If there was ever a day I needed everything to go perfectly, Dress Shopping Saturday was it.
I woke up at 6 a.m. to finish cleaning my apartment. My family’s bus was scheduled to arrive in New York City at 10:25 a.m. That meant, I should have been out of my apartment no later than 9 a.m. to catch the express bus and I tried.
I really did.
But I must have just missed it and had to trek all the way back down the hill to the other bus making me 30 minutes late.
By the time I met up with my family, I was impatient, frazzled and ready to go. Not to mention, the bus took a lot longer than I anticipated making us late for our appointment at Jae Hee Bridal Atelier.
You can see why I was all in my head thinking the worst when we arrived.
Would they still see us? Or would they say we had to reschedule?
The receptionist immediately sensed my frustration telling me that it was okay giving me a soothing smile. I filled out the electronic contact form trying my hardest not to show my family and friends how nervous I was. That was before turning to one of my bridesmaids saying “my heart is beating so fast.”
Within minutes, our section was prepared, my entourage was seated and I was whisked away to talk to Bojana, my bridal consultant. We discussed my wedding, my dress shopping budget, and fabric, which I told her was a big deal for me because I am getting married on the beach in Dominican Republic. She got the message.
I told her two designers that interested me, but those dresses – one located directly behind us – was way out of my budget so there wasn’t even a reason to look at them.
I approached dress shopping how I approach traditional shopping. If something made me look twice at it, it was worth trying on. But absolutely positively no lace or ball gowns for me. Just the thought of it gives me the skeebies.
I thought it was a good plan.
My sister did not and was very vocal about it. More than I thought she would be. To the point that she asked if she could pick out a dress because she knows what looks good on me.
Of the, I don’t know, seven dresses I tried on, I just couldn’t get it right. Some I liked the top half, but not the bottom. Some I liked the colors, but it had weird features making my party call it a bird’s nest. Don’t ask.
One made me feel and look like a trophy. It hugged my curves nicely and had a nice color, but there is really no turning back after you’ve found the one that you and your party loves.
When I walked out of the dressing room, their conversation fell to almost a whisper. The expressions on my bridesmaids’ faces assured me that it was the one. I immediately looked to my sister and a slight head nod told me she approved.
What do you think?” someone asked me.
I turned around on the platform with my back facing them watching myself in the mirror. I could feel my left leg trembling as if it was about to give out so naturally, I tried shifting my weight.
I don’t remember what I was thinking, but before I knew it, I felt my eyes filling with tears. I tried my best to hold them in. I looked down so that it wasn’t noticeable. Then, Bojana asked about a veil forcing me to look up.
“She’s crying,” one of my bridesmaids blurted out. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I let out a couple loud cries as Bojana rushed to get me some tissues.
Once I stopped crying long enough, I turned around to apologize for the scene I was causing, and everyone was crying. Including members of another party that was waiting for their bride to get out of the dressing room.
“You know you found the dress when you have everyone crying,” a member from the other party said.
While that’s a pretty good sign, It was clear to me that I found the one when I felt weak in the knees.
