The place is on bustling, chi-chi Union Street. The whole boutique is tiny - just a large, open space on the second floor of a Victorian house - and the selection is small - about two dozen dresses - but it was a great experience altogether. They only take one appointment at a time, so I had the place to myself, and since there are so few dresses (all designer though, and of discerning style) I tried on about half of them! They're all custom ordered, and there's an in-house seamstress to take care of all alterations (which I'll need, since I'm on the petite side, and most dresses are made for women who are 5'7" or taller!).
The first dress I put on was perfect - completely unlike what I had imagined would look good on me (isn't that always the case?), but gorgeous. Strapless, quite heavy ivory satin, with a small ribbon bow just under the bustline and a lovely full skirt. It's made to be "French bustled" for the reception, and has an internal corset, with a long line of buttons on the outside. I loved it! It had just come in as one of the '09 collection, and Catherine told me that there was no rush in ordering it because it would be available for the entire year!
Another dress I tried on was also fantastic - strapless and satin with a long, intricate lace overlay, and ruching in the bodice with small sparkly beads to accent the lace.
Both dresses had chapel length trains (because I don't need anything too long for a morning garden wedding!) although the lace one would definitely be much cooler than the first one. It will be July in Southern California afterall...
At the end of the appointment, Catherine gave me a card with information about the two dresses I liked so I can mull it over for a bit.
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Second stop: Bridal Image of San Francisco
This was definitely a larger scale operation than Forget-Me-Knots. Located in the SoMa district (South of Market), it had a waiting room filled with bridal magazines that I saw one slightly disgruntled-looking fiance perusing when I arrived. Todd, on the other hand, took the opportunity to go to Best Buy for a hands-free headset!
Through a velvet curtain, there were rows and rows of dresses, of all styles. My consultant, Marie, gave me a little tour and then I wandered about choosing a few to try on in front of a three-panel mirror with a little platform. I spent about an hour putting on several beautiful dresses, but nothing that made me catch my breath like that first one at Forget-Me-Knots. The service and environment were terrific, though, and I'd certainly recommend the place.
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