My first action ever

I go back and forth between P and M.
Outside I sort of lean on P because the light is always changing a little bit. But indoors Im pretty much just M.
I'll play with it some and see if I can get a better feel for the whites.
(stupid whites!)

Oh yeah, and another note, open shade will cause the dress to appear blue.  I usually go to the hue/saturation menu and select cyan and lower the saturation.  If there are other blue or green elements in the picture just lasso the dress.

The deal with the sunny 16 rule is that I don't always shoot with f16 and I am HORRIBLE at math.  I know you can just move the aperture and shutter up and down on a scale in accordance with each other, but I can't do it on the fly.
The thing is you have to pick a style of shooting and learn it well and practice.  I shoot in P mode for weddings, I am moving in and out of shade and sun and indoors and outdoors and instead of fiddling with dials, I set it to P, and then just turn the exposure compensation up and down depending on if something is lighter or darker than medium grey.  I just kinda do it automatically.
I also shoot in aperture priority if I am doing group shots and need a large plane in focus, or when I am shooting details and want a small plane in focus. 
I shoot in manual in tricky lighting while using my light meter, I expose for the faces of the people and let the background do what it may if I have no control over it.

BUT that's just my style (and I feel like I am beating a dead horse, if you have been on this forum for any time period I have said all this before).  If the sunny 16 rule works for you then use it.  If manual works for you, use it.  If full auto mode works for you, by all means go for it.  There is more than one way to skin a cat and none of them are wrong, it's personal.

must be then.

good tip.

Looking good Corey.

have a look at your Exif below the image. Exposure Compensation. On the camera by the shutter button is a black and white square with +- on it, press and hold it and turn the nob so that it will show -0+
That could be a start to lessen some problems or concerns you may have had as to what is going on with exposures.

No problem