How I Found My Perfect Wedding Dress
Let me just say that it is never too early to start wedding dress shopping BUT make sure that you’re not going to change your mind later on. Unless you have that kind of money and can buy multiple dresses, then go for it! However, for my ladies that are on a budget and are looking for high-quality, beautiful dresses of any style, let me put you on!
Casablanca Bridal is located in Newport Beach and is owned and operated by a sweet AAPI family. I stumbled upon Casablanca, as they had actually found me on Instagram and invited me in to take a look around. After having gone to 3 other fittings with no luck, I drove out to Orange County (from Pasadena) on a Friday afternoon and fell in love within the first hour there. I found THE ONE in less than 30 minutes, and it really is all thanks to their incredible staff who understand actually take the time to understand what it is that you’re looking for.
Prior to Casablanca, I had done a couple of fittings at some local boutiques. I liked quite a few dresses but there was always something missing in each one. While I was open to trying on different styles, I soon found how exhausting the entire process was and by the 2nd fitting, I was firm on saying “that’s just not for me” to sales associates. However, I will have to say that some were really pushy so be aware and don’t feel bad for telling the truth if you did not find anything you liked.
During my first visit to Casablanca, the staff were incredibly kind and asked a lot of questions, as they were pulling styles that would fit what I was looking for. To my surprise though, they only chose 4 dresses for me to try on. A big difference from the 8-10 that other places were having me try on. Of the 4, I liked 3 and fell in love with one. This was the most accurate fitting I had because their staff was really good at narrowing down what I wanted. On top of that, all the dresses can be customized to your liking and adjusted to a certain extent (depending on the fabric and style).
Casablanca manufactures its own dresses, which means they have full control over creating something perfect for you. In addition, that also lowers the cost as it cuts out the middleman, which is how they can offer amazing prices. My dress and veil were just below $6K! Can you believe it?
I fell in love with this dress because of its simplicity but also, for the small details that also make it stand out. The delicate beaded straps are adjustable and removable, giving you an option to play around with two looks in one. The cutout detail of the back provides an element of surprise and the buttons down the dress was the perfect finish. I asked for the slit to be higher up and trimmed the train a bit, as I didn’t want it to be too long. However, I went with a long veil for the dramatic look and loved how everything ended up looking together.
Questions to ask before making the decision:
will I be comfortable in it? can I move in it comfortably?
does this require any special care in handling and/or transporting the dress? if so, will I have someone who will be able to take care of it?
how do I feel about it? do I truly love it? (remember that it is on you and how you feel, not the opinions of others!)
are there any changes I need to make to it? if so, make sure to give yourself enough time for these alterations
There were about 4 visits total to Casablanca with a waiting period of about a month to get the dress in. Their measurements were so good that I need absolutely no alterations once the dress arrived! Also, the lining inside was perfect so no bra was needed either.
From the customer service to the detailed measurements to the quality of the dress and veil to the overall experience, Casablanca was such a joy to work with and truly made me feel like a bride. I’m so happy that I chose them for my dress and honestly can’t see myself in anything else. Thank you to the incredible team there for making my special day, even better.
Disclaimer: This was a partnership with Casablanca, however, all opinions are my own.
