Wedding Dress

Wedding Dress

                “When I get married, I’m not going to David’s Bridal,” I remarked after an unpleasant bridesmaid dress experience.

                “Okay,” Mom said, but the look on her face said, “When you’re getting married, we’ll talk.” She wasn’t ever very good at hiding her true feelings.              

               

                When Jeff proposed, I cried. When I told my mom, she cried.

                “Let’s go to Anna Be’s!” Mom suggested.

                I saw the prices, my eyes bugged out of my head and I turned as white as the eccentric dresses. My mouth said, “Wow… these are so fancy.”

                “You don’t have to buy your dress here. I just want you to have the whole experience,” Mom said as Anna Be poured us some champagne.

                It was an experience, all right. Since the dresses are all handmade, the options on the rack were all teeny tiny. Regardless of the number of sparkles or how poufy or feathery a dress is, when the back is wide open, it really turns a bride away.       

                “How about Amanda’s Bridal next weekend?” Mom asked, hoping to wipe away the discouraged look from my face.

                “Okay,” I said, but the look on my face said, “I’m never going to find a dress that fits.”

                Amanda’s went well. I loved every dress that I tried on, and was ready to buy one that had made my mom’s face say, “Wow!” However, her mouth said, “We know where to find it, but you don’t need to buy yet.”

                She was right, so we kept looking. We tried a couple of Cherry Creek consignment shops thinking we would find an amazing dress at an amazing price. We didn’t.

               

                I opened the mailbox and pulled everything out. A catalogue for my roommate fell out and on the cover was a stunning wedding gown!

                “That’s it!” I said before seeing David’s Bridal across the top. “Ugh… I’ll just go try it on, and then see where else I can find it,” I told Rufus as he twitched his gray tail at me.

               

                I didn’t even tell my mom I was going. I approached the girls up front and pointed to the dress in the window. “I’m here to try that on,” I said.

                “Great. Do you have an appointment?” the one said in a cheery voice.

                My face said, “No,” so the girl said, “It’s okay, it just may take a little longer for someone to be available to help you.”

                My face replied, “You have three employees standing behind you, not currently helping anyone,” but my mouth was much more polite, “I understand.”

                I gave her my information and she suggested that I browse the racks to see if there might be anything else that catches my eye. I hadn’t even gotten halfway down the first aisle when Susan greeted me.

                “Jamie? Hello! Welcome to David’s Bridal,” and she spewed their procedures at me.

                20 minutes later, I was in a dressing room drowning in chiffon and other poufy material. My friends helped me into the dress that I was there for.

                “Oh,” said my mouth and “Bummer,” said my face. The back was amazing and stunning, but the front was so plain.

                My friends helped me into the next dress… the dress I had taken off the rack because it made me laugh. I was sure it was going to be hideous! Who puts black flowers all over a white wedding dress?! I pushed my way through white pouf, found the door handle, and pushed it open. I stood up on the pedestal and turned to face the mirror.

                Tears came to my eyes and my jaw slacked a bit. Who knew that I would love the dress that I was trying on as a joke?!

                I raced from David’s to DIA to pick up my sister and race back to David’s to show my maid of honor the dress that I didn’t know was the dress of my dreams! I put it back on, exited the room with a huge smile on my face and was greeted with a look of horror on hers.

                “You don’t like it?!” I said in shock.

                “I… I just don’t think it’s you. Any dress is going to look beautiful...” she sputtered, but Becky’s face still said, “ICK!!!”

                We were back at David’s later that evening with Mom and Bonnie. “They will settle this,” I thought. “They will love it!” I thought.

                I put it on and it felt right. I felt beautiful. I smiled, turned the handle, and pushed the door open. Mom’s face said, “WTF is that?!??!?!” Her mouth said, “I really want you to try this one on,” and she pushed a dress toward me.

                I couldn’t believe it! I turned to walk back into the dressing room and got a glimpse of a girl at the end of the hallway mirror, stepping onto a pedestal. “Ugh! Who wants a wedding dress with black flowers all over i—oh crap.”

                I took the dress off, put on the one that Bonnie, Becky and Mom had found, and never looked back. Except to laugh!

                People have commented on my inability to hide my thoughts because my face gives everything away. It’s a good thing I got that from my mom or I could have ended up with a truly hideous wedding gown!