The DressWell, everyone SAYS to plan ahead. On 3 July 1999, Jeannette, Heather and I schlepped up Rockville Pike to David's Bridal. I tried on a bunch of dresses, and felt utterly in shock. Was it the ghastly temperatures outside? Was it seeing myself transformed into some mythic bridal creature? Was it some strange off-gassing from the tulle and sequins? Maybe it was all of these things. I left with three dresses in my head and heart. One of them made Heather AND Jeannette all teary. I loved them all. But I was drawn towards a simpler one... I decided that I wanted more input. So, bucking tradition, on 18 July 1999, Nick and I went to David's Bridal to partake of their $99 wedding dress sale. Yes, Nick saw me in wedding dresses before the ceremony. And veils. And I'm okay with that. There was a schlocky DJ playing even schlockier muzak far too loudly, and bad cake cut into ridiculously small pieces. Nick wasn't welcome in the dressing room area, so I had to come parading out barefoot but otherwise in full regalia into the lobby. The first dress sort of sent Nick into the same bridal shock I'd experienced a few weeks before. No one ever tells you how WEIRD it is to get all 'transformed' by the tulle and poofs and whatnot. It's STRANGE. Take it from me. Happily, the dress I had a not-so-secret longing for -- the one I had started to refer to as "MY" dress -- lit Nick's eyes up in just that sort of way that THE dress should. Back to the dressing room. I "de-magic-ified," donning my jean shorts and little green sweater (and, yes, I know it was patently ridiculous for me to wear a sweater in DC in July). Then, the dress was taken to the register, I plunked down the plastic, and all of a sudden, Nick and I were back on the Metro, hauling the most heavenly satin conconction ever. Over 450 days away from the wedding, and I'm the proud owner of a simple, elegant satin bridal gown, with nary a bead or a spangle in sight.
THE Dress If you are looking for a bridal gown, a bridesmaid's dress, a mother-of-the-bride dress, or a special occasion dress of any kind, I strongly recommend going to David's. They have stores across the US. The best part about David's -- besides the stellar low-prices -- is that they have their full stock out on the floor. What does this mean? It means that you get to try on dresses in YOUR SIZE. There is no guesswork whatsoever about how the finished dress will look on you. You try on the actual finished dress! There were about 60 wedding dresses in my size, in every imaginable style and color. And, if I didn't see what I liked, I could have tried on dresses a size up or down from mine, and they could have ordered it for me. It was SUCH a stress-reliever. |
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Write to the happy couple!
Nick Stengel and Wendy Green.
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