Would I Say Yes to the Dress?

Ding… the door opened and I stood in awe of the wedding dress wonderland that surrounded me.
For anyone who knows me, I tend to be a perfectionist and the whole idea of finding ‘the dress’ didn’t seem to be within grasp. However, having most of the other items checked off our list, wedding dress shopping was inevitable.

I took the advice of a colleague, Amy Wilson, when she suggested visiting Hayden Olivia in Uptown Charlotte. I hadn’t heard of the boutique but I had a good feeling when we discovered that the boutique was in the same building as the Courtyard Marriott-one of the two hotels we’ve blocked off for our guests during our wedding weekend.

After getting to know the details of our special day, Laura, the boutique’s consultant, gave me several clothespins and asked that I go through the store and simply clip a hanger if I wanted to try a dress on. Meanwhile, she went on and pulled dresses from the spreadsheet that Emelie, a bridesmaid, had compiled before the big trip. It was a list of dresses that Rhiannon, Josh, and Emelie had contributed to.

When my clothespins were gone, the process of trying on the dresses began. In true Say Yes to the Dress fashion, Laura and Rhiannon got me into the dresses, and then I was able to walk out and show off the dress for approval from my mom and Josh!
I really liked the first dress, it was completely what I thought I was looking for-it was a lovely style and had one stunning feature. Needless to say, my counterparts were not in love with the dress. The second dress I tried on “because my friend wants me to" turned out to be the fit we all fell in love with. I came out loving the fit, but I didn’t want anyone to know. I was scared they would tailor their answer to my opinion, but surprisingly, they all thought the dress was ‘me’ and said it had the BA personality. I didn’t even leave the dressing room in dress three, it was not me. The fourth dress was a Carol Hannah dress, it had an awesome accent but nothing else to it. My mother loved the fifth dress. I had previously selected this dress prior to the appointment that day, and it turned out to be among everyone’s top three choices. The dress was designed by Priscilla of Boston. It had pockets, which I loved but it still lacked a ‘wow’ factor that dress number two had. While I was trying it on, mom and Josh went to find more dresses similar to dress number two. They saw one with some extra details, but they didn’t think I would go for it because the entire dress is more of a wow statement than just one piece/accent. Ironically, Laura pulled that same dress next which turned out to be the last dress, dress six.

As I dove into dress six, I had no expectations. But then… it hit me… as I gazed into the mirror, I couldn’t believe what I saw. Looking back at me was a silhouette I loved on a dress I never would have selected for myself. According to Josh,“You came out and we all knew this was the one. Hands on hips, chest out... even more so than before... and you were beaming. This was THE dress for Brigitte Ashley. The shape was amazing the extra details popped and you were absolutely stunning.” The solidifying factor happened… my mom began to cry. As I gazed at myself once more in the mirror I was elated in knowing that I had found the dress that Geoff and I would become husband and wife in. I can't wait for everyone to see it... like Geoff, the dress is perfect for me.


Because you have to have an appointment to try on dresses, you and your entourage are the only ones in the boutique, which guarantees a custom experience. As with the other vendors I’ve blogged about, Hayden Olivia in Uptown provided me with what I consider to be a top notch experience. I can’t wait to go back in September for my custom fitting and then in November to pick it up!!!