Today I had the fun task of deciding between two beautiful bridal gowns. I first saw "Contender A" with Annie on September 9, and although it was very bridal and extremely close to the picture I developed in my head, it was quickly disqualified due to its price tag. I discovered the other contender(s) almost a month later on October 6. It was a slow day at the office, so I called a bridal designer in the neighborhood that a co-worker recommended in late August. Why did I wait so long??? Well, I expected the gowns to be unaffordable, but since by October I had already seen my share of the tri-state area's wedding wardrobe options I thought I'd take a gamble and check out what they had to offer. I moseyed on over on a whim that Monday afternoon, and met "Contender B". Well, actually there was a "B1" and a "B2"... two dresses I liked, each in different ways, and although I had a pretty strong feeling B1 was better suited to me there was just something glamorous about B2 that caught my interest. Since I went alone, the only second opinion I had was that of the dress designer - not exactly unbiased since of course he loves all of his creations! Still, the fact that the actual designer of the dress was spending time helping me choose my perfect wedding attire was an incredible feeling... and call me gullible but I actually trusted the advice and opinions he was giving me. And yes, he was a he! Definitely a first in my shopping experience, which made it all the more refreshing! Having dismissed Contender A from my mind a month prior for financial reasons, and bordering bridal gown burnout, I was pretty certain one of the Contender Bs would soon be mine.
...One month passes, Nicole takes a searching hiatus, and November arrives...
Once again my mom and Aunt Barbara (brave souls that they are) trained in to the city and joined me for what I like to call "Dress Decision '08".... because after all, it's taken almost as long for me to choose a dress as it did for the country to select the 2008 Presidential candidates! I was politely informed by my trusted advisers that this would be our last shopping day, wink wink. Before I left the apartment, Shep requested I not come home unless I had a receipt in hand as proof that the search was over! We visited Contender A (which everyone loved) and spent a good hour prancing around in the dress and negotiating with the store manager to bring the price a little closer down to reality from outer space. Between appointments, we ate a yummy brunch at The Park and after some delicious eggs we were revived and ready to meet Annie for the second appointment. Before arriving at the studio, my 3 advisers were certain from seeing a picture of B2 that B1 was the dress for me. And although I knew and tried to explain to them that the picture of B2 didn't do the dress any justice AT ALL, I was pretty much on the same page in terms of a choice. But all that changed when I tried on B2 for them. Mom, Aunt Barb & Annie were stunned they liked the dress as much as they did, and we all decided that the cut of B2 was more flattering on my figure than B1. Yet there was something about B1 that I really loved. And it was much more unique than Contender A. After a little deliberation we concluded that adding the details of B1's bodice to B2 would be a gorgeous combination, so that's what I decided to do!
So by 2:30pm EST on Sunday, November 2, 2008... I was getting measured for my wedding gown!
Annie phoned Shep from the studio to fill him in on the good news. He did not actually believe I had decided on a dress, despite our best efforts to convince him on speakerphone. A few minutes later as we were leaving the studio, Shep called me back with an apology. I guess the news shocked him a little, but once that wore off he congratulated me. :)
After that there was really only one thing left to do.... CELEBRATE! Mom, Aunt Barbara, Annie & I headed over to Gramercy Tavern for some bubbly.
the end!
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