Hi there! Peggy popping in again with some exciting news: Kelly said YES to the dress!
If you’ve been following my posts, you know that my daughter Kelly and her fabulous fiancé James are planning a Castle Farms wedding on June 30th. Since Kelly lives far away on the west coast while I’m in Charlevoix and work at Castle Farms, much of the planning for their destination wedding has happily fallen on my shoulders. And even though the wedding is taking place here in Kelly’s hometown, I must admit I’ve been feeling a little sad and left out. You see, Kelly is my only daughter. From the time she was a little girl, I’ve looked forward to helping her choose a wedding gown. But with Kelly in Seattle and me in Michigan, a mother/daughter shopping excursion wasn’t easy to arrange. What’s a Mother-Of-The-Bride to do?
Kelly started off alone on her quest for the dress by visiting a few bridal shops in Seattle. We chatted frequently on the phone. She knew from the start that she wanted something simple, with not a lot of beading or lace. Kelly is a modern young woman with a great sense of style who knows what she likes… but she wasn’t finding it. The more she shopped, the more frustrated she sounded whenever we talked on the phone, and the worse I felt. You know how mothers are… when your daughter needs you, you want to help! Luckily, since we’d all been invited to a family wedding in San Francisco, we made plans to spend part of a day exploring bridal boutiques. My husband Dennis and I flew out to California, and Kelly flew down from Seattle. When the three of us met up, off we all went (including my sisters! How fun! A true family affair!) in search of the perfect wedding gown.
Turns out, finding it wasn’t so easy. I had a vision of Kelly in an elegant long gown. Our daughter, however, had her eye out for something simple and stylish, like a classy cocktail-length dress. Kelly had made arrangements for us to visit two bridal salons while in San Francisco. The first, which sold only samples, literally had thousands of dresses to choose from, all arranged by style. Kelly tried on numerous dresses: some short (her choice), some long. I’m sure she tired of us oohing and aahing every time she donned yet another long sweeping gown, but it was hard to resist since we all thought Kelly looked so beautiful! Finally she tried on a dress with a detachable skirt which would allow her to walk down the aisle on her father’s arm in a long gown that trailed behind her so elegant and chic; the dress then could be converted for the reception into a shorter version so she’d easily be able to dance the night away without the cumbersome weight and length to deal with. Kelly tried on both styles. The dress was swingy, it was fun, but most of all, it was pure-Kelly. We kept the other appointment at the second bridal salon and Kelly tried on a number of dresses, but her heart kept returning to that one special dress she’d seen. Dennis and I confirmed what she already knew: the first dress in the first store offered the best of both worlds. We quickly offered to buy it. Still, Kelly thought it was ridiculous to spend so much money on a dress she would only wear one day in her life. She left San Francisco without a dress.
Once Kelly was back in Seattle, she visited a few more bridal shops just to be sure (what bride doesn’t do that?). That’s when she realized she’d already found the dress of her heart. So, Kelly, smart young woman that she is, went online and discovered the exact identical dress on sale at a much more reasonable price than in the San Francisco store. Later that week when she phoned, Dennis and I could hear the excitement in our daughter’s voice. She’d debated over whether to order the dress in satin or chiffon, but ultimately Kelly decided that satin was more elegant and definitely more bridal. The dress was ordered and arrived in Seattle with no mishaps. She also ordered her shoes online (which she loves, by the way!). She’s been wearing them around the house to make sure they’re comfortable for her wedding day. Meanwhile, Dennis and I had an opportunity to see the dress when we visited Seattle at Christmas. I don’t want to give away too many of the details as her fiancé James might be reading this blog and we want him surprised on the big day. So, let me end by putting it this way: when Kelly finally said YES to the dress, Dennis and I were just as thrilled to say YES to her dress, too!