The feeling

by Darlene Bell

Description

When my mother suggested that we look at wedding gowns two years before the date of my wedding, I laughed. No one browses that far in advance, but since we live on separate coasts this would be her only opportunity to go browsing with me.

Shopping for a wedding gown was new to me. I thought, just like any other store, you go in and try on gowns you like. This idea was wrong. You have to make an appointment. That way, in the store, you have a wedding consultant at your side at all times. I suppose it's to make you feel important. The store I wanted to stop at is about an hour away from my mother's. With my mother and her friend, I met one of my bridesmaids at the store.

I had already looked through the store's catalog, and knew the type of style I wanted to try on. I think in all I tried on five or six gowns, but only two made an impression in my mind. People say once you have found "the gown" you know immediately that "it's the one". I have also heard that many brides find "the gown" with the first couple they try on. Many of my friends reminded me that every bride gets "the feeling" before purchasing her wedding gown. This was a concern of mine. Granted, I wasn't shopping for a wedding dress that day, or so I thought, but there was a lot of pressure put on this first session.

I knew I did not want my gown to be white. I didn't want to go the traditional way. I had seen an ivory gown on my friend and really liked the look. I had to draw the line when the wedding coordinator suggested the new millennium dress that was a pale powder blue.

Most of the gowns I tried on were the same style, an A-line style. What that means, is the vertical seams extend from the shoulder to the hemline with the skirt that flares out at the waistline. Almost everyone looks great in an A-line style.

Since the wedding is to be in June, I didn't want anything too hot, so I opted to try on gowns that had a tank or scoop neckline. This type of neckline is a U-shaped neckline that is sleeveless. This also is a style that looks great on everyone.

I am not into embellishments, so beading, pearls, lace and bows were out of the question. I was "okay" with a little embroidery, but still wanted to keep the look of the dress simple, yet elegant.

The second gown I tried on my mother picked out. She thought that was "the one". I didn't think so, but that didn't matter. The gown is ivory. It has a satin A-line style with a tank style neck with caviar beading and banded skirt. The tank straps on the gown are thin straps that scoop down around the neck. The top of the dress has a thin satin ribbon that travels all around the gown's bust line. Above the satin ribbon are small-embroidered flowers and vines. The top of the gown also has small sequins. The remainder of the dress is relatively plain except for two, one-inch thick satin ribbons that go around the dress approximately 18 inches from the floor and six inches apart from each other. Between the ribbons are duplicate designs of what is in the bust area. The back of the dress is plain. It scoops down in the back to match the front neckline, but has no other embellishments. I thought the gown was nice, but it didn't do anything for me. I thought it was too plain.

The next dress I tried on I had picked out myself. When the wedding coordinator brought me it, I was a little hesitant because there was another color mixed in with the flowers that were embroidered on the gown. Regardless, I tried it on anyway. From the minute I slipped the gown over my head I got the "feeling". I turned to look at it in the mirror and knew I had the gown on that was to be mine. For the first time I could picture myself walking down the aisle. I could picture Scott's face the first time he saw me in this gown. It made me cry. The gown is unlike any other gown any bride has ever worn. It is stunning. It fit me precisely. Walking out of the fitting room, I got the "oh's and ah's" from my mom, her friend and my friend. They, too, knew it was to be my wedding gown.

It is an ivory gown with rum pink embroidered roses. It has a satin A-line with a tank style neck. The tank straps are about an inch thick. This is a great feature since the gown feels like it weighs a hundred pounds and I won't have little spaghetti straps digging into my shoulders. The upper part of the gown has an intertwined cluster of roses and vines. The roses are embroidered with a hint of rum pink. The embroidery ends abruptly under the bust line. Like the other gown the middle part is barren of decoration. Toward the bottom of the gown at the mid-calf area, the cluster of roses and vines resumes. There is no precise boundary of where the embroidery begins or ends.

The back of the gown has a scoop neck down to the shoulder blades with a trail of miniature satin buttons all the way to the bottom of the train. The gown has what is called a chapel train, which extends 1-1/3 yards from the waist.

Needless to say, by the end of the day I was no longer laughing at my mother's idea to go look at wedding dresses, as I had found the "perfect gown."

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Questions? Brian McKinney (bmckinne@home.com)