Wedding Blog

This is the story of how my mother, my pinkies, and my two-year-old nephew helped me find the dress of my dreams.

It started last weekend, when I heard choruses of: “Your wedding is in six months? You need to choose a dress TODAY!” I had been waiting to go with my mom, who lives in Florida. My dad realized that I was just going to keep twiddling my thumbs until she got here, so he put her on a plane with instructions to visit as many bridal shops as I wanted. We went to three, which was more than enough for us!

We started at White Satin Bridal in Plainfield. The store was spacious, clean, and peaceful. Totally our style. I loved every minute we spent there!

[Note to Mr. Parfait: This post contains pictures of me in white dresses. If you truly do not want to see me in a wedding dress until April, please stop here. ]

I told Sarah, one of the sweet owners of the store, my dress guidelines: Slim. Simple. No ruching. She brought me a dozen dresses, and I fell in love with a few. You can see my crazy pinky fingers in these pictures. When Mr. Parfait gets excited, he waves his hands around while he talks. When I get excited, it’s the pinkies. Potatoes, po-tah-toes!

Off to the next store! My mom’s dear friend (I’ll call her Auntie J) came along for the fun. When onlookers in the crowded store saw me in this dress, we heard them exclaim, “Sold!” and, “That is the one for you!” Auntie J gave us her hilariously honest opinion later on: “Oh honey, the front was beautiful. But that was a LOT of fabric hanging off your *ss!”

I liked the swishy-ness of the second one. However, Mommy P (and the pinkies) weren’t feeling either dress.

And finally, we reached the last shop on our list. Since it was our last hurrah, Mom and Auntie J brought me dress after dress to try on. They said they wanted me to try on dresses outside of my style. I think they were just tired of seeing the same cut in a million variations.

Yep, there go the pinkies again. Calm it down, little digits—you know that ain’t the one!

And the conclusion? I went back to the first shop with my FMIL, SIL, brother, niece, and nephew. I showed them my top two dresses. When I put on my mom’s favorite, my two-year-old nephew sleepily rubbed his eyes and said, “Komo look so pretty.” I bought it on the spot. It’s staying top secret until the wedding day! (Unless I cave and post pictures during the fittings. Highly likely.)

I LOVED wedding dress shopping and actually learned a lot. I realized that the style I like really is the most flattering and the most “me.” I also learned that I should manufacture white clips for clamping extra fabric on wedding dresses, so brides no longer have to see fluorescent orange stegosaurus spikes on their backs. And best of all, I learned that when you find your dress, you will sigh with joy, twirl with glee, and your pinkies will dance their most happiest happy dance!

Who helped you make your dress decision?