Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Sentimentality is lost on 9 year olds...

Emma asked to see my wedding dress this evening. As I pulled it out of the great white box that lives in my closet, she said, "Ewww! It smells like lobsters!"

Sure enough, it really did. It's age, of course, but in this case, age smells like lobsters!

Fortunately not old lobsters. *shudder and gag*

So as she sat on my bed, holding her nose, she admired the dress.  She loved the poofiness and puffed sleeves.

I told her the story of the dress...

When I studied in Scotland, Scott and I were already engaged. Just for the fun of it one day, I went to Laura Ashely with my friend, Kat, to try on wedding gowns. Naturally, the very first one I tried on was The. One.

Perfection in a gown.  Ahhhhh...  Soft white cotton brocade, cloth-covered buttons running down the back of the bodice, a full skirt and puffed sleeves.  So simple. So elegant.

So me.

Buying it then was an impossibility.  Number 1... I was a broke college student.  Number 2...  Shipping to the US would have put me in the whole till our fiftieth wedding anniversary.  So I wrote down the dress style and left the shop in a cloud of romantic dreams.

Back in the States, I searched for the gown. The Laura Ashley stores no longer carried it. I was crushed. But one kind employee told me that one of their outlet stores might have one. So I called them all.

And I found one! And it was a fraction of the cost! Only one tiny issue remained... the dress was a size 18, just a touch too big for my size 4 body. I bought it anyway, figuring I'd have it tailored.

I had no idea of the challenge I'd face in finding a tailor willing to do it. The one I finally found? A mere 100 miles away. But she did it and it turned out beautifully. I managed to secure my dream dress after all.


This is me today.



This is me then. Our 15th anniversary is in three weeks. Holy cow!


As I was folding it back into the box, I said to the girls, "Maybe you two will want to wear it on your wedding days."

Emma, ever practical, replied, "Maybe. But only if I don't find something I like better."

So much for sentimentality. LOL

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Wonderful! I hope at least one of your girls wears the dress. You were a most beautiful bride.

Kate said...

Awww, shucks, Mom! :)