I spent 6 months doing nothing wedding-wise but dress shopping. It was miserable!! I knew exactly what I wanted & no one had it: a semi-cathedral train, all-satin gown with a sweetheart neckline, satin-covered buttons, slightly pleated bodice..., NO pickups whatsoever, & embellishments either on the bodice or lining the neckline. I worried I'd have to have it custom-made, but my wedding was 6 months away. No time! I went to a theknot & put in every possible specification for my dream dress. After scrolling for what seemed like hours, I found one that fit most the specifications: an Essence of Australia dress. Only a handful of stores within Oklahoma & all 7 surrounding states carried the line. I called every store, only to find two who had the dress, but not in my size. Finally, I called back the nearest store -- the bridal boutique in Norman -- ask if they could just order the dress for me to try on & I'd pay shipping. The said of course & that if I ended up purchasing the dress they'd cover shipping.
After I'd arrived at my appointment at the incredibly alluring & well-stocked store, I was charmed by the sweetest helper -- who turned out to be the owner. I'd had no idea! She was a total sweetheart, very helpful, great advice. After looking through other dresses I nervously clambered into the one they'd ordered for me... It was incredible :) It needed a zipper in lieu of a corset back, which they happily said they'd request at no cost. All it needed after that was satin-covered buttons! We rush ordered & I got it earlier than expected, raced up to the store, where they insisted I try it on because they couldn't wait to see either! I'd never been so happy :)) 6 months was worth the suffering to find this beautiful dress, & I couldn't have done it without them!! I also got a sweet thank you card from them, which you never get from vendors, so it was pretty special! WONDERFUL boutique!!!