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| {Allure Inspiration} |
I first looked at dresses back in April when my mom was visiting us up north from Florida. Months passed and the wedding slipped farther into the back of my mind. My fiance and I moved across the midwest from St. Louis, MO to Milwaukee, WI and started brand new jobs in our brand new city. And suddenly it was summer! I was quite distracted for my entire birthday month of July, understandably for a 25 year old. The summer slowly started winding down and with it some troubling news arrived.
Late in the month, I received a phone call from my sister informing me that my oldest sister had been diagnosed with breast cancer and would be needing surgery to remove the infected tissue. If that wasn't troubling enough, two days later my mom was checked into the hospital with an enlarged spleen. We came to find out that her spleen was enlarged due to the influx of white blood cells in her system; the next day she was diagnosed with leukemia. I took the next few weeks to visit my mom in Florida and the entire month of September became a blur. I returned to Milwaukee and with it my normal routine when my calendar reminded me that the wedding was 9 months away. I welcomed the distraction and decided it was time to finalize my wedding dress selection.
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| My mom, center, and sister, right of center. |
I got my butt into gear and finally made appointments to try on wedding dresses in early October. I invited my two sisters to come along for the ride once again as they knew how I felt and looked in that first dress. We visited two different boutiques that day, the latter held the key to my wedding day dreams. The mood was set with classic love songs filling the air and beautiful white dresses at our fingertips. They didn't have my first dress there, "what was I going to compare to?!" I thought. The dress was just purchased off the rack the week before but my consultant understood the qualities I loved about it...thank god!
So I continued the search by trying on dresses I hadn't seen before - this one was too beaded, the other too Cinderella, this one too stuffy - then she brought it in.
It was so beautiful on the hanger - the lace and beading I loved in that first dress. I don't want to give it all away but wow, was it stunning! I stepped into the dress and it just felt right - only after it was clipped to my body, of course. I walked out to show my sisters, the train tickling the ground behind me. I stood on the pedestal in front of the three-way mirror and knew. This dress was me!
I can't tell you what song was playing but it was sappy enough for me to tear up, although that shouldn't be surprising. I couldn't help but imagine standing next to my fiance, Rob, on our wedding day. Then I thought about my mom and how she would love this dress, from head to toe. I knew it was right and didn't want to take it off! We played dress up even more, picking out veils and pinning them in my hair. It really was perfect - I got that feeling I was wanting from the beginning. Although I didn't pick the dress that I first saw with my mom, I knew she would approve and possibly love this one even more than the original "one". So I snapped some photos and signed the dotted line. I was so relieved to find this dress and experience that feeling. I know that it doesn't happen with everyone, but I was so happy that it happened to me. I sent pictures to my mom on the ride home from the boutique only to receive her approval moments later. I couldn't have asked for a better feeling.
Did you get to experience this feeling when searching for your dress? How did your adventures go?
UPDATE: The dress has arrived and my first fitting is March 8. I can't wait to see what it looks like now that its my size! And I get to try it on next to my sister, whose bridesmaid's dress just arrived as well!
