The Dress

Remember how I mentioned on Friday that the story about finding my wedding dress was a good one? Well, here it is, in all its glory, and by the grace of God, everything worked out. As I went through this process, I kept reminding myself, "Everything just seems to be falling into place; that’s how I know this is God’s plan all along."

Once I was engaged, I knew I wanted that classic dress try-on experience with my mom. Even though I didn’t plan to buy a dress from a traditional wedding shop, I still wanted the moment. So, I hopped online and booked the first appointment I could find nearby. The date? Father's Day. But don’t worry—I made sure I could spend the rest of the day with my dad!

As the appointment day approached, it dawned on me that no matter how much I loved a dress from the shop, it wouldn’t work. We had just found out the wedding was happening in about four weeks! Knowing this, I decided to approach the appointment with the intention of simply having fun with my mom, not necessarily expecting to find the one.

We arrived a bit early (as I always do) and took a stroll through the mall. We wanted to see if the department stores had any options, just in case I liked something there. As the appointment time rolled around, we made our way to the bridal shop. I was overwhelmed and excited as we started browsing the sample dresses with the help of the sales assistant. We grabbed any dress that looked remotely close to my size, but most were too big. Even with the back clamped, I was swimming in some of them!

As I tried on dress after dress, I became confident that I wouldn’t find one I loved here, which was honestly what I expected. But then we got down to the last few. After figuring out the style I liked, it was easier to narrow things down.

The first of the final dresses was a strapless dress. Historically, I’ve never loved strapless for myself, but this one was different. It had some see-through elements and boning to hold it up. Beautiful, but still not perfect.

Then came the flower dress: a beaded, fitted gown with spaghetti straps and floral details. I pulled it on, and when the saleswoman went to clamp it in the back, she gasped. My heart sank—I thought we’d ripped it! I asked what had happened, and she replied, "Oh my goodness, it fits you like a glove." Her excitement caught me off guard, but I couldn’t even see myself yet—there were no mirrors in the dressing room.

As I stepped out to see my mom, she started crying, and I finally caught a glimpse of myself. I was in shock—it was absolutely gorgeous. They put a veil on me, and I remember feeling like a bride in that moment. Looking back at the photos from that day, it was the only dress I was smiling in.

Even though I tried on a few more, nothing else came close to that beaded gown. It was down to the strapless dress and this one, but my heart already knew the answer. When I put on the beaded dress for the second time, my heart sank—I loved it. But with the wedding just a few weeks away, I knew there was no way I could get it in time. I was already preparing myself for the disappointment of having to choose something else.

Finally, I came clean to the shop: "I’m getting married on July 20th," I said. "The venue had a last-minute opening, and it was a bit of a scramble. Is there anything you can do? I’ll even take this sample dress if I have to!" The saleswoman checked the system, but the earliest they could get a new dress was July 19th—one day before the wedding! That wouldn’t work. She said she’d have to check what could be done about the sample dress.

And then, we waited.

When she came back out, she said, "Can you come back at 1:30 for a fitting?" I glanced at my mom, and she nodded—"Yes, we’ll be here." I couldn’t believe it. Was I really going to get this dress?

At the fitting, I got even better news. Since I was purchasing the sample dress and didn’t need major alterations—just thicker straps for support—they offered to re-bead it for me! They promised to fix any spots that had come undone from being a try-on dress. I was in shock—no way was this happening!

I left the shop knowing I would be picking up my dress in just under four weeks, right on my way to the wedding. It’s amazing how things fall into place when you least expect them to—God’s hand was in it the whole time.