Tonight, by chance, I bought my wedding dress.
Yep. You read that right.
This afternoon, I finished the skirt of the dress I was knitting. (More than a year, and not even a bodice yet.) I held it up, and knew. Then I tried it on, and knew it even more. Just not Right. Sure, it was cute. It looked hand-knitted, and god knows that’s a good thing, usually. Okay?
But maybe not in a wedding dress. Or maybe not in MY wedding dress.
I still hadn’t given the idea up, not yet. My sister Christy and I went shopping — I needed shoes for the big day. We looked and didn’t find anything. We wandered into the dresses, browsing. We called our other sister Bethany, who had had a terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad day, and told her to meet us. Bethany found us in the dresses, flinging fabric over our arms, giddy with sequin-lust. Just having fun. A lark. We brought piles of dresses into the fitting rooms and starting trying things on.
The first dress. Oh, my god. Awesome. Fun. Retro. A dress I could wear again to a fancy party.
The second dress. How do I get INTO this thing? A costume fitter, who happened to be helping her friend try on dresses, got me zipped up, and bam. Holy cow. I looked like a bride-bride. Princess neck, gold details, full floor length skirt.
Just having fun. These are inexpensive dresses, by the way. Off the rack. Not in the fancy-schmancy section, just out on the dress racks.
Then I tried on The One. Know what I did when I got it zipped up? Laughed my ass off. I felt like the top part of the wedding cake, that fancy piece that you’re supposed to keep. I glanced in the mirror, howled, and went to show my sisters. The costume designer said, "Oh! That’s my favorite." I said, "Are you kidding me?" Then Bethany gasped. I took a real look, for the first time.
Yes, it’s the kind of dress that makes me feel like a bride. I have no idea why I fought that for so long. I’m getting MARRIED. It’s good to look like a bride. It’s definitely unique, and vintage-looking, and it looks like me, but it’s still a wedding dress. You couldn’t wear this to the opera and call it fancy. Nope. This is a dress to dance the first dance in. You know? I won’t describe it, because I’m not going to show Lala until the day itself (although we’ll see each other that day — non-traditional that way), but suffice it to say that it’s a vavoom dress. Lots of vavoom. Lala likes my voom.
And now I don’t have to hurry up to finish the knitted dress! I know I will finish the knitted dress, because we’ll have a wedding for it eventually (we want to get married in every country that legalizes gay marriage — we’re up to five on our list now). But there’s no hurry, and less stress, and I’m so relieved. I just wasn’t sure, and I want to be SURE on the big day that I look like a million in-love dollars, and this dress will make sure of that.
I’m pretty damn thrilled. Here’s a peek:
Wooohooo!!! I might just get to be the first to comment! Can’t wait to see it in person! I’m sure it (and you!) will be Va-voom indeed!!
Congratulations on finding THE DRESS! If you love the dress, then you’ll look positively radiant, and what other way does a woman want to look on her wedding day?!
Congrats! I was surprised by how fun wedding dress shopping was, and how easy and fast. My favorite part of the planning frankly. Hooray for the bride! feelin’ sexy, feelin’ pretty, feelin’ loved…a good dress for a great day and all that.
I can’t wait to see it!!!!!!!!! =D
Marrying heart to heart not hem to hem is what you and Lala are about but a little bit of extra voom will not go amiss:0) Bride for a day and partner for life seems reason enough to let the celebration be as gorgeous as the love you’ve discovered in each others eyes.
Keep smiling and even keep trying for a little sleep eh.
i was so not looking forward to the wedding dress shopping, but ended up finding “the one” within 20 minutes of being in the first shop. for cheap!
it was meant to be girlie. woo-hoo!
OHHHHH! I’m so excited for you and Lala! It’s going to be SO MUCH FUN to watch your wedding unfold!
Know what, hon? The last thing you needed while planning a wedding and making your awesome new house perfect for you and your girl was the stress of having a huge knit deadline on your wedding day. (If it were me I’d still be weaving in ends on the way to the chapel). I’m glad you found the perfect dress, and think of all that time you’ve just freed up to knit other stuff!
I love the idea of getting married in every country you can. Here’s hoping enough countries get added to that list to keep you guys travelling around for a long, long time.
Yay for the dress! And I can just picture you, in all your Rachel-ness, laughing and laughing. Wish I could have been there to hear it!
I’m so excited for you, even if it was totally unexpected. I remember being with my sister when she found THE DRESS (and for cheap).
Glad you are assured of Va-voom, not that it would have been lacking anyway.
Have fun with the rest of the plans!
Congratulations!
What a smart girl you are, opting for THE DRESS and getting rid of that huge product knitting deadline! Vavoom, baby!
Aaaawwww…you’re going to be beautiful from love on that day, no matter what you wear. But I love the little peek you gave us, it looks very luscious and wonderful.
So…how do you feel about shawls? 😉
I just know that you are going to be absolutelypositively the prettiest bride EVER. I can’t wait to see the pics! I’m so glad you found THE DRESS!!
Oh, darling girl. It’s just too wonderful for words. You would be radiant even if you wore a potato sack, but this will make it ever so much more special. Finding *the* right dress, wow, can’t wait to see it.
Wonderful! 🙂
Fab !
You’re coming to the U.K. to get married ? really ? When?
A friebd’s brother & partner got married at Chelsea registry office followed by tea at the Savoy. I think the boyys had a touch of the Eltons !!! Very swish.
That’s wonderful–there’s a joy in knitting the perfect thing and a joy in finding something that was meant to be yours, that makes you feel beautiful and reflects your beautiful self, and it’s good to have some of each. Looking forward to seeing your beautiful hand-made dress, but your wedding will be weighty enough with meaning without adding the weight of a deadline.
oooh – tease!! can’t wait to see the Official Photo of you two 🙂
So wonderful that you found THE dress for you that’s perfect and wonderful and then you knew that was the dress. Always such a special moment.
ooo i can’t wait to see it. i wasn’t planning on a wedding dress either until someone actually got me into one. after that, there was no turning back…
Oh this has been almost as fun as my own engagement/wedding prep…it’s so odd how excited *I* am about *your* wedding. I guess a lot of it is just because it’s nice to see two people in love making that journey. (and reading the whole thing unfold from the very beginning has probably helped a little.) heh heh
Down-stressing is ALWAYS a good idea when preparing to be wed. You have enough going on already.
Glad to hear the dress has voom. Nothing wrong with that! Bride on!
i love love LUH-VE your plan to get married in every country that legalizes it! i am so happy for you and so excited! i can’t *wait* to see you in your va-voom! =P congratulations on finding your dress (and your lucky lady)!
How fun! And it’s cool you feel like a bride! You should.
That’s one thing I’ve never done, try on a wedding dress.
thanks for the peak 🙂
What a perfect way to pick out your wedding dress! Mine came about much the same way, and the dress I ended up with was not one I would have tried on had I not been playing around. But, isn’t that real look when you know so great! It’s so awesome to find the right dress for marrying the right person. Congrats again! Ummm…and smart move on the no pressure on finishing the knitted dress, there’s enough stuff to worry about with a wedding!
So wonderful to hear about the dress success. Voom is good! And wonderful to hear that you feel like a bride in it and that you’ve given into that feeling. I didn’t. I wore ugly, very un-special clothes and have regretted to this day. I don’t ever want to have another wedding, but if I did I would do it up in style, white dress and all.
I love the idea of marrying in all the countries where it’s legal. Yeehaw!
You know, this post made me think of the one you wrote, a long time ago, about how you never had lived with anyone and really wasn’t that interested in doing so. Remember that??
😉
This is just so darned exciting.
Congratulations!!
Oh, how cool….so exciting!
Hooray for you and your’s, Rachael. I say you get married in every country you ever visit, even if it isn’t legalized because there are always going to be those of us who recognize and support love, no matter who its between. Warm wedding wishes from Asheville, NC, the lesbian capital of the South!
In case you’re considering Sweden: You know the Swedish “gay marriage” is only a second-best thing, right? You don’t get quite what hets get, when it comes to citizenship, reproductive rights etc. There is discussion about abolishing the “registered partnership” law and making the marriage law gender neutral instead, but I’m not sure if it will happen.
/Monika
So sweet…congrats on finding ‘the dress’!
Oh I get all sneefly every time I read about your wedding. I’m just pathetic. (You will soon see this firsthand).
Congrats on finding The Dress! I can’t wait to see it.
You’re getting married in Canada? When? 🙂
In-love bucks are way more fun to spend 😉
Isn’t that so cool?
But I still can’t wait to see your knitting wedding dress. Did you acquire the pattern from any particular magazine or is it your own design?
wowee! congratulations rachael!
Here comes the Bride… !!!
YAY! We just celebrated our 3rd anniversary, so I was looking at our pictures and now you’re making me all sentimental again. Wait until you get the veil on. If you’re anything like me, you won’t want to ever take it off. Enjoy the girlish glee, it’s the one time you’re allowed to look like the top of a cake. Voom away!
do we get to see any shots of the knit skirt? cause i’m incredibly curious about that!
That’s wonderful – and exactly what a wedding dress should do. Make you feel like a bride, like a princess, and, most importantly, like “you”. Terry and I both wore dresses for our wedding and had a great time shopping for them (we have wonderful pics of us in David’s Bridal with eye masks on so we couldn’t see the other’s outfit!)
While I have loved the idea of knitting your own wedding dress, and that particular dress, since you first mentioned it, I have never understood the brides who impose a huge wedding-day deadline on themselves, whether a dress or a wrap or bridesmaid gifts. Weddings are stressful enough without that extra pressure — good for you for being open to a change of plans!
Yay! If you still feel like knitting for the big day, do a quick shawl. That’s what I did for my wedding a couple years ago. I never thought I’d do the whole big dress “thing”, but also got swept up in the glamour a bit (with a $99 off the rack but definitely “wedding” dress). It’s a big day, a celebration- why not dress up and enjoy?!?!
The wonder of the internet, and of blogging especially, is that a total stranger on the opposite side of the country is very excited for you and Lala. What an exciting year – new job, new house, new spouse! I wish you the very best of all of them.
oooo – how exciting! can’t wait to see it 😀
YIPPEE!
Just don’t lose the dress before the wedding cause it will make you frantic! (Birdie lost her new t-shirt and it made Mommy nuts!)
How utterly wonderfully delightful to hear that you found your dress! Congrats! I understand the pressure of wedding knitting. I’m trying to do birch shawls for all of my attendants–they are wearing black dresses that they pick out because they are all too unique to wear the same dress. And man, is it killing me.
I hate to ask, but where did you get your dress? I’m going to have to start looking myself soon.
You are going to be the most beautiful bride. I’m so excited for you. I’ll be sending good dreamy lovey thoughts your way!
After staying up until 2 a.m. stitching hems both nights before I got married, I can say unequivocably that you did the right thing!!! So, fess up, where did you find such wonderful dresses??? Give Bethany a hullo from me and I hope she soon recovers from her bad day.
Well that little peek at the fabric looked very nice! 🙂
I’m already dabbing at my eyes in anticipation of the wedding photos…. sniff….
Are you in the dark as far as Lala’s ensemble goes? Any hints there?
I cannot wait to see this dress on you. You won’t mind if I cry at the wedding will you?
Tee hee! Every time I read your blog these days, I end up with a HUGE grin on my face. So much wonderful and exciting stuff going on in your life! I’m sooo happy for you two!
Isn’t it funny how you try on a dress and it’s The One, and how you always thought that The One was some fairytale myth cooked up by overzealous bride-to-bes! And yet you try on this dress and realise that yeehaw, this-is-a-dress-to-be-married in.
I love it when things come together like that! Congratulations on findin’ a dress! It’ll be sooooo cool 2 see U as a bride!
Woo hoo on the dress, voom is excellent. Need food recommendations?