What now?

So....what do you do with a gorgeous wedding gown once you have donned it, made memories in it, and tossed it aside after the party?

A perfect fit indeed

Today I am singing the praises of my Alteration Expert! The fitting on Saturday went smashingly. The new length is exactly right. All four layers - which included an underskirt, satin, then two layers of lace, the top layer of which had a lovely beaded and sequined scalloped trim that had to be removed then reattached - looked like they'd been sent from the manufacturer at that precise length. The French bustled was really amazing though. She made the satin sit at one height and the lace at another creating this really dramatic double bustle look. Stunning. If you are in North Texas, go see Linda at Perfect Fit Bridal Alterations. I honestly could not be happier with her work. As a bonus, she's totally sweet and endearing, even though I was way too giddy and probably a little loud. Diana tends to bring out the hyper in me like no other person on the planet.

I took the opportunity to try on the jewelry I made for myself, since I doubt I'll have the dress on again before the wedding. That's when I discovered the that gown has tiny crystals just like the Swarovski crystal elements I used to make my earrings and necklace! I'd never noticed them before. Quite a pleasant discovery.

My jewelry for the wedding....frustratingly made by hand.

Giddy as a bride ought to be!

Today is going to be fantastic! Oh yes, I do believe it will be, because today I am picking up my dress from the Alteration Expert. She's had it since October to be shortened to fit my 5'2" frame (with killer 3 1/2" heels, of course) and added a French bustle, at her recommendation. Seems the American style is too hard on the lace and likely to tear a hole and fall out by night's end. Not the ending I want to the kick-*ss ceremony after party. I cannot tell you how elated I am to get back in my dress and not have to hold it up! Plus, there's something about putting it on that just puts me over the moon. Guess that's how you know you chose correctly, huh?

Even better still.....I get to spend time with two pretty amazing women. My maid of honor (I'll call her Diana. She's used to that. She calls me Anne. I hope some of you get the reference!) is joining me at the fitting. She's just such a vibrant, spiritual, positive person that you can't be around her and not feel better about the world and yourself and your choices. That is just the little pick-me-up that I need. Then this afternoon, I'm going out with another life-long friend and maid in search of a super-flattering brown dress. The bridesmaid dresses simply are not flattering on girls with curves. The makers of those things must thing that making it in the correct size is all you ever need to do for it to look good. Psshhaaa! It is not so! And I won't have her in something that doesn't make her feel fabulous. I simply won't have it! The other girls picked dresses that they feel hotter than Aphrodite in, and so shall she! Then we'll like catch a drink somewhere for good measure!

Yes, this will be a glorious day and I cannot wait to be smack in the thick of it. So happy Saturday to you all out there. I hope you have wonderful plans of your own to relish.

Photo from Photobucket.

Fateful discovery

The very next day, I called my mom. I told her that I had something very important to tell her, but she absolutely had to keep it a secret. Remember, we weren't engaged yet! I divulged that I'd been dress hunting and that an engagement was immanent. She was over the moon, thankfully. Once she calmed down, I let her know that I really needed her to come to this store with me because I may have found the perfect dress at the perfect price, but I wasn't sure.

I played a little game with her. I got the sales rack dress and the Mori Lee. I did not tell my mom which dress was which, so that she wouldn't make the decision based on price alone. I started with the Mori Lee. It had an amazing silhouette.....very, very hourglass. It also had some pretty amazing lace on it. It is by all means, a gorgeous dress. I just didn't feel that emotional tug that you should feel about the dress your going to marry the man you love in. Then the Maggie Sottero sale dress (which was over half off at this point). It's a corset, so it took forever to get into. All the while, my mom is sitting outside the door, staring at the Mori Lee. She's stare, then get up and touch it, then stare, then touch. This continued for the five or ten minutes it took me to get into the other dress. At this point, I am DISTRAUGHT! Touching is a sign that you love something. She didn't give the Maggie a proper chance. I'm not all the way in it yet. Oh dear Lord, my mom cannot hate my dress!

(Que the lip quivering and eye watering)

Finally in the dress, I walk out to the pedestal and wait for the bad news. And then she says it.....

"Well, I know which dress you should buy." "So do I and it's not the right dress!".....(said in a little shaky, creaking voice). "You mean the one you have on it's the dress you'd choose??" Wait, huh? "Well, yes, yes it is.....but you were touching the other one.....A LOT!" "I was trying to figure out what it was that didn't make it perfect."

PHEW! We were in agreement and whole-heartedly so! HUZZAH! I slapped a credit card down before I could change my mind and did the happy dress dance all the way home.

Happy dancer provided by Photobucket.

Runner-up dress

My dress shopping experience was a bit unusual. I set out looking for the dress before I had the ring, officially. I thought it would take FOREVER to find something I liked in a price I was willing to afford, and so, I needed a head start on this whole dress business. I set an appointment with a lovely boutique and went alone on a rainy Saturday. The saleslady was fantastic! She didn't make me feel like I was being cheap or that I had to buy that day. It helped me find the silhouette that I wanted, and I left feeling more comfortable with the idea of buying a dress at a non-mass-retailer than I was originally. Sadly, everything was a bit more expensive than I wanted to spend.

So, another Saturday, this time with a sky full of sunshine, I set out alone to another boutique. This saleslady was not so great, but not rude......until I asked what the rack in the back was.

"Oh, those are dressing we're trying to get rid of. You won't like any of them."

"Mind if I look?"

"Sure."

And the entire time I was back there......she was no where in sight! I found dresses I wanted to try from the dreaded sales rack, and she made someone else put them on me. Someone that can't get a woman into a dress to save her life! I would never have returned to that store if I hadn't found a dress on the sale rack that intrigued me.

I spent the rest of the beautiful, sunny Saturday in June......crying. I couldn't find a single soul to come to the store to give me an opinion on the dress. I couldn't just buy a dress without anyone's help! I'm just not THAT independent! I needed a girlfriend or my mom, and all were indisposed. It just wasn't going to happen that day.

Photo by Mori Lee - the runner-up dress.

The long and short of it

I bought my wedding dress long before reading my first blog. This is important information, because I feel that if I'd starting reading blogs prior to making this major decision, I'd own a different wedding dress. That said, thank the dear Lord that I am totally in love with my dress and have no desire to find a replacement. It's just that......I never even considered that a wedding dress could be SHORT! I'm seeing wedding after beautiful wedding with sassy women in these to-die-for short (usually vintage which makes me ache a little for how I love nostalgic things) dresses, like Meg from A Practical Wedding. I'm 5'2" people! A short dress would have saved me the cost of alterations, because at that height, even if the designer offers the dress in petite it will still be far too long.

This is really just a testament to the fact that weddings have been so etched in my brain as requiring very specific things, and a long dress was one of them. I love my long dress, but a sassy short one would have been truly awesome. It never stood a chance, because for some arbitrary reason, it wasn't on the list of possibilities.

Here's to keeping an open mind for the remaining decision!

Photo from Etsy....which makes me thank my lucky stars that this isn't the ONLY party I'll ever need a nice dress for. Tee-hee.