Thela,

From one none girly girl to another! My dress shopping experience went like this.

Walk into a dress shop or two and look at the dress and prices.

Found shop that made me most comfortable and made an appointment.

Donned best undies (as they may be seen in by the dress shop ladies) and went along on my own.

Tried on a few dresses, and got very honest feedback, and found one I loved.
Was then told that I had left it too late for late particular dress, so found it on ebay.

A very clever fried (thanks Nicola and Nicola Mum!) did the alterations for me, and did a marvellous job. If you get this done by the shop, it too can take a bit of time.
At no point inthis process did I feel bad bad for doing this on my own...another lady in the shop was theer with her daughter and she fave me some great advice.....and remember, what looks nice on teh peg, might not look so good on you, and vice versa!

Good luck and enjoy!

__________________
"All the right notes...but not necessarily in the right order"