Today, I Bought a Wedding Dress

As many of you know, Nick and I are getting married in May of 2011. We have been planning our big day while overseas and some time ago I started looking into having my dress made here in Korea. I've been sketching and saving pictures of dresses I like and compiling them all into a little wedding sketchbook. When I was looking at wedding dresses online I was deterred by the US prices of the dress styles I liked. I had been looking at wholesale wedding manufacturers online and I was struggling with the idea of buying a dress without seeing it or spending more money than I wanted to on my dress. Luckily, I have some amazing friends here who were more than willing to help me break into the world of Korean weddings. My Korean teacher made an appointment for me to consult with some dressmakers. It was a very exciting day!


First, I went on my own to "Wedding Street", In Ahyeon-dong. I walked past many wedding dress shops and took some pictures with our new camera :). I went into a few shops to talk with the dressmakers and figure out how much I could expect my dress to cost, what the quality of materials and craftsmanship were like, and how easy it would be to work with these seamstresses. While some of the display dresses were stunning, I left most shops feeling disappointed. The shops all had three or four dresses on display and that was it. Few had books or images for me to see, and many spoke little to no English. Most of the better fabrics were wildly expensive and the ones that were in my price range felt and looked cheap. I figured if I had been able to find a place I loved I could have brought my Korean speaking friends to talk with them, but ultimately I left Ahyeon-dong doubting I would ever buy a dress from there.


I met my friends at Hak-dong station not too far from Gangnam and together we went over to Yulianna Wedding Consultants. Our appointment was at 4 pm and it was just a short walk from the subway station. We were right near Furniture street and large, expensive displays of Scandinavian couches and French antique furniture were in classy, over-the-top stores all around us. We turned onto a little side street, entered a building and went up to the fifth floor. Our consultant was waiting for us. She led us into a little room with purple velvet couches and MOUNTAINS of wedding albums. We sat and talked and sketched for hours. We went over every detail of the dress, with my friend patiently translating so nothing was left unsaid or misunderstood. We poured over pictures and photographs and discussed fabrics, bead work straps, hem lines, where the zipper would be...everything you could imagine! The woman was wonderful, thorough, and kind.


After an exhaustive examination at what I wanted in my dress, I was whisked out of the purple room to the pink makeup and hair room. They pinned up my hair in twists and braids and tacked a tiara onto my head. I was told that a wedding is my day to be a princess, and that they would make me look like one. Now, most of you know I am NOT the princess-y type, but I wasn't given the option to not be a princess, haha. They took off my smaller earrings and clipped on some huge, sparkly monstrosities. I was told it would look good from far away. They powdered blush on my cheeks (Too pink! I argued, but was told it would look good in the lighting) and smacked gloss on my lips. My eyelashes were curled and mascara was layered on. I was not comfortable playing the girly girl.


Next I was whisked onto a raised rectangular stage. In the middle was another raised section, this one was a circle. I was directed to stand on the circle. Mirrors flanked me on three sides, golden curtains were hiding me from my friends. Three women stripped off my clothes and pinned me into a dress that had some of the elements I liked for my own dress. I slipped on some heels they provided me and then they put a bouquet of flowers in my hands. Suddenly hot stage lights were turned on and the curtain swept back, presenting me to my friends. It was surreal and very amusing. I was paraded about in a few different dresses, discussing with my consultant about what I liked, what I didn't, how things felt, etc.


The price was right and with all the attention to detail I knew that this was the place for me. I went for it and signed a contract. My dress will be hand made and I will go back May 15th for my final fitting. At that time the dress will be complete and we will make sure no further alterations need to be made. If there are changes that have to be made, I will most likely be shipping the dress home the first or second week of June. I am so excited that everything ended up working out so wonderfully, and I am eternally grateful for my beautiful Korean teacher for helping me with the most important dress of my life! I couldn't have done it without her, and I am so happy to have her as my friend. I still can't believe that I bought a wedding dress today!