Letting go of the designer name...

I've finally found my wedding dress. Saying "finally" is kind of funny because it wasn't like I had a hard time finding one, or two, or even three. When I shop, I'm impulsive and act with a kind of fervor that I would liken to a kid in a candy store. Want proof? I had my maid of honor's dress picked out and paid for before I even began the search for my dress!

I wasn't the least bit surprised when I saw what a non-traditional bride I was turning out to be. I didn't want to wear white and wouldn't be caught dead in a poof. So it made all the sense in the world that I should set out on my wedding dress hunt by targeting my favorite designer, Marchesa.

I bought dress #1 on the Internet: A champagne lace gown with a vintage appeal that I just adored. It was gorgeous, but somehow NOT right for a backyard, garden ceremony.
I sent it back.



Thanks to a sultry redhead who I shared a Saks Fifth Avenue dressing room with, along came dress #2: Monique Lhuillier's Iman gown. While she tried on poofs, I tried on sleek, silky numbers that were akin to the lingerie I had hanging in my closet at home. When I put on the Iman I told her that I thought my fiance would approve and that he would probably devour me in it. She replied, "Are you kidding, I'd devour you in that!" So I bought the Iman at at a bottom-bargain, sample sale price, and told myself there were others after Britney who wore Monique on their wedding day. I took it home where it sat in a Saks garment bag in my closet for months, putting off the inevitable... the dress needed work. It turned out that the dress was going to cost more money to alter and preserve than I had paid for it. All I have to say is thank goodness for eBay.

When I was willing to let go of the designer name -- hey, what can I say, I live in New York -- I found dress #3. THE dress. I was with mom, not a mouse and not an anonymous redhead. Picture to come post-wedding... after all, some things should be a surprise!