THE Dress

Most girls have an idea of what their wedding dress is going to look like long before they are engaged or even dating a guy they think they might want to marry. And I’m no different. In my single-girl days, I would accompany engaged girlfriends on their dress shopping, and I would head straight for the super flouncy, super tulle-filled dresses, and then head over to the veil and head piece section to pick out my “crown” to wear for the duration of the visit to the store. I know I’ve gotten some weird looks walking around with my crown on while trying on bridesmaid dresses or helping my friends with their wedding dresses, but hey, it’s fun!

Within hours of me announcing our engagement, one of my sisters sent me several emails with pictures of different styles of wedding dresses she thought I would like. Before long, I (and my sisters and all the bridesmaids) was on the hunt for my perfect wedding dress…as well as their bridesmaid dresses. Weeks of emailing pictures ensued, and then came time to actually go try on dresses. I lost count of how many stores I went to and how many dresses I tried on. We drove hours outside of Birmingham looking for THE Dress for me and the perfect bridesmaid dress (I don’t even want to talk about how many bridesmaid dresses my sisters and I tried on). It even turned into a full family affair with my dad coming along to be our chauffeur on several trips – going to the stores with us, sometimes offering up an opinion or glance that said all too clearly “you’re kidding, right?”, and best of all: buying us lunch.

There was at least one wedding dress at each store I visited that I liked, and I even had what turned out to be a false alarm of finding THE perfect dress. One day I was in the Huntsville area for work and decided to stop by a little bridal store called The Something Blue Shoppe in Hartselle, Alabama on my way home, just to see if they had THE Dress I’d chosen and if their price was any different. In looking through the dresses for THE Dress, I came across another dress by the same designer and decided to try it on just to see…and I loved it. I then tried on my original dress, and I still liked it…but my thoughts kept returning to this new dress. After trying on each dress a few times (and I’m sure driving the nice sales lady nuts!) I decided it was time to call in the cavalry! I planned a trip to Hartselle for my mom and sisters, and when I walked out with the new dress on – they loved it too. BUT I tried on the original dress again so they could compare. I was barely to the front of the store where they were waiting on me when I saw the look on their faces. A look that said “how do I tell her I don’t like it when I know she does?”. Then my sister, Rebecca, spoke up and said simply “No” and motioned me back to the dressing room. THE Dress had been found…the new dress was to be mine.

I’m keeping THE Dress a secret until the wedding day, but maybe this picture will appease your musings about my dress selection…and that of the bridesmaids too. Check out Rebecca as my bridesmaid and me as the bride circa 1983. (Too bad Rebecca and I were practicing for this day when Elizabeth was still in diapers, yet she beat us both to the altar!) Will I have a Burger King crown and multicolor shawl? Will Elizabeth and Rebecca have ruffled dresses and buns on top of their heads? You will have to come June 13th to find out!