The Wedding Dress Story

I'm excited!! I, finally, have been able to sit down and share my "wedding dress" story! This is something that I had been worrying about for a long time (of course I was thinking about a wedding before being engaged... duh!). I had never really come to one conclusion about wedding dress styles. Ever since I saw 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' when the protagonist looks at herself in the mirror (with her wedding dress and veil on) and says, "I look like a polar bear...", I've been so insecure of what (I think) is beautiful. Honestly, I liked the way she looked in that dress. And then there was the dress that Meg Ryan tried on in 'Sleepless in Seattle' (you know, the one she ripped and thought that it was a "sign" that she shouldn't get married?). It was white, slim, shiny and had those buttons to fasten on the sleeves. Even now I am still in love with that dress, but I have accepted that my hips will never fit into a dress like that... ever. And then there's the Kate Middleton one that everybody loves. That is every girl's dream dress.... I think. Anyways, let me describe the one I was looking for a few weeks ago. I wanted an ivory, A-line, lace covered satin dress (maybe even with a keyhole back to it) with a long train and lace-edged veil. See how decisive I was?!

(I wish you could see the whole dress, but this gives you an incentive to watch one of the greatest chic-flicks of all time.)

(Okay, I just fell in love with this dress all over again.)

I wish I could post the picture or even describe to you the one that I actually got, but  I don't know if the rule that "you're not allowed to see the bride or her dress before the ceremony" applies to descriptions or not. And I don't know if Paul actually checks this blog, so it's best to play it safe. However, I will tell you the story about how I found and (finally) took home my "dream" dress. 

It all started the night before my mother and I had two bridal boutique appointments we had scheduled. I was having a discussion with my parents about the time of the wedding, the reception place, the colors, the flowers, the "this", the "that"... etc., and I was starting to go a bit crazy.  In my mind, we were never going to pull all this off by the time the date came around. Well, my mom and dad picked up on my overwhelmed facial expression and told me to take it one item at a time. Tomorrow would be the dress, then we can figure out the reception place, and then the final time of the wedding, and so on and so forth. 

After this talk, I excused myself and went to my room where I grabbed the first rosary I could see. "Oh Lord," were the only two words that would come out of my mouth for about 5 minutes straight before my mom knocked on my door. I will never forget her comforting words, "God provides." Yes, she said other things like how I will be able to get through this and how they will help me as much as they can with everything that needs to be done, but the words that I have and will always hear her say, whenever there's a dilemma, are"God provides."

The next morning, it was time to go dress shopping. Since we had two reservations to get to, we knew it would be a long day. As soon as we entered the first place, we were welcomed and asked to have a seat. Michelle, the sales lady, asked me questions about what I was looking for and I told her (in my decisive and confident voice). She asked if I had gone to any other stores and I said yes. She asked if I picked out a dress that I loved at the other store, and I said yes. Then came a question I was not expecting. She asked why I hadn't purchased it. In my head I said, "Seriously? Do you not want commission?!" Out loud I said, "Well, it was the first location we went to, and the price was a little too high." She then took a deep breath and said, "Well, to be honest with you, that price is the average for the dresses we have here." She then told us what the highest price for a dress in this store was. My mom and Michelle talked for a bit about prices and it was about time to go look for dresses. First, however, there was a drawing. Every bride that comes into the store for her first time, gets to draw a prize. The prize can be a percentage off the dress or maybe a free accessory, but you have to purchase the dress that day to get the prize. So she asked me if I was interested, and I said yes.

She led me over to the front desk where she brought out a clear jar full of little, silver keys. I rummaged a bit and took a key out of the jar. She then told me to try the key on the locks of  all three trunks that were stacked on top of each other. The key should unlock one of the three trunks. There was a small trunk, a medium trunk, and a big trunk. I won't lie to you, I wanted to unlock the big trunk. I walked over and tried the little trunk first... it opened. Darnit!

The lady lifted the lid and gasped before saying, "Oh my God... go get the owner, go get _____!" When the owner came out, my mom said, "What did she do?!" She thought that I had done something wrong. Right away, Michelle placed on the counter a piece of paper that read, "CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! YOU JUST WON A FREE INSTOCK BRIDAL GOWN." Seriously. I just won a free dress. 

In that jar full of keys, there was only one key that opened that little box, and I picked that key (My mom said to me as we were driving back from the store that I should buy a lottery ticket). I tried on six dresses. Of those six dresses, I tried two on twice. Finally, I decided on THE dress. This dress was more expensive than the one I had liked at that other store and, I must say, so much better!

I'm still in shock and probably won't believe that this actually happened until I'm walking down the aisle. Those prayers, the night before and the morning of, could not have been answered any better. 

My mother definitely knew what she was talking about. It's true. God does provide, and ever since that day, we have secured the date, time, and church where the ceremony will be held. We have a Bishop (a longtime friend of the family's) who will be marrying us. We have finalized the rehearsal date, time, and location for the dinner with Paul's family. And finally, we have (just today) booked a place for the reception. I could not have done any of this without my parent's help and support. Most importantly, though, I could not have done this without Him. I feel so blessed to be a witness to His Providence.

Now that I think of it, I really should have bought a lottery ticket that day... Darnit!