The MOB Dress Dilemma

I know I told you just a few days ago that Momma Hawk purchased the gold Adrianna Papell Metallic Crepe Sheath Dress and Bolero from Nordstrom. (Here it is again in case y'all forgot how it looked.)

But then we made a stop off at Nordstrom Rack. (Real quick. Just to see their selection... Famous last words right?) One swoop around the clearance section, and Momma Hawk and I both had an arm full of dresses. (Sigh.) We are awfully glad we stopped though because after trying them all, we had added two additional (very affordable) dresses to the mix.

Originally, of the two purchased one was intended to be the rehearsal dinner dress and the other to be returned, but once Daddy Hawk saw them, he had a different opinon.

The first is Maggy London's Cap Sleeve Dress. (Although I was unable to locate the exact style online, it looks very similar to this dress. And while it appears white, the dress is actually a lovely creamy khaki color.) This was my favorite as the rehearsal dress, but Daddy Hawk voted it to be the official MOB wedding day dress. (The photo is a little dark, but the dress has cap sleeves, ruching at the waist, and a rosette on the left side.)

The second was Adrianna Papell's Rosette Sheath Dress. Daddy Hawk voted this as the rehearsal dress. I've got to be honest. I loved this dress and was begging Momma Hawk not to return it because it was so adorable, but I think I favor the Maggy London.

We thought we had it all figured out, but then Daddy Hawk threw a wrench in our plans! (As you can see, I am trying to blame it all on Daddy Hawk, but I must admit we were suffering from MAJOR dress overload. I'm sure a complete stranger could have swayed us at that point. Upon seeing my second MOB dress post Momma Hawk even started to reconsider the Donna Ricco Sheath.)

So please, help us Hive before we lose our sanity (and possibly buy out the entire dress department of Nordies)!

What dresses make up the winning combination?
Option 1: AP's Gold Metallic Sheath for the wedding, ML's Cap Sleeve for the rehearsal
Option 2: AP's Gold Metallic Sheath for the wedding, AP's Rosette Sheath for the rehearsal
Option 3: ML's Cap Sleeve for the wedding, AP's Rosette Sheath for the rehearsal
Option 4: A different combination (Please explain in the comments.)

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Shopping for the MOB: Part Two

When we returned back to the Sacramento area, we visited the Nordstrom in Roseville to continue our MOB dress search, and although the location didn't have the bridal suite, the selection of dresses was much more impressive!

The first dress was Adrianna Papell's Flutter Sleeve Dress. We liked the shape of the dress, but Momma Hawk was not a fan of the flutter sleeve.

 

Second off was the Patra Pleated Satin Sheath. This dress was definitely a step up from the previous dress but not as special as some of the others we'd seen.

This dress, Donna Ricco's Ruffle Trim Sheath Dress, was a definite contender and probably our second favorite. It was figure flattering and we loved the neckline. (Seeing it now makes me fall in love all over again.)

We liked the color of Adrianna Papell's Tiered Chiffon Dress, but it wasn't a winner.

 Adrianna Papell's Faux Wrap Chiffon Dress was also pretty, but not one of our favorites.

We went back and forth (and back and forth [and back and forth]) on this one. JS Collection's Ruffle Neck Satin and Crepe Sheath was absolutely gorgeous and so flattering. It was elegant and unique. We were incredibly torn. Momma Hawk worried about wearing black as a MOB, and we considered that maybe it was more suitable for a cocktail party than wedding. (But it was so pretty on her!)

Lastly, Momma Hawk tried on our favorite and front-runner Adrianna Papell, this time in gold. The dress in gold was our definite favorite, as compared to it in silver and lavender.

Momma Hawk ended up purchasing the gold sheath, but truth be told we were still wavering. She selected it because we deemed it the most "wedding appropriate" and it was definitely beautiful. I think the overabundance of options at our second outing ended up making the decision much more complicated!

What were the criteria when you selected the MOB dress? Was color important? Was there a particular "wedding look" you were looking for?

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Shopping for the MOB: Part One

While with the family in Northern California we, much to Mr. Hawk's chagrin, did a lot of shopping. I mean, A.LOT. of shopping. One of the main to-do's on the agenda was finding the perfect dress for Momma Hawk. I would describe Momma Hawk as sophisticated with a classic, clean style. Many of the dresses we had seen at bridal shops seemed somewhat frumpy and definitely didn't suit her. We were determined to find something outside of the bridal shops.

While in San Francisco, we made a stop off at the Nordstrom at Union Square. This location offers a bridal suite and I was hopeful they'd have plenty of MOB dresses.

The first dress she tried was Adrianna Papell's Metallic Crepe Sheath Dress with matching bolero:

We figured the bolero would be perfect for the chapel and Momma Hawk could lose it for the reception. The dress was figure flattering and classy. The only thing Momma Hawk worried about was the color. Would it be alright for spring?

The second dress was Calvin Klein's Paillette Stretch Satin Sheath Dress. 

 

The little bit of sparkle was so beautiful, but we weren't sure if it was "special enough" after seeing the first.

The last dress was Xscape's Beaded Ruched Sheath. We instantly nixed this one as it was a little more NYE than spring wedding.

Since the Adrianna Papell was the clear front-runner, Momma Hawk tried it on in the lavender color. It was also quite lovely, but we still weren't 100% on the color. We decided to do a bit of research online to explore our color options and continue the search.

I absolutely loved the dresses at Nordstrom but was quite taken aback by the lack of options. Considering the location we visited featured the bridal suite, I was definitely expecting more. After scouring the racks, we only ended up with a handful of options.

Where did you shop for the MOB dress? Anyone else try to steer clear of bridal shops?

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