Because she deserves it

When a girl is young, she dreams of her wedding day.  It's in all of us.  Even the tomboys.  We marry our Barbies.  We play dress up.  We act out our wedding.  We sketch our wedding dress and the cake, and even the decorations.  In  my line of work, I deal with bride-to-be's often.  Yes, even some bridezillas.  However, some brides can be exceptionally sweet.  Then there are the brides that conform themselves to what others want.  The soon-to-be husband, the mother, the sister, the best friend.  With these brides, you can see that look in their eyes that isn't quite right.  They are not over joyed.  Yes, most will say, it is not about that one day.  It should be about the vows and promises that are made.  The fact that the couple commits themselves and the happiness is that.  But honestly, how many days does a woman get in her life that is all about her?  Many of these women will become mothers.  Yes, we have a day once a year that is designed for us.  But how many of those mothers are still caring for their children on those days?  Shouldn't a woman get this one day?  Shouldn't she get everything she wants within reason to make that day what she has been dreaming about?

Just about a week and a half ago, I had a bride-to-be call the studio looking for someone to do alterations on her wedding gown.  The bride, like all brides, was stressed.  The wedding was just two weeks away.  I agreed to take a look at her gown and she told me she would be there soon.  When she got to the studio, she was so surprised to learn what I do.  She couldn't believe I created all the dresses here from scratch.  She was in awe.  So to the back room we went to put her in her purchased gown.  Like many others I have seen, the bride had ordered her dress from an international site.  She put the gown on and I watched as her eyes went to a sad place.  I preceeded to ask her questions about shoes she would wear and undergarments so I knew where to adjust the gown.  She just kept saying, "I don't know" and shaking her head.  

I felt so bad for her.  The dress was a standard princess, tulle ballgown.  Very little to it.  She told me it was not at all what she wanted, but was told by everyone it would look great on her.  I told her this day was about her and she should have the gown she wants.  She asked if there was any way I could turn the dress into a mermaid gown.  I regrettably had to tell her "no" as there just wasn't the materials on this dress to do it.  She continued to look frustrated with every question I asked her.  I decided to just give her the option.  I asked her if there was any way she could return her current gown, and if so I would make her a gown she loved in 2 weeks.  She got extremely excited, but was still unsure.  So I took down the adjustments I would make to her current gown, and told her if she changed her mind to call me within 24 hours.  

​Two days later, very early in the morning, the bride-to-be called me back.  She said she wanted the gown made that she really wanted.  We scheduled a consult to discuss the gown and the budget for the very next morning.  6:30 am, I met with the couple and we discussed options for her gown.  

So this is what I will be doing for the next two days.  I am very excited to make the gown for this bride.  She deserves it.  She has chosen a medieval type gown, very different from the gown she had brought in.  I am playing with adding rose gold and pearl beading to give it that truly unique look and put this well-deserving woman in the gown of her dreams.

Stay tuned as this gown is created!!