A Perfect Bride.

I was originally intending to write about all the things that went wrong with the wedding in which I was a bridesmaid yesterday. But despite all the trouble, this wedding was the happiest, most stress-free one I’ve ever been in. After thinking about it a little, I decided that the reason for the light, happy atmosphere is worth my time more than all that went wrong. And that reason was the bride.

For all of you still curious about the things that went wrong, I’ll highlight just a few: the flower arrangements didn’t turn out right, so the bride stayed up fixing them the night before the wedding; the hair stylist for the bridesmaids didn’t show up in the morning – we curled each others hair; the limo driver got lost on the way to the brides’ house; and as to prove that my writing is not just empty babble, one of the bridesmaids’ dress zipper broke during reception and we had to sew her in (see two posts below for complete story on the dresses.)

But back to the bride. First impressions really aren’t fair to this amazing individual. She is as tiny as Thumbelina, and looks no older than twelve. Combine that with “blond” comments that periodically come out of her, and you would think that you are dealing with the latest version of Jessica Simpson. That is until you pick up on the sarcastic humor of those comments and the bluntness that she so skillfully turns into innocence. Oh. And also all the complex mathematical calculations that this “little girl” is capable of computing in her head.

I met her when I moved to Washington four years ago. She was my cousin’s friend, and for a while the three of us were inseparable. The “three musketeers” lasted until two major events in her life intervened. That year she met her now husband. Just a little after, her father unexpectedly passed away. This is when everyone met the true Angela. The strong, determined, hard-working, wise and inspiring woman that she really is. In my life I’ve met endless people who become bitter and spiteful after tragedy hits. She was the very opposite.

After being the baby of the family for 17 years (her next sister is 16 years older) Angela all of a sudden had to take over her father’s job in order to keep the house that her and her mom were left in. Besides taking up his night shift without any grumbling, she also finished school and started college that year. I’ve heard the rest of the family say that if it wasn’t for Angela’s attitude, they would not be able to deal with the tragedy that hit them. Her father was a person who was loved by everyone, not just his family, so the loss was huge. Especially in that it was unexpected. But through her pain, Angie stayed as easygoing as she has always been. “I know he is in heaven, and that I will see him there when I die. Besides, he is better off with God, right? So I am happy for him even though I miss him, of course.”

Let’s just say that after living through that, a little wedding blues had no chance to get the cheerfulness out of the bride. Even through all that went wrong Angela never turned into bridezilla. She just wasn’t going to let anything ruin her day. And she made it truly special for herself and everyone involved.

The perfect bride. (And my other creative endeavors from the wedding. Please keep in mind that all I had was a cheap Sony for a camera and the images are much MUCH smaller than the originals...)

















SEWN IN BRIDESMAID:

And the bride wore... an eighth grade prom gown?

Before I write this post let me make one thing clear. I am not obsessed with weddings, and especially not with getting married. I am, however, somewhat overly interested in a certain wedding photographers' blog. But that's because the guy is AWESOME. In my opinion, he is literally the best out there in wedding photography. I check his website at least twice a week. I know. A bit much for a person who is not even romantically involved with anyone -- much less is planning a wedding. After looking at his pictures today I was totally inspired. And trying to write about something other than the inspired topic would just not flow right. So bear with me while my inexperienced self offers a little input about weddings, out of all things.

So if you ARE romantically involved with someone and planning a wedding, you should definitely hire that aforementioned photographer. His website is http://www.victorzerga.com/ and I can almost guarantee that you will not regret it. I have yet to hear any negative comments about him from brides that I know, who have used his service for their special day.

The person you should NOT hire is a certain seamstress who runs a shop from a garage behind her house. If you are a Slavic bride you'll know exactly who I'm talking about. And since I don't want to get sued for defamation, (although everything I am about to say is true to the best of my knowledge,) I will not give out any other identifying information. Let me just say that the end result of her work is an overpriced dress that looks more like an eighth grade dance outfit bought from a cheap chain store than a bridal/bridesmaid gown. The quality of sewing is actually not bad at all. But that's because she doesn't make the dresses herself -- she ships them overseas and has someone else do the work. The dress you will get will look nothing like what you had in mind or gave her a picture of.

Most likely it won't fit you right either. The lady apparently has very little sense of measurements. She has an excellent sense of slacking, however, so she will assure you that the dress fits you exactly how it's supposed to. Even if you can't breathe, the zipper in the back looks like a snake more than a straight line, and the chest area is somewhere closer to your chin. Some of her responses: "Get a push up bra," (No bra on earth could push THAT high!), "Girls like tight clothes these days," (um, no. Girls like to breathe these days!), "You are too picky," (I'm so sorry that I would like a $220 dress measured for me to actually fit!).

If you've already made the mistake of ordering here, I BEG you, do not let the lady herself fix anything! Get what scraps she has left over of the same fabric (good luck!) and take your dress to a professional tailor who knows what they are doing. Mine discovered, that when she claimed there was no more space to take the dress out, and I still could barely breathe, it was because she failed to undue the original seam. Of course it was still tight! What she did with the straps ended up looking like a cat scratched the fabric all over. Very noticeable on silk and barely fixable with a limited supply of fabric.

And if the demanding brat that you are does decide to ask to fix a strap that's too short, be prepared for a myriad of nasty comments said to you in a sugary voice. With a smile. In front of the guy that you came with. (He deserves to be warned of the evil traits you've been so carefully hiding from him all this time, right?) Also, prepare yourself for last minute appointment cancellations (and by last minute I mean over the phone when you let her know you are at the house), long waiting periods for things to get done, and her forgetting to actually do the things to get done when she does finally decide to see you. If you are in fear that the woman who's about to make your dress is her, leave me a comment. I'll let you know.

Some more thoughts... get a Vera Wang gown, have your wedding in Paris, and wear dance shoes. They are more comfortable :)

I'm sure my input will be more relevant once I actually go through my own wedding. But that's not going to happen for a long time. And inspiration to write today is just something I can't help...

ORIGINAL DESIGN:


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