Luckily, on this first day of trying on wedding gowns, I had my team with me. That includes my Maid of Honor, my mother, and might-as-well-be-my-Aunt Anne. We all exchanged a look before the consultant, Mary, launched into a list of questions. She asked me when my wedding date is, where the wedding will be, what dress style I was thinking.
I began to loosen up. Mary was the equivalent of a reading coach – she was present to usher me to success. She jogged my ain by inserting key words that helped shape my vision. Unlike TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress," I was not given the choice to hand-select gowns. Instead, Mary took my descriptions in stride and returned to the fitting room with 9 or 10 dresses. Some were stark white, most were creamier, some off-white. A few were fitted, full lace while others had infinitely more body and poofiness (I'm no expert when it comes to wedding lingo -- oops!). One had a rhinestone belt that I nixed immediately until my mother threw up her hands as if she were halting oncoming traffic. Ever the designer, my mom reminded me that elements of any dress can be altered. Mary, my wedding consultant, backed her up and provided a sash that my mother and her proceeded to wrap around my waist several times. This effort effectively hid the rhinestones and produced a more classic look. Now my indecision was strengthened with one more dress choice reentered for consideration.r
After a few more dresses, Mary's niece walked in to offer help. Mary asked her if she was missing anything, at which point her niece suggested one gown I had yet to see. Turns out that the final dress was the spitting image of my initial thought all along, I just hadn't known how to put into words what I was envisioning from the get-go. Immediately, my eyes lit up and the ladies took notice. While my friend, aunt and mother were great sounding boards, they told me how it apparent it was that I was wearing a clear winner. I asked Mary how soon I had to make a decision. She respectfully offered to not introduce this dress to any ide for the rest of the day and then her store would be closed on Sunday. Basically, I owe her a phone call now since the dress I'm leaning toward is a discontinued design and the last one Mary's boutique has in stock.
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But what's the fun in only visiting one store?! Seriously! I'm one of those people who has to read through the whole menu before selecting the dish I'd been craving all week. When I'm driving, I have to click through all my programmed radio stations to confirm which song I most want to hear. A visit to the mall proves to be infinitely longer than planned since I'm of the belief that it's necessary to try on 10 shoes I don't want just to validate my decision to buy the most expensive pair. I bet you realize now why I didn't say yes to my dress this past weekend. It's time I visit anther boutique. While I'm confident I found The One, this Wednesday I'm going to Georgetown to ooh and ahh over more gowns. Here's hoping not-a-one tickles my fancy and I can call Miss Mary Thursday morning with good news.
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Wish me luck!
