What a fun thread. My wedding was June 7, 2008. We spent about that much time planning, I too purchased my dress long before the big day.
Kudos to you! Always an adventure, picking out the dress. And to have the perfect one without dealing with salespeople - even better.
I was rather un-impressed with the craftsmanship at the David's bridal near me. Great that you found something that worked so well.
After having little luck searching for dresses in local bridal stores, I found my ideal style online. I pieced it together from different vendors, and was quite pleased with the result.
Edit: New Photograph, to show the entire dress and veil:
I spent a total of $277 on my wedding ensemble before minor alterations. Alterations included installing a french bustle and making the top super tight so it wouldn't fall off (I don't trust strapless gowns).
The deal that I couldn't believe was the price of my veil. It was everything I was searching for - utterly ideal for $12.29. They made a typo when they posted it on Amazon. The description said $122.90, but the price said $12.29, and that's what I paid. I wanted a traditional chapel-length mantilla veil. For a solid year I thought I would never find one in my price range. I was just thrilled when this one worked out. My dress was so simple, I needed the delicate veil to complete the ensemble.