The Odyssey to get my dream gown

Nothing symbolizes a wedding more than a white wedding gown. Many American girls were taught to fantasize about this one-of-a-kind dress since kindergarten. Parents volunteer to let their kids be a flower girl at a wedding---just so that their baby can get the taste of wearing a dress that matches the wedding gown. With all the sparkling beads, sequins, and pearls sewn on so-called French laces and Italian silk, this ultimate dress represents a Cinderella fantasy, marital bliss and above-all………you’re ready (?!!)………an incredible amount of abuse by the wedding industry.

Believe me! I totally fell for some of those fairy-tale stories about the wedding and the ultimate gown. I started dreaming about a church wedding ever since I was a kid. I remembered watching Maria in “the Sound of Music” walking down the long aisle to wed the Captain Von Trapp, with the ringing of the bells and hundreds of guests watching. Who wouldn’t love a dress that has the magic to transform an ugly duck like me into a beautiful swan? Thanks to all the high expectations harbored by prospective brides like me, the bridal industry tries to carve into stone that the rule of physics dictates that you can’t plan a wedding in a couple of months. They make you believe that all those gorgeous details you dream about require an incredible amount of work and craftsmanship. They want you to believe that a gown must be made-to-order instead of getting it off-the-rack because it has to be made just for a lucky bride like YOU. The gown is exceptionally pricey compared with other apparel because it is hand-crafted by skilled-seamstresses at a kingdom far, far away in the East, named China! They tell you that shipping it along takes months, as if we are still living in the medieval times of Marco Polo. This nonsense has successfully brainwashed so many, that I had been told that my Number One mission after the engagement was to shop for my dream gown! It is never, never too early to order your gown.

Less than two weeks after Brad proposed, we drove to that big southern city where his parents live. While Brad attended a conference, his mother and I (let’s call her “Tina” from now on) marched to a big trunk show held in one of the most expensive bridal salons in town. Tina warned me that the gown might be more than we want to pay for, but it never hurts to look and get an idea of what I’d like. After browsing through websites of David’s Bridal and some online bridal discount store, I thought that I already had a glimpse of this sneaky industry. A plain satin with red sash at David’s cost $300 to $400. To me, it looked just like one of my cocktail dresses except that it is dyed white  I bought that dress at a sale for only $40.

If I thought $300 was a rip-off, I certainly underestimated the bridal designer’s “generosity.” The bridal salon was filled with young ladies who recently got engaged during the holiday season. The shop owner is a grey-hair lady in a very well tailored tea-length suit. Talking with a pronounced southern-accent, she gently stretched out her carefully manicured fingers and asked to see my engagement ring. She went on making some compliments on the ring setting and then carefully inquired about our budget for the gown. I felt like we were being gauged. “As much as it takes to make the young lady happy” said Tina diplomatically, “and we have set a date for the end of October.” I was just amazed at how quickly Tina came up with a date that is two months ahead of our actual wedding. Tina later explained to me that you can’t tell them the actual date that is months and months away because they won’t feel the rush to make the dress.
_:mad:

所有跟帖： 

• The Odyssey to get my dream gown(2) -MaggieMay_Pei- ♀ (3853 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 09:35:01

• even if I put a white garbage bag on me, -VIol- ♀ (136 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 10:41:13

• 谢谢。。当时挑婚纱挑得我都烦死了。 -MaggieMay_Pei- ♀ (24 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 10:51:17

• The Odyssey to get my dream gown (3) -MaggieMay_Pei- ♀ (3278 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 09:35:59

• Loved your story! My wedding dress is designed by Maggie Sottero -臭臭妈妈- ♀ (65 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:29:00

• The Odyssey to get my dream gown (4) (图) -MaggieMay_Pei- ♀ (4891 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 09:40:19

• Man,agree "It is not the wedding gown that makes for -爱美爱上网的猴- ♀ (47 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 10:20:49

• 米女,这么快? 偶还没看到呢,哇~~ -Clubmonaco- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 10:21:26

• 俺的婚纱也和订婚戒指一样难搞！ -麻辣豆- ♀ (318 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 10:11:21

• 欧版的婚纱其实蛮漂亮的，设计也很有特色。 -MaggieMay_Pei- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 10:16:18

• 总的说来是比美国的好，但要找可意的太难了。俺算幸运 -麻辣豆- ♀ (16 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 10:21:58

• 前两天在NM看到Vera Wang的婚纱，只有她的还真不错 -chinesebuns- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 10:30:12

• 嗯，结婚预备那些行套，现在想起来还头大。 -chinesebuns- ♀ (41 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 10:23:05

• 唉，想不到买个婚纱这么辛苦 -Viol- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 10:42:50

• Your English is excellent and you are such a good writer. -lucky_wife- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:08:35

• Maggie, congratulations again, -gzlady- ♀ (312 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:33:49

• Thanks, Gzlady. Definitely let your daughter read it -MaggieMay_Pei- ♀ (637 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:42:43

• Thank you, I will do that. -gzlady- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:47:08

• 筹备婚礼很麻烦，所以只结一次就好了 -boredatwork- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:37:29

• 那是。。。。就这一次算了，经不起折腾。。。。 -MaggieMay_Pei- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:43:26

• Not all 筹备such 麻烦婚礼! prefer a simple one. -rexyzuvw- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:48:26

• agree. I plan to have a simple wedding. Put the money -redflag- ♀ (79 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:52:40

• Yes, like a simple wedding and a best honeymoon trip -rexyzuvw- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:58:37

• I don't have much patience to plan a big wedding. -redflag- ♀ (193 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:03:36

• That is very smart too. -gzlady- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:18:53

• i wanted no wedding, and use the money to buy a car -boredatwork- ♀ (141 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:00:46

• did you get your dream car too? -redflag- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:05:45

• nope. -boredatwork- ♀ (173 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:16:13

• both of you have good jobs, it's not hard to save some -redflag- ♀ (13 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:45:28

• yes, i will just trade in my current car and make payment -boredatwork- ♀ (25 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:59:26

• haha, I am concerned too. -MaggieMay_Pei- ♀ (256 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:31:23

• if they eat kosher, they can't even eat in the place -boredatwork- ♀ (31 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:48:08

• My goodness.....there ain't anything I can do about -MaggieMay_Pei- ♀ (9 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:50:35

• Maybe you can partner with your friend in China to start a wedin -lucky_wife- ♀ (44 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:41:17

• I mean wedding gown business -lucky_wife- ♀ (47 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:43:33

• You bet. I have been thinking about switching -MaggieMay_Pei- ♀ (103 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:46:33

• Please don't let me wait too long :) -lucky_wife- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 11:57:45

• That seems like a good idea, maybe you can count me on too -gzlady- ♀ (523 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:05:17

• Man, I'd like a traditional dress like that. -maggiemay_pei- ♀ (57 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:26:06

• 回复：Man, I'd like a traditional dress like t -gzlady- ♀ (74 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:29:17

• Does your family still own that business in China -lucky_wife- ♀ (88 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:38:07

• Oh, no, that was before 1949. I wish we did though -gzlady- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:43:50

• I know what you were talking about now. (图) -MaggieMay_Pei- ♀ (126 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:47:29

• Yes, I guess it is like that, but I think some of them had the -gzlady- ♀ (267 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:55:29

• 最喜欢你的帖子，除了我老赶不上你的照片:( -米沙- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:30:24

• 对不起。。。咱们时区不同，我qqh给你。 -MaggieMay_Pei- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:32:28

• 谢谢:)) -米沙- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:39:59

• Beautiful English writing! A hit in this forum -blhw72- ♀ (390 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 12:42:05

• Your writing is so elegant and beautiful, just like -riley- ♀ (82 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 14:19:22

• a nice read indeed, congrats again! -Opaque_dew- ♀ (0 bytes) () 12/05/2006 postreply 16:19:10