Adventures in Wedding Dresses

When I was younger, I used to think about my wedding day, but I probably had different thoughts than most girls. I was always curious and a bit worried about wearing a wedding dress and having to run to the bathroom. What if I couldn’t make it through the ceremony and I had to run off and use the bathroom? Would people think I was leaving my fiancé at the altar?? Would a big dress get in the way?? It’s not like these concerns kept me up at night, but they were there, buried in the back of my mind with a bunch of other random thoughts.

I went wedding dress shopping with my mom about two months after Kevin proposed. I honestly wasn’t expecting much and thought I was going to hate the experience. I just wasn’t a fan of how I looked in white dresses. Fortunately, I was no longer worried about running to the bathroom thanks to my ostomy but didn’t want anything form-fitted around my lower abdomen just as a personal preference.

I went to David’s Bridal with my mom one Saturday afternoon and I spoke for a few minutes with my consultant about what I wanted and what I didn’t want. I showed her pictures of dresses I liked and showed her one that was my favorite, but if they didn’t have it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

I was so impressed with my consultant because she clearly listened to my concerns and wishes because she brought me five dresses and I absolutely loved each one. I thought I was going to dread the process, but I ended up loving it and not wanting it to end.

The dress I chose was the first one I put on and also the one that I loved from the online selection. I think I was worried I would get there and be let down by something that I had built up in my head. However, it lived up to the hype. I did try it on first and then again at the end to see if it was the one and I knew immediately.

As far as going to the bathroom, because this was A LOT of dress. I skipped wearing the slip with the extra tulle on my wedding day simply because my dress didn’t need the extra poof and it was fine without it. When it came time to use the bathroom with my dress on my mom helped me when I had to pee, but later when I had to empty my ostomy I didn’t want to ask for help from anyone (even though I know several people would have helped no questions asked). This may sound weird, but this is what I did and I did it twice with no issue: I sat on the toilet backward. I pulled my dress up easily and was able to empty my ostomy bag without any issues.

I did buy a product on Amazon called the Bridal Buddy, however, it was shipped to my office the day before the wedding and not my house so I didn’t get it in time. That was my fault. It’s an extra slip that you wear and basically works as a net to help gather your dress up and keep it out of the way when you go to the bathroom. I read reviews and most were favorable, some did say it didn’t work well with poufy dresses. I can’t give you my honest review because I returned it, however for only $35, it’s worth a roll of the dice.

I loved my dress and was so happy wearing it on my wedding day. My legs did get a little sweaty so I’m glad I skipped the extra tulle underneath and when I took it off at the end of the night I was a little sad knowing that I was never going to wear it again, but it served its purpose. Also, I was a little relieved to take it off and take a shower. I was in that dress for a long time dancing the night away, so I was a sweaty hot mess.