I Said “YES” to The Dress

It seems crazy to be writing this blog post right now, especially with everything going on in the world, however I am SO excited to share and take you through the journey of me finding my DREAM WEDDING DRESS!

I felt a little late to the game when heard I needed to have a dress ordered by the end of November for a July wedding so I started scheduling some appointments ASAP! To be honest I was a little nervous in the beginning but I loved trying on wedding dresses way more than I thought I would!

If you know me, you know I am picky… I first looked for a wedding dress back in September! I went to a couple of shops in Lexington, Louisville and even Dayton, OH (where Connor’s family lives). All of the dresses I tried on I loved in different ways but none of them were “the one.” Well fast forward a little bit, I discovered Ava Laurenne, a bridal shop in Fredericksburg, VA right outside of DC!

I wanted to take the trip up but being in KY now with Covid I knew it would be a lot for me to ask my mom + best friends to drive 9 hours away. Well, I ended up going this past weekend and let me tell you, it was so worth it (to me anyways!)

For starters, before I even went to the shop – Ava Laurenne’s owner, Wendy, and the Creative Director, Natalie, made me feel so special and I could tell they truly cared and were invested in their brides.

Ava Laurenne offers different unique appointments that allow brides to have a full experience. My appointment was called “Princess For The Day”… I know what you are thinking but it is because the shop is located on Princess Ave, so cute! A HUGE perk of this is that you and your friends/family get the entire shop to yourself so you can truly focus and relax without feeling rushed! This appointment will be available for brides starting in January 2021 and all of the vendors mentioned below will be the same!

With this appointment, Ava Laurenne basically sets the day up for you and your friends, so that morning we first went to a local pastry & coffee stop called Foode to have breakfast. Then the Fredericksburg local trolley picked us up to drive us to the shop which was so much fun. It took me a little bit to decide what to wear, but I ended up going with a simple white dress from Vici paired with a casual jacket and booties so that I was comfortable.

When I first arrived at the store my jaw nearly hit the floor because Ava Laurenne’s bridal shop is BEAUTIFUL! I could have stayed there all day long Im not kidding! We also had the most gorgeous sunny day while so the sun was shining in through the floor to ceiling windows as we jammed to my fav – Justin Bieber while trying on wedding dresses. It was truly a dream.

Besides me loving their shop, Ava Laurenne’s staff was AMAZING! They are so knowledgeable and immediately knew an answer to anything I asked whether it was about the fabric, customizations, brand, etc.

This was my first time being able to spend time with my bridesmaids and celebrate my engagement because of Covid AND the fact that we all live in different states.

I do not want to give away too many details about “the one” but I tried on all types of dresses to start – ballgown, aline, fit and flare you name it. Once we determined what style I like, next was deciding on the fabric – lace, tulle, crepe, etc.

I of course also want to give a shout out to all the local vendors whose treats made the perfect special day. I will link their Instagram handles at the bottom of this post, be sure to check them out!

I tried on about 15-20 dresses that day. I honestly lost track but I had so much fun! Ava Laurenne also allows fully customized dresses which was very important to me. I was not sure what the extent of this was, but it endless. They can change the fabrics, thicken the straps, take out layers, add layers, etc. I am so happy with my dress and cannot wait to show it off come July 31!