really meant to have a fuller skirt. Since I was essentially starting from scratch again, I went back to David's Bridal since it's the most convenient.
Beth wasn't available when I booked my second appointment, but the staff who assisted me were still very nice and helpful. I knew I wanted to start with the dress I had liked best from last time and work forward from there.

DB Dress 7 (again) (Galina Signature Plunging Illusion Bodice Lace Wedding Dress SWG772)

DB Dress 8 (David's Bridal Collection Lace and Tulle Ball Gown Wedding Dress with Ribbon NWTG3905)

DB Dress 9 (David's Bridal Collection Tulle Cap Sleeve Mermaid Wedding Dress WG3911)

DB Dress 10 (Galina Signature Lace Overlay Charmeuse Wedding Dress with Train SWG400)

DB Dress 11 (Galina Signature Floral Tulle Wedding Dress with Removable Sleeves SWG834)

DB Dress 1 (again) (Oleg Cassini Beaded Lace Off-the-Shoulder Mermaid Wedding Dress XTCWG808)

 

DB Dress 12 (Davids Bridal Collection Sweetheart Trumpet Wedding Dress with Beaded Sash V3680)

After this appointment, I solidly crossed off David's Bridal (in particular in terms of where I would go back to try on dresses) and knew that DB Dress 7 from earlier was definitely out. I did really like the tulle dress (DB Dress 11) but ultimately there were enough small things that I thought didn't make it perfect that I knew I would find something better elsewhere. I tried on way more fitted dresses at this appointment than I meant to, but liking DB Dress 11 best indicated to me that I was still moving in the right direction with an a-line/ball gown silhouette.

Masako Formals visit 2
Masako was high on my revisit list after David's Bridal because I did a little bit more research on the designers and was hoping I could find something from the Justin Alexander or related lines. Masako was also still offering 10% off because I visited based on an Open House, so a discount is always a plus. I worked with Zoe again and we basically started from scratch while also trying on my favorite from the first visit (MF Dress 2) to ensure that that was out.

MF Dress 10 (couldn't find the designer but this is the dress featured on the shop's IG)

MF Dress 11 (Victorias Bridal 8349 Ball Gown Sweetheart Neckline Sleeveless)

MF Dress 9 (again but unintentional)

MF Dress 13 (Chic Nostalgia Junie)

MF Dress 2 (again) (Lillian West Natural Waist Fit and Flare with Lace Details Style 66012)

MF Dress 15 (Casablanca Bridal Style 2394 Katalina)

I walked away with my favorite being MF Dress 11 with an added off shoulder sleeve and lined bodice. Potentially even removing a layer from the skirt. I really liked that it had pockets and the arrangement of the floral lace as well. However, since it required so many changes, I wasn't totally convinced and really wanted to visit Casablanca and Bijou Bridal again since I really hadn't had a chance to try on any a-line or ballgown dresses there during my first visits.

Casablanca Bridal & Formals visit 2
By the time I got around to trying to get a second appointment at Casablanca Formals and Bijou Bridal, it was the week of New Years. Both boutiques were booked until after Jan 1, but Casablanca had a wait list for Sunday Dec 29. I was lounging around the house Sunday morning when I got the call that they had an opening for right that moment. I don't exactly live close, but made it over there for the last half of the appointment. The staff promised me that it was fine and they shifted some others around, but because it was so last minute, my mom didn't make it to the appointment with me.

CB Dress 12 (Pronovias Cloe)

CB Dress 13 (Pronovias, dress name unknown)

CB Dress 14 (Pronovias, dress name unknown)

CB Dress 15 (Pronovias, dress name unknown)

CB Dress 11 (again) (Pronovias Zaha)

My friend who was back home from the mainland got to the boutique while I was trying on Dress 15 and then I tried on Dress 11 again so she could see a second silhouette and let me know her opinion.
She and I then left the boutique to catch up and have lunch having made no further decisions.

The dress I actually chose will be revealed in my next post which is scheduled to publish in a few days published now! (If anyone is actually reading these posts in real time lol.)

Feel free to leave your opinion on any of the dresses or let me know your favorite! I'm posting this more for fun and to remember my experience since I did try on quite a few different dresses, but I feel confident in my decision now even if I did waver a bit at the beginning.

My amateur advice for wedding dress shopping
- tell your stylist what you like (or what you don't like) about a dress before moving on
- take as many photos of as many angles of you in the dress as possible
- pick up the front of the dress when you try to walk in them. I now feel like this is obvious but I apparently needed to "learn" that after my first appointment and it's one of the reasons why I think I didn't like the a-line silhouette at first because I thought the skirt was too hard to move in before I learned to just...pick it up a little since the sample was just way too long.
- if you want a dress with a low or intricate back, wear a sticky bra or pasties to your appointment so you can get a better idea of how it looks without a bra strap. If you plan to wear shapewear, consider bringing that if you have it already as well. Nude underwear is also a good idea.
- in that same vein, if you know you want your hair up for your wedding, bring a hair tie at least! You don't need to have it in a fancy updo, but some of the necklines were much easier to see when I didn't have to keep moving my hair out of the way.
- bring shoes you think you might want to wear. It doesn't have to be the exact pair you wear on your wedding, but you may want to practice walking around with a full skirt or a heavy train and shoes can sometimes make a difference.
- definitely consider trying at least one dress suggested by your stylist during your appointment even if it seems like a little bit of a wildcard.
- i completely failed this one, but ask about the designer for dresses that might not be an exact perfect match for you but close! you can check their website and see if they maybe have something different that the salon didn't carry. or you can follow them on social media to find out when they release a new collection if you have enough time before your date
- if you're budget conscious and don't mind pre-owned, try on dresses in the stores, get the designer and dress name and your approximate size, and then check websites like stillwhite.com or preownedweddingdresses.com. I almost bought one of my frontrunner dresses used before I decided to get my actual dress in store on sale. Sometimes dresses on these secondhand sites are even unworn.
- try on different veil (lengths and styles) with your selected dress and then look for your accessories including your veil on Amazon or Etsy if you don't mind the brand being different from your dress! The super simple matching veil to my dress was almost $400 at retail price wtf.
-if you appointment stops being fun, stop and take a break or stop and schedule a new one. This one I think is super important.

I honestly didn't have as much fun trying on wedding dresses as I thought I would since I felt a lot of pressure to find "the one", but I'm happy to share this post and the photos of all the dresses I tried. I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to identify all the designers/dress names, but since I was just blindly searching designer's websites, I'm actually a bit proud of what I did find after lots of squinting lol. I hope you had fun looking through this whether you're single, engaged or married!