The Dress

My Mommy and I went dress shopping today. Several of my friends (or should I call them "bridesmaids?") wanted to come, too, but the problem with working an untraditional schedule is that we all have different days off, and I (finally) realized that I probably shouldn't put off dress shopping any longer. So we'll all go shopping together for bridesmaid dresses. Hopefully. I still need to decide on a color first.

We (read: I) had an appointment at 11 this morning, and I was actually prepared! I'd gone online and checked out dresses at two of the predominant vendors of wedding dresses, David's Bridal and Demetrios. I found dresses I liked at both, but probably only because I looked at the first one first. If I'd reversed the order, I probably wouldn't have liked the DB dresses as much. Too typical: lots of satin, ball gown skirts, models wearing tiaras. The other store had more nontraditional dresses, different skirt options, more fitted. The other difference between the two: price. DB had a section titled Bridal Gowns Under $600, with many under $200. The other didn't have prices listed on their site, which I generally take to be a bad sign. If you have to ask, you don't want to know, right?

Regardless, I at least wanted to try on the dresses at Demetrios. Based on the pictures, I liked them better. So I figured we could at least go look. I handed printouts of my favorite dresses to Flavia, my designated consultant (who sounded a bit like one of my supervisors, actually) and she gathered samples and then led me to a dressing nook with a curtain instead of a door. The adjoining room was more like a showroom you'd see at a car show than in a typical clothing store. After Flavia clipped me into the first dress, she directed me onto a pedestal under a glowing light in front of a floor to ceiling mirrored wall.

Flavia: "you're a little quiet. What do you think?"
Me: "I like it. I'm just a little overwhelmed." It was, after all, the first time I've put on a wedding dress during my entire 25 year existence.

I tried on several other dresses during our appointment. Mommy shared her opinions about each. At one point, I was standing on the pedestal in a poofy white dress listening to Mommy and Flavia talk about me as if I wasn't there. I finally had to remind them: "Hi! I'm right here!" Everything they were saying was positive, but still.

When I settled on the dress (which I really like), Flavia asked me "Are you saying yes to the dress?" I wrinkled my nose and told her "that's so cheesy." Mommy piped in that last night she'd watched four episodes of that particular show.

We signed on the dotted line for Dress #1. They were even having an Easter sale. And now, I don't have to worry about my wedding dress until it arrives in the beginning of August--all of three weeks before the Big Day. Three weeks is plenty of time for fittings and alterations, right?