Home Stretch

Hair and makeup trial was yesterday.  I just decided to be open to whatever the makeup decided to do--after our initial discussion about preferences (YS said no heavy eye makeup; fine, but I was concerned my eyes would disappear in photos).  She asked about false eyelashes.  I said I'd never worn them before but was open to anything.  At first they felt weird when she applied them, but after a while I got used to them and they were cool.  My usual hairstylist who always just knows what to do, did her thing.  I felt and looked awesome.  Got a lot of compliments when I cantored Mass that afternoon (of course I test-drove it!).  So I can't wait for the big day to look like that all over again.

I know I didn't get the chance to write part II about the PA-side bridal shower, but to sum up: Everyone had a nice time (everyone who was there), our niece was a helper with wrapping paper trash and my consultant for making the "ribbon hat"--which YS conveniently "forgot" at our parents' house when she headed back home.  But the Cinderall tiara went home with her, I noticed.

After the shower, we packed up and regrouped at our parents' house before going out dress shopping.  (Yes, it was a marathon of a day.)  I got changed into even less comfortable underwear but frankly was happy to change any part of my clothing because it had been awfully hot both outside and in the room where the shower was held.

We made the rounds of the department stores at the huge mall a couple towns over and tried on scads of blue dresses--satiny, sparkly, long, short.  It began to be apparent that the short dresses looked good on me. . . and indecent on the other, 5' 11" bridesmaid.  There were a couple of "okay" ones but they weren't ringing the bride's bell.

Finally, as we walked out of the one dressing room and past the racks, YS stopped.  "This is what I wanted in tne first place," she said, pointing to a dress.  It was nothing like what she'd said from the beginning, at least to me--I'd seen/heard gray, blush, beige.  (Everything that would wash me out, she wanted.)  So I asked if she wanted me to try it on.  She said, "Would you?"

Come on.  How could I not?

When I opened the dressing room door, her face softened and she said, "I like it."

And then the other bridesmaid tried it on.  Good. SOLD.

Of course, there was a problem finding two of the same size--that's right, at that point I was wearing pretty much the same size as a woman a foot taller than me.  It was mortifying but I just had to deal with it and try to get better.  The other bridesmaid wound up taking the dress that was a size smaller--that's all we could find, considering it was a last-season dress (good price! bad selection!) and I could tell she wasn't thrilled mostly because length was an issue.  The following day, they scoured Lord & Taylors close to them and found the dress actually one size larger.  She said it was loose on top but she was just happy to have the longer length.

Here it is:
 

Definitely NOT blue.

We tried both of the dresses on that night at our parents' house, and there were sequins all over the floor.  So we might be looking kinda nekkid by the time we finish on the dance floor, but oh well. 
And I have been terrified of taking it to get altered since. Why? Well, I've been dealing with a weight issue and a height issue--I mean, seriously, how are they going to shorten this dress without changing the sequin pattern on the skirt significantly--and I honestly felt so self-conscious about how bare it is to start with.

YS said we're getting spray tans so we don't have that really bare look--which reminds me, there's no way I'm getting spray-tanned the day before the wedding.  Way too close for any color adjustments.  Can't wait to have that conversation.  She's been promising a timeline this weekend but I know she's been cleaning the house and yard like a crazy person in anticipation of the arrival of the future in-laws.  So I guess all conversation is on hold until whenever she gets to it.

In the meantime, the dress is going to the tailor on Wednesday.  I tried it on last week and it is too big on top (surprise, not designed for petite women) and too big in the hips.  But it fits just about exactly in the waist and zips, so, hooray.  I've been working as hard as I can with healthy eating and exercise, but I still hadn't tried on the dress in a month and a half, I was that scared.

And then there's the matter of a good 5" of fabric, pooled on the floor, in spite of the 3" heels on my feet.  I hope this tailor can get it done in time--and more importantly, done right.  I was referred by a bridal shop.  Around here, they won't alter a dress you didn't buy from them, for liability reasons.  So I don't know this person but she used to work for them and left to start her own business.  I talked to her on the phone--heavy accent did not make it easy--but she was nice and I figure since her name is Teresa it's a little gift from St. Therese whose novena I prayed not too long ago.

 It just might take a miracle to get it fixed up right in time.