Someday My Prince Will Come

The girls have started enjoying that TLC show "Say Yes To The Dress".  The show is set in a posh NYC boutique.  Brides from all over the world come to this location to purchase the most exquisite wedding dress money can buy.  This has prompted some conversations about my wedding dress.  Was I "sassy" like the girls in the show?  Was my dress expensive?  Did I cover my boobs? (hahaha)  Did Nana cry when I put it on?

 We went shopping for my dress in February 2001. We all loaded in the 1994 green Dodge Minivan for our adventure in Sacramento. These were the days before MapQuest and smart phones. We received some sketchy directions from people who had traveled to this bridal store previously.  "Oh, you 'kind of' know where it is?  Great!  That'll do."  We left early that morning...I believe it was President's Day. We had our pink box of Donuts to Go that we were passing around, and there was LOTS of laughing and happy chatter. I was SO excited to be getting married! Upon arriving in Sacramento, we (of course) got lost. After some research (yellow pages, folks) and questioning of several gas station attendants, we found "the place".  Like the TLC show, each bride needed an appointment to get the best service.  It was not policy to let brides roam the showroom freely and grab any dress she pleased.  While we were waiting for our turn, we were allowed to skim the clearance rack (mostly hideous bridesmaid dresses).  Now, I had an idea of what I wanted.  Here was my criteria: NO beads and NO frills.  I was not dreaming of the poofy Cinderella dress.  I wanted VERY simple.  As pleasant as that sounds, sometimes "simple" can look matronly or boring.  There's a difference between looking "effortless" and looking like you didn't even try.  As we were sifting through the racks, I saw it!  There was MY dress.  No beads, no poof.  It was stunning on that hanger.  And the most spectacular part: clearance...not sale but CLEARANCE.  I immediately tried it on and fell in love.  It was meant for me.  Soon, my name was called and we headed back with our sales clerk.  Sorry, sweetie, but you will not be making a fat commission today.  I already knew I wasn't going to like any other dress as much as the one I was holding, but you always have to check your other options, right?  She asked what I had in mind.  I said, "no beads, no frills, no poof."  She looked at me like I was an alien bride.  She pulled a couple of dresses, and no.  I tried them on anyway, and was dying at the prices.  I'm sorry, but I could never justify $800+ on a dress!  My sweet parents assured me that I needed to get what I liked, and not worry about the price.  That simple, $70, clearance rack elegance was the one for me!  We were in and out of there in like 2 hours.  Even to this day, I still love my dress.  I felt beautiful the day I got married.  As we were playing dress up, I could tell my girls felt the same way.