Dressings

I found my wedding dress in the back of the closet in my old bedroom at my friend's house tonight.  I decided to pull it out and try it on.  Once I unzipped the garment bag, I had dozens of flashbacks of that amazing day when I made a commitment to spend the rest of my life with one of my best friends.  All the anticipation, all the waiting, and all the to-do's of that season wrapped up in one of the most beautiful and fantastic dresses I've ever worn...and probably will ever wear again.

I loved my wedding dress!  All of my side of the family live in California, so the one thing I got to do pre-wedding was pick out my dress with my mom--just her and me.  It was surreal.  I had no idea what I was looking for, what would fit MY body, and what it even meant to feel like a bride.  I had been a bridesmaid in three weddings, so I knew what it took to get that dress down.  A wedding dress...it was like ordering Thai food for the first time...you know its going to be different no matter what you get, but if you order the wrong thing you could be left with some serious heartburn, or worse visiting the loo overnight!  But it was actually over before it started.  It was the third dress I tried on, and I knew that it was the dress that made me feel like his bride.  I got all emotional and started petting it like it was some kind of fragile piece of me, like the dress itself embodied this love I felt inside for Preston and the joy of this time in our lives. (Really odd! But the sales associate assured me it was common!

My wedding didn't turn out to be the most fabulous wedding or the big fantasy that every little girl dreams about.  Most of the planning was fun and exciting, building up to the biggest day of my life up to that point...we made sure to have fun in the middle of pulling it all together for the right price and including the majority of the people that were important to us both.  To be honest, all the planning and preparations the day before and the day of the wedding were chaotic and stressful...a word of advice to future brides...just pay someone else to do it all...you'll thank yourself later, and be able to enjoy your day more!

But, when I think of my wedding, three things immediately come to mind that mark that day in my life as one of the most treasured and significant days of my life:  One, the look on my husband's face when I walked down the aisle.  Two, the amazing people in my life that went above and beyond to make my day so special.  And, three....my wedding dress.

So, maybe it was just in light of the Royal Wedding and all that jazz, but remembering my dress and that amazing day starting my journey with an amazing man leaves me with a thankful and happy heart.