Great Things Are Happening

Friday: ordered my dress.

Sunday: booked our church.

Life is getting sweet.

Purchasing my gown was an incredible experience. I had tried on a number of gowns during several visits and found a few that I liked, all by the same designer. I knew two things going in to the store this time around: 1) I would order a gown before Thanksgiving (so, within the week), and 2) it would be an Allure Bridal. I did not know several things going in to the store, e.g.: Allure Bridals was having a trunk sale at the salon that weekend, Seth Kruger (from the design team) was there to represent, and his plane had landed within the hour. Our timing couldn't have been more perfect.

Racks of new gowns cluttered up the salon, something I had never seen in the quarter mile long building. So, with my older sister in tow, I dove in head first, bound and determined to find something better than the mediocre dress from my last trip that I was about the settle on. Sure, it's lovely - it looked even better on me than it does on the model. But, it wasn't "it." Something was still lacking. Still, I needed a gown fast, and if nothing else worked, it would do in a pinch. One thing I was sure of though: this label designed gowns with my body in mind.

As we tore through the racks, Brenda (our designated consultant for the day) and Seth pulled gowns that I asked to try on. I got to the end of the racks and was about to stop (I had four gowns already) when one more caught my eye. It reminded me a bit of a dress that Carrie wears in all of those Sex and the City promos, and when I commented on that to my sister, Seth snagged it from the rack and took it to my dressing room. I tried on the four other gowns, fell in love with the first one, and finally I tried on the "Sex and the City" gown. I was so in love with gown #1 that I almost took this one off immediately. But, I gave it a fair shot, and it kind of grew on me. Not wanting to be so torn at the last second when I almost thought I had picked one out, I decided to try #1 back on, so I could prove to myself what a statement it made in comparison.

It was a flop. It was as if it wasn't even the same dress anymore, like someone had switched it out. Dumbstruck, and a bit bewildered, I tried on the "SatC" dress again, and - voila! Instant glow! My sister actually started to cry when I came back out in it. I couldn't believe the complete 180 I had just done. When Seth and Brenda came to see, they both agreed that they favored this one over #1, and Seth insisted it was the better choice of the two because it drew the eye up to my face rather than down to my feet (where the bubble hem was). But here's where the story gets good...

The "SatC" dress is a Fall 2010 model, so it won't even be available until after my wedding. You can't even find a picture of it on their website yet. Most likely, I was the first bride to order it, and when I walk down the aisle with it on, no one will be able to say that they've seen it before. Plus, I found it at a trunk sale, so that = instant 10% off. And, of all of the gowns I tried on and liked to date, it was the least expensive one before the discount. Do I feel smug, or what??

Okay, so by now you're wondering what it looks like. Well, I don't want to post pictures of me that we took in the salon, and I could only find one professional picture of it from a runway show, since it isn't available yet. And, since I have a certain fiance who views this blog from time to time, I certainly can't just post the picture here. So, instead I'll give you a link to the photo so you can go see it for yourself, though I fear it may kill the FFG not to peek.

BTW: the "Sex and the City" link was made in reference to the flower on the shoulder.

As for the church, the exterior is but a shadow to the beauty that lay within...