Adventures in Dress Shopping: Day One, Part One

I had a hard time identifying my expectations when I prepared to go wedding dress shopping. My mom had flown into town and I was thrilled about that. But she didn’t really seem all that excited, she spent the days before telling me about her coworkers, our extended family, and other trivial things that seemed more important to her than my wedding. Fiance was completely obsessed about work and didn’t clue in on any of the hints I was sending his way that I needed attention.

The morning of our first shopping day I turned on shower, sat on the bathroom floor and cried. I know I had built up the day in my mind. I envisioned feeling special, beautiful, and ready for a monumental moment. No one else seemed to feel that for me. Perhaps I had just built it up too much.

A few tears, a hot shower, and a cute dress later, I had promised myself that I would make myself feel special, that I would relish the moment.

We arrived at the first store five minutes before our appointment. Only to find it closed. Irritated, I sat down on a nearby bench and waited. A very cute girl approached, apologized for being late, and explained that she was filling in for the normal employee who couldn’t make it. We walked into the store, she turned on the lights and the alarm went off. It continued to go off for over five minutes. Fan-tastic. What a way to start my day of specialness and beauty.

Looking back, it sort of puts it all in perspective. Dresses, bride, prettiness, being special, and all that. But life goes on around you and you will be rocked by the alarm.

Anyhow, I tried on about 10 dresses at that store. They were very cool about letting me try on absolutely everything and taking as much time as I needed. I explored the world of Kristie Kelly, Nicole Miller, WToo, and a South African designer I can’t remember right now. I left not finding “the one” but liking bits and pieces of a few.