We recently got our wedding photos in and I could not be more pleased with the pictures. The photographer captured the warmth and happiness we felt being surrounded by and dancing goofily with the ones we loved.
Initially, I was very pessimistic about the dress hunt. I didn’t want to buy in to the hype and go overboard with everything – we’re saving for long-term investments like a rental property. Adding to that was the fact that I’m picky and get stressed out when I don’t know exactly where to shop for my petite frame. I may not love all the styles but I love that every single jacket in a size XXS or 00p at Banana Republic fits. Faced with the prospect of navigating the nuances of bridal sizing, it’s not an understatement to say I was not excited.
But in being so anti-over-the-top, I was probably under-the-top to the extreme and couldn’t anything at first. I’m petite in my height, shoulders and hips but not really my waist. In person, most of the dresses that looked pretty to me in pictures were made of synthetic fabrics, most of which just don’t seem to go with my skin tone. Finally, despite having watched countless episodes of Say Yes to the Dress, I felt like I had no idea what type of dress “personality” would best suit ME. All I knew was that I wanted to look lovely, confident, and my age. The first dresses I tried all overwhelmed my frame.
After a few discouraging months and some strong reprimands from my best friend to not give up, I finally visited a fancier store that had a selection of dresses with different cuts that would accommodate a broader diversity of body types. And I’m so happy I did. On the rack, other than the richness and lustre of the mikado silk, there seemed little to recommend the dress for my frame. But on… wow, the dress was radiant. It gave me curves without the push-up pads and accentuated my frame, making me look long and lean. The silhouette was so unique from every angle.
From the front, it gave me curves and made me look long and lean.
The dress looked so different from different angles, accentuating my petite frame. I think that the sleekness of the front of the dress balanced the train so that it didn’t overwhelm me.
My favorite part of the dress is the bustle and the back silhouette. I’ve never worn a dress with a bustle but this one looked so cool and added a swing to my step while dancing. The whimsy of of the back spoke to me so much that I actually reminded the photographer not to forget pictures of it. He didn’t forget and captured some great shots like this one.
The dress was designed by Junko Yoshioka for Bonaparte NY. The style is called Silvana and it is an off-white modified mermaid silk Mikado with duchess silk inserts. On the official website, it was described as a “modified mermaid spaghetti strap v-neck, empire waist sheath dress with dramatic circular train.” I don’t know much about this brand but their craftsmanship, detail, and material is amazing. Look at the front of the dress, where they used different silk panels to enhance the design.
Though I know my pickiness about the fabric delayed my dress search, I am so pleased that the dress was in a beautiful fabric. The silk was so thick, lustrous, and showed up beautifully in pictures.
I’m so happy I didn’t settle for an ultra-budget dress and found something that both fit AND suited me. I had a feeling that it would make me look lovely and modern with some classic touches and it did. Best of all, my husband loved me in it and thought it wasn’t under $500 like I’d originally planned, it didn’t break the bank. Now that it’s been professionally cleaned and preserved, I can sell it online to another petite like myself and put that money back into our little nest egg.