A Vivid Memory - Finishing May's Challenge

This is a hard one.  I don't know why.  I have a lot of vivid memories...some good and others not so awesome.  I recently shared a positive memory from my childhood about our first go-cart :)  That memory is still quite vivid.

My seventh grade memory that I shared was a not so happy memory.  So let's see...a vivid memory, perhaps from later in my life than when I was 13...

I remember when I found my wedding dress.  That was a wonderful memory.  I went shopping with my sister, grandmother, and mom in Winston-Salem, NC and hadn't found anything...but at least I did get a better idea of what I was looking for.  For some reason the pics below are posted in backwards order - sorry! 

On Dec. 5, 2009 - my daddy's bday...I went shopping for a second time.  I had Shannon, Holly, Kristin, and my mom with me.  Sissy couldn't come :(  I had gone to at least 5 places and didn't find anything I loved yet.  So we all traveled to a really small store in Raleigh, NC.  I tried on a few dresses until I tried on THE dress.  I spent over an hour in this dress.  It had everything I loved.  I felt so elegant.  They dressed me all up in a veil and I just knew.  I started tearing up when I told my mom, "I think this is it."  I loved looking at myself in this dress.  My friends all loved it too.  Plus, the price was right...future hubby and I were trying to pull off a wedding on a budget.  This dress fit within that budget so that helped for sure.

Here are some of the duds (which aren't really duds at all, they just weren't MY dress) I tried on before getting to the real deal:

 Strapless dresses weren't for me. 

 I was looking for more beading on the train too.

 I liked this dress except for the stuff at the V...I didn't like that.  Plus you could tell that this wasn't a well made gown...and it was way too expensive.

 I don't know if that stuff was removable or not but this looks like the same dress without it...I don't remember, all I remember is how badly I wanted to get out of David's Bridal.  (If you got your dress there - I'm not judging you...I just didn't have a great experience.)

 However, I loved these flowers and knew I wanted them. 

 Ew, halters on me...but the train :)

 Loved the deep V in the back and the beading :)

 Gorgeous but it was plain on the bottom so I felt like it cut me off.

 Yes, my mom tried on dresses to help me see what they looked like side by side...we are almost the same size so I could get a pretty good idea :) 

 I wasn't loving the 2-layered veil.

 This dress was too plain.

 This is about how I felt at this point - and this was on day 1!

You probably can't tell how happy I am in this "illegal photo" Kristin took for me, but this was right after I announced that I had found my dress!  It had been quite a long day for everyone so I'm sure Holly (in the background) is thinking "Thank goodness...!"  Thanks Kristin for snagging this pic for me:)

Here was the finished look:

Photo Credit goes to Dajuan Jones from In His Image Photography and Carl Johnson of Carl Johnson Photography