Got a dress

I thought it would be a horrendous experience. I thought I would be surrounded by white fluff, bridezillas high on weddings, rack after rack of the seemingly same thing, and worst of all- my own manias. I thought I would be dead set on a very specific cut and color that only came in the form of a $3,000 designer gown. Thankfully my wonderful friend Jen was there, and I was wrong.

Jen’s husband agreed to give his Saturday to wrangling 2 young kids so that Jen and I could go dress shopping. She made appointments at 2 boutiques. The first boutique seemed to be run by an Easter European or Russian family. They had hundreds of beautiful gowns displayed on mannequins. The process is to pick a gown off a mannequin and try it on. All in all I tried on about 50 gowns at this place.

The lady helping me had very strong opinions about what worked and didn’t work on me. She didn’t like me in anything but a straight neckline, or silk taffeta. While she picked out very flattering and elegant things, many of the dresses just weren’t “me”. I finally said, “This is very flattering, but I’m not really an elegant or sophisticated person. I’m more funky and maybe strange, eclectic. This dress looks like a 1950s housewife, and I am DEFINITELY NOT a 1950s housewife.” Still she did a great job. The funniest part was when she somehow managed to squeeze me into a size 12 dress. I’m a 14 in wedding dress and even a 16 is only a tad too big. Like I’ve always said (or thought to myself), “fat moves in mysterious ways.” I felt like Scarlet O’Hare being squeezed into a corset. She was pulling the strings on the corset of the dress with so much tension, I thought she would break the dress. She had to get an assistant to help her with the zipper, and at one point I thought they were going to bring out the pliers.  But they finally managed to get me into the dress, which was gorgeous. Of course I looked amazing- you look like an hourglass when you can’t breathe. I thought I would buy that dress in my size. I even picked accessories, and had them take my measurements. The seal the deal, they gave Jen and I chocolates and $50 spa gift certificates.

On our way to our next appointment, we thought it would be just a matter of looking quickly and then going back and buying the other dress. The next boutique was quite small. There were maybe 30 dresses. The atmosphere was completely different. It was like being in a circle of friends. The ladies had a professional but friendly banter, and I immediately felt more relaxed in their intimate shop with only 2 dressing rooms. The ladies in the shop knew right away which dress I would look great in. They pulled it down, and said I was the first to ever try it on. I tried it on and the fit was just right. I wasn’t convinced right away since I had developed a fondness for the dress at the previous shop. Jen took pictures of me and sent them to my folks. The second dress was much more simple and less funky than the dress in the first shop. I asked my dad which of the two dresses he liked he said, “You probably like the first one better because it’s more funky. You’re wedding will probably be different, and you don’t need to be the funky part of it. Besides you’re funky enough as it is, so you don’t need a dress to make you more funky.” Jen who had been pulling dresses on and off me all afternoon said, “The only funky thing here are those pits.” What a friend. My mom also liked the second dress better.  So I bought the second one. Much to my surprise it was hundreds of dollars cheaper than the other dress.

I was hard to describe the feeling of dress shopping. It is stressful, and I still think it hasn’t sunk in. As I was looking at myself, I didn’t have that “I’m a princess, my world is spinning with happiness” high that I think some people get when they have found “the dress.” When I finally decided on the dress, I did have tears, but they were more for Jen. Thinking that someone cares enough about me to spend the day wedding dress shopping. It was thinking that she was the one who introduced John and I, and she was the one who helped me find “the dress.” It was also being able to trust her judgment both in what looked flattering, but also what fit my personality. Thanks Jen. I owe you!

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