The dress made real

So, after spending weeks looking at The Dress every fifteen minutes, I finally called up some bridal salons and, through some effort, found one within a 50-mile-radius who carried it. Knowing that a trip to East Providence takes about an hour with traffic, I scheduled something and let myself mellow out in the knowledge that just because it's beautiful on the internet and on a model doesn't mean I'll like it in real life. Watching three seasons of Say Yes to the Dress has hammered that into my thick, Scottish skull.

However, as happens more often than not, I proved to be the exception to the rule.

I arrived at the salon, immediately feeling tiny in the midst of dozens upon dozens of mannequins and what had to be hundreds of gowns in the adjoining rooms alone. It was intimidating and overwhelming. But Ana, my consultant, made sure to pull me into one of the pedestal rooms, which limited the "OH GOD so much tulle" headache I was getting.

She invited me to pull a few while she found The Dress, and I pointed out a few I liked. The first two I tried on were "eh," at best; while they looked great, they weren't venue-appropriate or to my taste.

The she pulled The Dress.

The pictures didn't do it justice. The scattered, tiny beading glittered in the light, and the lace fell smooth and perfect against the silhouette. It corset-laced on the inside, then zipped over that seamlessly and the zip was lined with little glove-style buttons.

Not only did it fit me like a glove, it was a strapless dress that didn't go anywhere. Seriously - I tripped over the hem and everything, and the bust didn't budge an inch!

The best part was that when she finished zipping me up and brought me to the big mirror out front, the whole salon fell silent. Everyone came over, including a little girl who wouldn't stop telling me how pretty I looked.

I swear to God, I look better in this dress than the model for the designer's website.

AND AND the seamstress was in, and told me that not only can they a) order lace from the designer to make me a bolero shrug for ~$70, but b) they can make the bottom tier of the dress with the train detachable for the reception. When I suggested it, I totally thought they'd laugh at me. But no, the seamstress came over, poked at the skirt, and said "Yeah, I could totally do it."

VELCRO WEDDING DRESS FTW.

Also, since it fit me like a glove, they're okay with selling me the sample since ordering a dress would take 3-4 months. So, 15% off, available immediately, and they can mod it for me?

The universe wants me to own this dress.

I have an appointment on the 27th to show my family this dress. If I get their approval, I'm taking it home.

2 of 3 big wedding challenges? Done.