Yes, you read that right – I’ll be getting married in September, so I had no time to lose in planning this monumental event.

The first thing I did was to buy innumerable copies of bridal magazines in order to get the lay of the land. It was in one of these that I saw the ad for Patricia South's “The Bride’s Choice” - a full service bridal salon located in a two story, 11,000 square foot Victorian Wedding Center in Fort Lauderdale. They’re known as The Victorian Wedding Center because of their romantic decor, not the style of their merchandise. Established in 1982 by husband & wife team Bill & Patricia South, 'The Bride's Choice' seemed like the place to start in my search for a gown.

The showroom is vast, with one room chock full of gowns leading into another. Thank goodness the sales staff is well grounded in the inventory because you can get sidetracked very easily. I laid out the pictures of gowns I liked which I’d torn out of magazines for my bridal consultant, April.

Poor girl – each of the dresses I’d chosen were as different from one another as could be and offered her no definite design theme to go by. Undaunted, we toured the various rooms and examined an array of dresses. Then I was lead to a private dressing room and April left me there in order to go and pull dresses from the racks. I thought this was insane – we’d only glanced at the dresses in the various rooms we’d passed through. I’d made a comment or two but surely not enough of them to be able to guide April to the right dress.

A few minutes later, April returned with several gowns and I began trying them on. The first one I donned was a stunner. Seeing myself in the dressing room mirror, I began to tear up. How perfect could a dress be? April led me outside the dressing room to an area surrounded by mirrors. As I was looking at myself in the glass, a mother/daughter/bridesmaid trio walked by. The mother in the group look at me, did a double take and told me that that was the dress for me – it was just stunning. At this, I began to cry full out, she began to tear up and April got goose bumps. April told the woman that it was the first dress I’d tried on and `Mom’ told me not to bother trying on any others.

Well, as a seasoned shopper, I knew better than to leave gowns left untried. There might be one I liked more, though I couldn’t conceive of such a thing. At the very least, after trying on the others, I’d be sure that this was the one. Wouldn’t you know that THE dress was waiting on the rack in the dressing room? All of the gowns April had pulled were gorgeous, but when I tried on the one I finally chose, I knew that it was destined to be my wedding dress.

Torn between the two, April asked, “Which one makes you feel more like a bride?” I’m telling you, that April knows her stuff. That simple question was the deciding factor in my dress decision.

You won’t see any pictures of the dress I chose here – my fiancé reads these pages and I don’t want him to see the dress until I’m in it and walking down the aisle. However, the pictures that I have run here will give you a good idea of the variety and scope of selection available at Patricia South’s. Both Patricia and her husband, Bill, were on hand in the store when I was there, as they typically are on any given day. It’s truly a family-run business. Did I mention that April will soon be Patty and Bill’s daughter-in-law?

The Bride’s Choice is a full-service bridal shop and also offers gowns for the entire wedding party, formal gowns, tuxedos, invitations, photography, limousines and all the accessories needed for the big day.

If you’re getting married in the near future and live anywhere near the shop, or will be in the area, I sincerely urge you to make The Bride’s Choice your first stop on road to gown selection. You will probably not have to look any further. Call them at (954) 791-6007 or visit their website: www.abrideschoice.com