8 brides share how they knew their wedding dress was the one

O'Hara knew she wanted a non-traditional wedding dress, imagining that she would wear a dress with a unique structure or fun cutout.

She didn't imagine herself in something colorful until she tried on this bright-yellow skirt, paired with a simple, shiny top.

"The color was perfect," O'Hara said. "There was just enough texture to the skirt, and it felt bridal but definitely not too sweet."

She also said she knew the dress was the one because it felt like a reflection of her personality.

"It made sense for how I understand myself as a whole person, and not just a bride," O'Hara told Insider.

You can read more about O'Hara's journey to find her wedding dress here.

Swan had seen the Morilee couture gown online before she went shopping, and it was exactly what she had been imagining herself in on her wedding day.

RK Bridal had the dress in stock when she went shopping, and it was even better when she tried it on in person.

The gown's full skirt, intricate detailing, and stunning sleeves were everything Swan had been hoping for.

"It was exactly what I wanted," she said. "Everything about it was just perfect for me."

Swan added feathers to the skirt to make the dress unique, which made it slightly more expensive than it would have been otherwise. She also paired the dress with a crown to elevate the look even further.

You can read more about Swan's journey to find her wedding dress here.

Leybold hoped her wedding dress would fit well with her husband's Indian culture. She also wanted something comfortable, and she imagined herself in something more casual.

After trying on dresses she ordered online, Leybold went to a store and fell in love with this fitted Willowby By Watters gown.

The gown's delicate detailing "felt like it could toe the line" between Leybold and her fiancé's cultures, as she told Insider, and the cutout on the back was a fun addition.

Leybold had to have the dress taken in, and she also removed the train, as she felt it would be too big for the small wedding she planned to have.

She ended up having to postpone her wedding, but Leybold and her now-husband got married at home. She's saving the dress for her eventual celebration.

You can read more about Leybold's journey to find her wedding dress here.

"I definitely wanted a slit, but I wanted everything to be lace and have a really low neckline and thick straps," she told Insider.

This Paloma Blanca dress ticked nearly all of her boxes. The dress had a silk skirt with a high slit, a delicate lace bodice with spaghetti straps, and a plunging neckline.

"This is exactly what I was looking for," Sarah said of the gown.

Victoria thought she wanted a dress with straps, as she didn't want to have to adjust her gown throughout her wedding celebrations.

But this Mikaella gown by Paloma Blanca, which featured head-to-toe lace and a sweetheart neckline, ended up being the perfect dress for her.

It also had a removable skirt that allowed Victoria to have two looks on her wedding day.

Sarah loved her dress because of its look and how comfortable it was. She was able to dance effortlessly during the reception, giving her the freedom she needed to celebrate to the fullest.

Victoria knew her dress was the one because of how confident she felt while wearing it. "I'm super self-conscious," she told Insider. "But I put this dress on, and I just felt so good about myself, which is very, very rare."

Both brides bought their gowns at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York, and they used the same consultant who ensured their dresses would go together.

"We were worried Victoria's was going to be white or mine was going to be stark white and then it would have clashed," Sarah said. But their consultant, Shay, made sure they fit perfectly.

You can read more about the Shines' journeys to find their wedding dresses here.

Demonbreun had loved Pronovias dresses for years, and she had seen this fitted gown with a lace bodice online months before she went shopping.

She even showed it to her now-husband in a photo, and he loved it. When she finally tried on the gown in person, Demonbreun knew it was the dress for her.

"It was just perfect," she said. "It was elegant."

She felt like it mixed her traditional roots with her chic sensibilities.

"A little bit of fun and flirty up top, but very traditional. And it's very contemporary at the same time," Demonbreun said.

"There were at least five other Pronovias dresses that I think I adored separately," she added. "But in that one dress, all of them combined into one."

You can read more about Demonbreun's journey to find her wedding dress here.

Nasui had seen this sparkly Pnina Tornai gown in a magazine ahead of actually going shopping, and she was drawn to the unique fabric and low back. But she initially disliked the dress when she tried it on in person, as the detachable skirt was only a half skirt.

Luckily, Nasui's godmother suggested she spin the skirt to see what it would look like as a full ball gown, and the bride was instantly in love.

"It was a game-changer," she said of the dress. "I absolutely loved it when I saw it like that."

Nasui decided to get a custom-made overskirt for the dress, which would give her two looks for her wedding day.

The custom look was perfect for her destination wedding, giving her a wedding dress that was both classic and modern.

Plus, the fact that the skirt was removable ensured she wouldn't be uncomfortable throughout her wedding day. "My skirt was actually 16 pounds, which was really hard to walk in," Nasui told Insider. "But that's why I was thankful it was removable."

You can read more about Nasui's journey to find her wedding dress here.

Iglesias had loved Chantel Lauren's Mae dress for years, but she knew she wanted something slightly more traditional for the ceremony portion of her wedding day.

When she found Lee Ann Belter's collection of separates, she knew she could have two looks that would fit her vision.

She paired a simple white skirt and a lace top together for the ceremony, and she switched into the blue skirt for the reception.

"I definitely had a completely different vision than where I landed, but I feel like I stayed true to the themes I liked, like lace and the color," Iglesias said, explaining that the dress she chose was really different than what she had imagined for herself.

"If your vision that you've always had in your head isn't what you like, try not to fight it," she said.

You can read more about Iglesias' journey to find her wedding dress here.

If you are in the process of shopping for your wedding dress or have photos from when you shopped and want to talk to Insider for a story, get in touch at sgrindell@insider.com.

• Read more:
• Everything you need to know before shopping for a wedding dress
• A bride tried on 12 dresses before finding the one. Here are the gowns she looked at — and the one she chose.
• A bride tried on 7 dresses before finding a one-of-a-kind gown with a 16-pound skirt
• A bride only had to try on 2 wedding dresses before finding a gown that's fit for a princess