A bride tried on 8 gowns before finding a backless, blush wedding dress that fit her like a glove

"Neither of us had planned on actually going out that night," Aly told Insider. But they somehow both ended up at the same dive bar in New York City, and David struck up a conversation. The couple have been together ever since.

"I feel like it's rare to meet the old-fashioned way at a bar these days," Aly added, making the start of her and David's relationship all the more special.

The couple got engaged a year and a half after they met, and they planned to have their wedding in Austin, Texas, in October 2017.

"I actually went to the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, and I had every intention of designing my own dress," Aly said. "I had already been sketching stuff out and had a very clear vision of what I wanted."

"I imagined something really simple and clean cut with a long, pretty veil," Aly told Insider.

But Aly's sister and mom wanted to have the experience of seeing her model dresses, so they planned a girl's weekend for Aly to try on gowns in the city.

Aly figured it would cost around $8,000 to design her own dress, which she kept in mind as she shopped.

The dress featured a sweetheart neckline, floral applique, and a transparent skirt. But it didn't feel right to Aly.

"The second I tried on the long sleeve one, I wasn't relaxed," Aly said of the gown. "That's not my style to have long sleeves."

The floral bodice on this dress was pretty, but the neckline just wasn't right for Aly.

Plus, she hadn't been imagining herself in something quite so feminine.

The A-line dress featured a beaded bodice and a crisp skirt.

"I just found all the beaded stuff to be super heavy and fluffy for me," Aly said. "I wasn't as into that as I thought I would be."

The Elie Saab gown featured shoulder-to-toe flower detailing, and it dipped low in the back.

"That was a fabulous dress," Aly said, as she loved the fit. "But it felt more like a formal event than a wedding dress."

So she decided not to get it.

She said the detachable skirt reminded her of the thick, bustled gowns the stepsisters wore in the "Cinderella" movie, which wasn't the look she imagined for her wedding day.

Again, Aly didn't like the detachable skirt, and the intense pattern just felt like too much for her.

She wanted a simpler look.

The Ines Di Santo gown featured lace detailing with a raised neckline and a dramatic tulle skirt. The gown also had a transparent back with delicate buttons down the middle.

Aly felt beautiful in the dress, but she told Insider it didn't fit her indoor outdoor venue.

"I felt like a bride in that dress, but I didn't feel like me," she added.

The Monique Lhuillier gown was one of the first dresses Aly saw when she walked into the bridal boutique, and she immediately had a feeling it was the dress for her.

The fitted bodice flows into a ruched, full skirt with a long tulle train. Delicate tulle ribbons accent the straps.

"It was so totally opposite of what I had envisioned getting married in," she said.

"I went for pink and poofy, but I'm not super girly and I'm not into poofy dresses normally," Aly said.

"But my dad kept saying 7-year-old-me would have been so proud of this dress."

The dress cost about $10,000.

When Aly tried on the sample in the store, it fit her perfectly.

But she ordered her own dress fitted to her specifications, and she didn't end up making any big structural changes to the gown.

The dress' skirt is ruched, but the back also features a separate, straighter train.

The asymmetrical design is eye-catching.

"I think that the blush is so much more fun for the setting," she told Insider of her dress. "It was super comfortable and lightweight."

"I just really felt like the best version of me instead of a magazine bride," Aly said.

"I wanted to wear that dress to the grocery store, friend's houses," she added. "I'd find any excuse to wear it for the rest of my life."

His clean cut look complemented Aly's romantic attire.

Bonobos designed his suit and bow tie.

The shoes were almost the exact same color as her wedding dress, and the ankle strap evoked the same tone as the straps on her gown.

"I still get a lot of use out of them," Aly said of the velvet heels.

David wore Del Toro shoes with no socks, creating a modern look.

"It was my high-low moment," she said of pairing the inexpensive earrings with her designer gown. "I wear them all the time."

Aly wore her hair in a simple updo, and she decided not to wear a veil to keep her look simple.

Erin McReynolds at Koi Salon provided hair services, while Christy DeMonte Edlin did the bride's makeup.

The Sapphire ring is Aly's sister's birthstone.

She said the gift was one of her favorite moments from the wedding day.

Aly's mom pinned her late grandmother's brooch to her bouquet, so she would be with Aly when she walked down the aisle.

Aly and her sister felt connected to their grandmother throughout the wedding festivities. Aly told Insider at one point during the day, the sisters smelled their grandmother's perfume.

"We just knew she was with us in spirit," Aly said of the moment.

Posey Floral + Event Design provided flowers for the wedding day.

"I wear all black all the time," she said. "I was always the person that wanted to do stuff differently."

"And I think like having fashion in my background, I loved doing something unexpected," Aly added. "The blush was just so unexpected and lovely."

Alexia Maria designed the black gowns, incorporating Aly's go-to color.

"Everyone has reworn them for fancy events," Aly said of the dresses.

The large venue featured spacious windows the couple were married in front of.

The wedding was planned by 36th Street Events, with photography by The Edges and videography from MoonLit Weddings. The wedding was black tie optional.

Loot Vintage Rentals and Whim Hospitality provided rental services, and Taylor Baker and Memphis Train Revue from Austin Music Works were the entertainment for the evening.

"They were beer burros," Aly said. "They served local beer to all the guests."

"I think everyone had a really fun vacation weekend, which is what we wanted for everybody," she added of her wedding.

"It was really stress free," she said. Aly also enjoyed that she made a weekend out of shopping with her mom and sister.

"I think we could have been offered a little more Champagne, but other than that, it was easy," she joked.

"He just makes me smile, and he just adores me," she said. "I've never met anyone like him."

"He's just so loving," she added.

Today, the couple have a 7-month old son named Hudson.

His name has special significance to the couple, as Aly lived on Hudson Street in New York when they met, they would run together along the Hudson River, and they even celebrated their engagement at a restaurant named Hudson Clearwater.

"It just gets better and better after you get married," she said.

"On the wedding day, you get so wrapped up in the minutia and making sure that an event is pulled off," Aly added. "But it's the little moments after the wedding where you're just sitting around in your PJ's and now up in the middle of the night, watching the baby sleep. That's what that day is really about."

You can see more of The Edges' work 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.

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