I looked at myself in this big mirror with this beautiful dress on and I started crying. I was shocked with how emotional I was because usually my excitement doesn’t come out in tears, just a lot of smiling. But, I couldn’t believe with how rollercoaster of a year this has been so far, I was able to find my perfect wedding dress and share that experience with my mom. I thought of walking down the aisle, I thought of Jesse seeing me, I thought of being in the presence of family and friends. And finally I thought no matter what happens with the coronavirus, I’m going to get married in March in THIS dress! 

I’m still shocked I managed to find a wedding dress during this time, but the experience was extremely safe and super special at the same time. It was a bizarre experience, but to still get as emotional as I did is seriously a blessing. I want to share how I was able to find my dream wedding dress during a pandemic and my experience at Pronovias.

Finding the right style

My wedding dress search started back at the end of 2019 when I was trying to figure out what style I wanted to wear, so naturally I went on Pinterest. I wanted to make sure I was looking for styles that were 100% me and not something “new” I wanted to try on just because it was my big day. I normally buy clothes that form fit my body, so I leaned towards mermaid style. And, because we’re getting married in March and the weather can be unpredictable, I started looking into long sleeve dresses. I also know I am an extremely simple person: no frills, no ball gowns, practically plain Jane. Or in more uplifting terms: simple yet elegant. With that information, I landed on looking into Pronovias. They had every single thing that I was looking for.

Trying on dresses

Back in January, I tried on a few dresses at Pronovias, including one I saw on Pinterest that I fell in love with (it did not become my dress). Something told me I was going to always go with a Pronovias dress, but I wanted to take my time to try on other designers. Then COVID-19 happened. As months were going by, I was getting nervous about not being able to find anything in time to get altered by March. But, over time, things were getting better in the city, stores were re-opening with strict safety guidelines. So, what better time than now to pick my search back up. To not waste any time, I went back to Pronovias to try on more of their dresses, including the one I had liked from my first visit. The guidelines they had in place were:

• Mask the whole time
• Gloves the whole time
• Only ONE guest (which was sad because my sister and cousin were not able to be there)
• All dresses were sanitized and I could try on 5

Once I got there, they greeted us, sanitized our hands, gave us gloves and sat us far away from another bride-to-be that was there. I instantly felt safe but was nervous this experience wasn’t going to be special because of wearing masks and gloves the whole time. I was wrong!

My personal stylist was seriously like a fairy godmother. I showed her screenshots I took the night before and she brought out the top 4 that I showed her. The experience was so amazing, that the masks and gloves weren’t a bother at all! It felt like the same experience I had the first time pre-covid, except we just adjusted to our new normal. My mom facetimed my cousin and my sister and took lots of photos to send of the dresses that I liked. All the staff at Pronovias were super patient and allowed us to take our time while we were on facetime and taking photos.So, even though my sister and my cousin weren’t physically there with me, they were there in every part of the decision and shared that special moment when I said YES to the dress!

The moment I said YES

As I looked at myself in the mirror one last time before making a decision, mask on and gloves on, my personal stylist asked me “is this THE dress?” My heart started pounding. A separate set of thoughts came into my mind when it was finally time to make a decision. What if I end up with my mask on during my whole wedding day? What if no one even sees me because the situation gets worse? What if the wedding is canceled completely? Do I want to commit to buying this dress when I don’t even know what will happen? A few seconds were going by as everyone was waiting for my answer. And, ultimately, I said screw it! I didn’t want to rob myself of a moment you only get once in a lifetime (fingers crossed) because I had all these unknowns. Unknowns are everywhere, whether that’s the coronavirus or some other life event, and you have to move forward as best as you can with the information and feelings you have now. So, I SAID YES! 

At this moment, I have 7 months to plan a wedding, which after being engaged for over a year is a bit crazy. I started off thinking I had all this time and then it approached so fast! Finding my wedding dress was definitely the moment I needed to kick myself into high gear to start planning because that dress IS coming in March and I WILL be getting married in it, whether it be at my venue, at city hall or on Zoom. For those brides who are planning their weddings going into the unknown of COVID-19, no matter what happens, knowing you’ll be marrying your best friend is all that matters! So, give yourself that treat of moving forward with finding your perfect wedding dress and wear the shit out of it even if you might be getting married in your living room!