It Just May Be THE Dress

I’ve just had my first experience trying on bridal gowns and it was a challenge.  Last night my mom and dad met me at Pizazz while Mike was in DC seeing a comedy show.  He got to enjoy some easy humor, but I had to keep my humor while I was guilt-tripped into a handful of old fashioned gowns.

The owner of the boutique was absolutely adorable and sweet, so I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but I just couldn’t muster up the bubbly bride attitude for half the night.  She didn’t carry any of the gowns on my list except for one, which turned out to look a little floozy for a wedding.  This was disheartening, but I was ready and willing to try on things I hadn’t considered before.  Unfortunately, those things turned out to be drenched in lace after my mom made a comment that led the owner off on a road I was not loving.

“She’s my old fashioned girl.”

Ok, I happen to wear bell bottom jeans, prefer no makeup, rarely fuss with my hair unless I’ve got a lot of time, disowned heels a few years ago, and often fore go bras.  This wins me the title of “Plain Jane” on a regular basis in the family, but I wouldn’t call myself old fashioned in the least.  Old fashioned brings up thoughts of traditional veils, high necklines, sleeves, and, of course, a lot of lace.

I think what Mom was trying to say just came out wrong, because she definitely understood my big frown when the dresses came off the rack.  I suffered about six dresses, five of which were modern versions of “old fashioned.”  The sixth was the Maggie Sottero destination gown from one of my first entries, but I didn’t like it once it was on.  All of these gowns were either too big or too small for me to wear, so most of the night, when I wasn’t feeling awkward about standing in my underwear in front of the owner, I was frowning as the owner held the extra several inches of fabric closed to give me a better idea of what the dresses looked like.

I had to laugh though when the owner pegged me for two to three dress sizes bigger than I am.  She never asked me what I wear, just started grabbing things off the rack.  When I commented on this, she acted like she had accurately guessed my number.  Dress by dress she discovered just how wrong she had been.   

Finally, on the seventh dress, which happened to actually be my size, I felt excitement.  For the first time that evening, I looked and felt like a bride.  I can’t tell you which one it was (only a select few of you know) because I may make this my wedding dress.  It has not appeared on my site in the past either.  I’d like to keep some element of surprise for my guests and groom. 

Before this particular gown, I really had no bones about Mike seeing THE dress, but now I think I’d like to make him wait until I take my first steps down the aisle.  It’ll just add to the magic in it, now that I think about it.

I still have a few other gowns to track down and try on before I make my final decision, but Mom says this is the one.  I trust her opinion because she is typically great at picking out clothes for me.  My dad even commented three times that it was a pretty gown and seemed to like the uniqueness of the train.  I liked everything about the dress, but mostly that it made me look tiny–I suddenly had the waist that I had three years ago.

All in all, I was just thankful I didn’t flash the old devout Christian lady while she helped me in and out of dresses.  I was trying to watch my language too.  Never realized how easy things like “hell” and “damn” slip out of my mouth.  She was very understanding, though, and made me feel comfortable in the end.  We parted with a hug, and I got to walk away with an armful of goodies (magazines on bridal stuff). 

I’m a little excited for the next try-on session.  There’s one gown I’m trying to hunt down that’s from the Fall 2008 collection of Casablanca.  It hasn’t appeared online yet, but I saw it in a book at Pizazz.  I wonder if it will even been in any stores this summer, or if they’re waiting until the Fall to actually release it in stores (which I guess makes sense).   

Being a bride is a lot of fun.  I get to make a lot of decisions, and my creative side is loving it.  Now that I know there’s at least one gown out there for me, I’m feeling the part.