First Things First: The Dress

Dress shopping as an LDS bride is in many ways a different experience. When married in the temple you make certain promises concerning modesty, dictating the type of gown you are able to wear. It must have sleeves of a certain length, and it must cover part of your chest and shoulders. I am very excited to make these promises and I wouldn't want to be married anywhere else and so I'm happy to find a gown that fits these requirements.

An example of the dress selection in the Utah stores I visited.

Unfortunately, finding a dress that meets these requirements can be really hard. As you can see from the dresses shown above, they tend to look exactly the same. A little bit of a 90's style, mixed with a square neckline and the same short sleeve on each. I am not being manipulative in what I am showing you, most of the styles look just like this. I did find a very pretty all lace dress with a nice v-neck, but it cost close to $1000 and I knew I could find something I liked more somewhere else. I wanted something different that would never feel out of style. 3 out of 5 of the stores I visited carried dresses just like this, and I was feeling pretty discouraged about my options.

Another round of dress shopping in a store that caters to LDS brides.

Up next: I decide to branch out and try on some gowns that are little more mainstream. The tradeoff being that they have to be altered.

Anyone else have "modesty" requirements they have to meet? If so, how did you find your dress?