The Dress

     At our wedding, one of my friends from college, Christine, said to me, "I wondered 'what kind of dress is Danielle going to be wearing?' When I saw you, I said to myself, 'the perfect dress, that's what kind of dress.'" Thanks, Christine, I did my best :)

   When I was in high school, I must vainly admit that I wore some of the coolest dresses and rocked some of the most awesome hair styles every time I attended a school dance. As superficial as it might be, I do believe the dress is a reflection of the person who's wearing it. Luckily, it didn't take me very long to find "the" dress. I honestly thought it'd take me much longer than it did. Thank you, planets, for aligning in my favor.

    In street clothes, I wear a size 0. Spare me the "you're so skinny" comments. I have some of the most ridiculous dietary concerns (allergic to chocolate, gluten intolerant, and fried foods are the devil); couple those restrictions with heredity and you've got little ol' me. Being small, I had a heck of a time finding a dress shop that offered dresses near my size. (Again, shut your sarcastic mouth about how "sorrrrry" you feel for me.) I felt a little like a small child playing dress up every time I tried on dresses. Note: it makes perfect sense why boutiques would stock larger sizes (a small girl can try on a larger dress, but it doesn't really work the other way around.). So, I did my homework like the good teacher that I am, and I found a smaller shop in Hanover, PA to try on dresses. 

      Meet Simone's Bridal (click on the link to visit their site). The shop is owned by this lovely French woman named Simone,

who turned this adorable Victorian home into a bridal boutique and spa. (I'd attach a picture, but I have none.)

I worked with the lovely Stepfanie

So, I told Stepfanie that I did not want to break the bank. I explained that I did NOT want a strapless gown (the thought of tugging at a strapless down all night was unappealing at best). I did not want pure white because I'm pretty pasty. I pointed at pictures, and she pulled out the perfect dress. For about $1,000, I had a veil, flower piece, and dress. Yay. So, how did it look? See for yourself.

 

The front of the dress

The back with the veil. 

And a closer look at the back.  

Okay, one teeny tiny problem with the dress: I couldn't dance with it, especially not with the bustle they called a bustle. Dancing was vital for me. There was no way I could settle for what they called a bustle.

So, take a look at what my Aunt Linda did for the reception!

 Honestly, it's not really a French OR an American bustle (had to research these). It's a bustle all its own. My aunt created this impressive "snap" system so that my dress sort of folded under. If I receive more pictures of it, I'll post them. Either way, I could dance without a problem at all because my Aunt Linda is so talented. It's amazing how many talents you find out (when you're planning a wedding) that your friends and family members have.

Either way, I loved my dress, and I wouldn't mind finding another occasion to wear it. Haha. Right.