Hunting for the Perfect Baby Shower Dress

I have been wondering for months when my anticipated baby shower will be. My mother and mother-in-law have been teasing (more like lying to) me for weeks by saying there will be no shower. Here I was, at the end of August hitting 29 weeks of pregnancy, with no baby shower to look forward to. Talk about  summer-time sadness!

Anyway, to get my mind off of not having my own baby celebration, I decided to send a text message to my cousin, who is tying the knot very soon, to see how the wedding planning is going and whatnot. One of the first replies she sent back went something like, "When is your baby shower? I know the invite is at grandma's, I just haven't had the chance to up." My face lit up. I KNEW they were hiding something from me!

Immediately after that message, I felt a sense of excitement and called my mother. She seemed half disappointed that I found out, and half relieved, I think. I am pretty sure she was just dying to tell me.

Then, it occurred to me: I needed to find a dress soon! And trust me when I say this, the struggle to find the perfect one was very real.

My vision was to find a dress light in colour, perhaps in blush or ivory, that either hit the knee or fell to the floor, something that still gave off a comfortable, summer feel. I was looking for something with either a flowy appearance or that was form-fitting. Does that sound like too much to ask for??

I first browsed all the maternity stores that carried maternity-wear: +Thyme Maternity, +Motherhood Maternity, +Old Navy, +PinkBlush Maternity and even turned to various online shops likes  Sammy Dress, which was a complete failure.

What I thought I was buying from Sammy Dress.

What I actually got and what it actually looked like.

Then, I thought of looking through regular clothes from +Hudson's Bay, +Sears, +BCBGMAXAZRIA, +GUESS, +Suzy Shier, +DynamiteStyle, e v e r y w h e r e .

I must say, I tried on quite the variety of dresses, some of which seemed like they could have worked, and others that were complete no-nos.

From my many shopping adventures, here are some of my favourite "could have been" looks:

From BCBG, this dress looks stunning, but I was afraid it would make me look like a whale by the time the shower came around.

Also from BCBG, this was another gorgeous gown; however, because it is designed for a non-pregnant bod, it did not entirely sit well. 

And then this dress was very comfy, but I felt like I was 60-years old. It made me look slim from the front but looked baggy from the side. This dress was also from +BCBGMAXAZRIA.

Hello sexy mama dress! I so would have bought this had I not been pregnant, as the colour looked absolutely gorgeous against my summer skin tone. But I had to remind myself not fall into temptation. I am still dreaming about it!!

So as far as I was concerned, there was no dress out there for me. I was going to have to settle for something decent and could not look fabulous for my own baby shower.

And two weeks later (so a week and a half before my baby shower), I decided to go out to the mall and not come back until I found THE dress. Let me say, that attitude worked! Within perhaps half an hour, I had found it. It is an ivory crochet dress, goes down to the ankles and hugs all my mommy curves. Bonus #1: It is not a maternity dress, so I can wear it next summer if I wanted to!! Bonus #2: It was on summer clearance, which meant mama was happy and so was her wallet! Bonus #3: It still had enough room for me to grow in to over the next week and a half. 

The store that came to my rescue was Laura. I was so surprised because I never ever shop there, and yet, I found the dress when/where I least expected it. 

Finally, I felt one step closer to being ready for Lukeybear's and my big day!

For pictures of the dress I wore at our baby shower, stay tuned—that story is coming up shortly! All I have to say is that everything from the weather to the food and decorations was perfection. (But for a sneak-peak, follow me on Instagram at @chezalesiadunn.)

Did anyone else struggle with finding a baby shower dress or for any other special occasion? I'd love to know! :)

-Alesia D.