Yes, I Cheated.

I know that I promised myself that I wouldn't let myself try on a dress until I lost ten pounds. Well... technically I don't know if I actually broke that promise because I honestly haven't weighed myself in the last week. But I think it's safe to say that I haven't lost ten pounds in the last seven days. So yes. Guilty as charged. However. I thought that perhaps I needed some solid motivation and what could possibly be more motivating than seeing myself look like a total cow in a wedding gown, right? Indeed.

This morning I invited my two dearest cousins Sharon and Sarah to accompany me in going to go try on a few dresses for fun. We first hit up the local David's Bridal and the place was a mad house. The place was filled with frenzied brides and bridesmaids and mothers-of-the-bride. My cousins and I split up the floor and hit our designated jurisdictions. We regrouped shortly empty-handed and I was more than ready to get outta there. I then proceeded to head to a boutique named "Fantasia Bridal" that I had passed many times on Concord Pike.

Now let me paint a picture of this place for you. Honestly if the store sign didn't have the word "Bridal" on it, I would have never guessed that it was a wedding gown boutique. The shopping center that it's in is quite run-down looking and the neon signs flashing in the display windows make it look more like an adult videostore than anything else. My cousins were a bit hesitant to go into this seedy joint, but I assured them that we would just take quick look around and then head back home.

The store was much smaller with only two racks of wedding dresses to go through. I asked the girls to select three dresses for me to try on and they immediately began scouring the two rows. Within five minutes, they had selected the three dresses and we began the tedious task of getting a dressing room set up for us. The stylist brought me a corset and slip to wear under the gowns and she had to literally lift the first dress over and on me. My first thought was "Wow, this thing is heavy!" and my second was "I hope it fits!" The girls immediately began saying how pretty the dress was and how it was the perfect classic wedding gown. It was a strapless sweetheart neckline ball gown and I agreed with the girls that it was pretty. But I just felt that it was just too..... classic. My cousins agreed. They thought the dress was missing the "Gina factor" (for a lack of a better term).

I knew I had struck gold as soon as the second dress was over my head. I heard my cousins gasp and say "That's it! This is it! So much better!" I looked at myself in the mirror and fell in love instantly with what I saw. The dress definitely represented a lot of the details I was looking for and the more I looked at the dress, the more I loved it. It was a million times better than I had originally expected. But. There was one aspect that made me hesitate and that was my requirement for a sweetheart neckline. This neckline was straight across and no matter how much I loved the dress, I found myself unable to ignore that minor detail. I mentioned this to the girls and they agreed. One dress to go.

Dress number 3 was totally different from the first two. The first two were strapless ballgowns with 20' long trains. This one was an embellished halter top with soft Grecian draping that cascaded straight down.

I am still swooning over this dress.

The girls practically gave me a standing ovation when I put it on. It was STUNNING. I couldn't believe how gorgeous it was! Oh boy, did I have a major dilemma. I was floored by this dress and felt that I absolutely had to have it but I knew that it would not fly as my ceremonial gown. I discussed this with the cuzzies and they suggested that I wear it as a reception dress after the first dance/cake cut. BRILLIANT. But would Brian be happy with this arrangement? I called him as soon as we left the boutique and asked him what he thought about the prospect of having two dresses. As expected, he was not particularly pleased. He thought it was absurd and that he didn't know anyone who had had TWO dresses at their wedding. I replied that I personally knew a couple but told him that I understood his standpoint. We ended the conversation with the cordial "We can discuss this further at a later time" spiel and hung up.

Maybe the bridezilla in me is just rearing its ugly head. I understand where Brian is coming from: two dresses would mean purchasing two dresses that I would only wear once in my entire lifetime. However, it could also mean having two once-in-a-lifetime dresses to commemorate the most important day of my life...

To be continued... :)