The wedding dress

I almost forgot I promised Beth from “Formally Yours” http://www.formallyyoursbridal.net to be a bridal dress model for her runway show at the next PWG bridal show. Driving to her store for the fitting I was thinking to myself: “this will be fun!”

Being in the industry and photographing weddings for so many years, capturing all the joy and excitement when the bride puts on her dress, I never felt it firsthand since I never wore a wedding dress before (well once when I was 16 for a TV show clip I was in but that really doesn’t count).
The only way I can describe Beth’s store “Formally Yours” is comparing it to a candy store for a 6 year old. I didn’t know where to look first. All these gorgeous dresses hanging around me – where do you even start?

Beth pulled out a couple of dresses she thought would work, and I was sent to the dressing room to try them on. The first dress was a very chick, contemporary style with a flowing fabric that was just begging me to hold it up and turn all around in front of the big mirror. What a fun dress!

With me there were two more models for the show – one of my brides, Dawn, who is marrying Alex Diaz from XL106.7 this November, and her maid of honor. Looking at the thee of us having so much fun in the wedding dresses I couldn’t help but think of that episode from Friends when Monica, Rachel and Fibi were playing “catch the bouquet” wearing wedding dresses in Monica’s living room. I was getting ready to suggest our own little game of “catch the bouquet” but Beth brought out another dress for me to try on and I was sent back to the dressing room.

On the hanger the dress didn’t impress me much. As I slipped into it I felt the cool fabric gently wrap around my body like a glove. I walked out of the dressing room and Beth laced the back of the dress. I was so comfortable in it I couldn’t believe it. “Wait” said Beth and ran and grabbed a diamond tiara, but instead of tying it in my hair, she made it into a chocker. She stood back and looked at me, and I could see in her eyes what I was feeling “beautiful” she said. I turned and looked in the mirror and there, staring at me, was a beautiful bride. What so many men couldn’t do, the dress finally did– I felt a sudden pressing urge to get married.

Actually, I just wanted to wear this dress forever. No need to necessarily get married. I’d be fine with going to the grocery store in it to pick up some milk, or run a few errands. As far as I’m concerned I could sleep in it too. Never have I felt so comfortable and beautiful simultaneously in a piece of clothing. I understood for the first time truly how my brides felt on their wedding day.

My plans on escaping through the side door wearing the dress must have been obvious since Beth suggested gently that I take the dress off. As I was, in the dressing room, I caught one more glimpse of me in the mirror and remembered how that Friends episode ended: Rachel, still in her wedding dress and in a very playful mood, is answering a knock on Monica’s apartment door:”I d-o!!!” she says as she opens the door, and there stands the guy she likes who she just started dating and they went through a little rough patch..He takes one look at her in the wedding dress, turned around and walks away, and as she closes the door she says to herself: “and that’s that”.

So, I was wondering with big smile on my face: do you think it would be too much to put a picture of me in the dress on a singles dating site?...

And one more afterthought : as I am waiting for the fashion show next weekend all I can think of is Kerry from Sex and the City falling flat on her face as she makes her debut on the cat walk…this, of course, will not happen to me…I can only hope.

Day after the bridal show – didn’t fall flat on my face oh thank you the gods of wedding dresses! Had a great time and the pictures to prove it thanks to Chris from http://www.chrisgillyardphoto.com, a good friend and a talented photographer. Even got to play “catch the bouquet” with the audience :-)