Hi friends!
Well --- this is a fun one to write! We are in wedding mode here at the Great Hall – and I am enjoying the process so much!
One of the key items (shocking!!) is the wedding dress as well as the other wedding party dresses! Whoohoo! There are so many options for wedding dresses – and I know the hunt for “the one” is real. And I have some advice for you on that.
My opinion after talking to many brides and moms, as well as alterations people – is find the one that makes you giddy…and then STOP LOOKING! I think that the information overload we all experience at times can be a joy stealer. And I mean this in so many layers of our lives! There is always the next best thing, the next trend, the next option – all portrayed in a way to make you think that THAT is what you should have or do. Making a big decision can feel like you should look at all the options ‘just in case.' But I think when you find the one – then you’ve found it! And it doesn’t matter what else is available – you have YOURS! Period. So – stop looking! One of my favorite Instagram ladies likes to remind us to “be where your boots are." And there is a lot of truth in that!
Easier said than done, right? I get it. But – sometimes it is just having the mindset to find joy – and then sit in that joy – that helps to provide that contentment. For our personal journey with my daughter’s bride dress…we agreed ( I might’ve pleaded my case a bit hard!) to make dress appointments…but when she finds the one, we stop and just love that ONE! She agreed! ( helps that she’s not a shopper, I’m sure!) So, we went, and she tried on tons of different styles and shades and all the options. There is really something special about getting to enjoy that experience with your daughter --- I loved getting to be a part of it!
In her story – she found one that she loved how the bottom of the dress draped…but not so much the top. And I could see her wrestling with the top in her mind – and then she switched to several more. And found one that she LOVED the top. EXACTLY what she had in mind. ( Spoiler alert I think it is stunning!!). But the bottom wasn’t her style at all. And I could see her wrestling with the bottom in her mind as she kept touching the sleeves, etc. of the top.
And this is where dress alterations can come in and save the day. ( too much?!? – I don’t think so!) We are lucky to have local dress alterations people in our area and I contacted Barb from Garments by Design whom I have gotten to know in our time of owning the Great Hall! ( she lives/has her business in the neighborhood right behind us!) So --- I sent her a message asking:
Do you have time to do an alteration for a October wedding yet this year?
Do you have time to look at a couple pictures and tell me if a change is feasible?
Do you have any idea a ballpark of what these changes might cost in round numbers?
Thankfully, she said yes! So – I sent her pictures of the “really nice dress bottom” and then of the “perfect dress top that would be great with a bottom similar to the first dress”…as well as close ups of the area where they meet and the stitching there. And she responded – of course! (In full disclosure – I do not sew a stitch. It is just not in my skillset or interest! So, my girls knew we needed a professional opinion! )
So, by having this mindset – and knowing to contact a seamstress who we would want to make the changes we needed to make – Lex was able to make the decision to choose a dress that was “almost it” – and make it THE ONE.
And guys – it is THE ONE. In fact, as I am writing this, I picked up her dress last night – after her final fitting on Saturday morning. And on Saturday – I caught my girl looking in the mirror – no she was BEAMING - as the final pieces and adjustments were all done, and it was laying perfectly – simply perfectly.
Now I would love to share the pictures of the dress --- because sigh…it is beautiful – but that can’t happen until after the wedding! But you can trust me when I say this whole process was SO EASY – and really enjoyable.
Final thoughts – find the dress…stop looking…alter as needed to make it perfect…and just enjoy the journey!
<3 Sara