I ran my fingers along the velvety couch and looked up at the chandelier above my head. There was only one way to describe the wedding dress boutique – pure elegance. It was like Odegaard, only the wedding equivalent. And I was already feeling uncomfortable knowing that these dresses probably cost more than the down payment of my mom’s house back in Delaware.
A super stylish woman in a black dress walked over to us. “Hi, I’m Sarah, and I’ll be your bridal consultant today. Which one of you is the bride?”
I stood up to shake her hand. “That would be me. I’m Brooklyn.”
"It’s so nice to meet you. And who is with you today?"
"This is my maid of honor, Kennedy. My future mother-in-law.” I gestured to Mrs. Caldwell. “And my Justin.” I laughed. “He’s my wedding planner.”
“Nice to meet all of you,” Sarah said. “Are you ready to get started?"
She didn’t say it, but it seemed like she was thinking we must be waiting for someone else. Like my mom. I found myself blinking away tears. “Yes, let’s do this.”
Sarah smiled. “What silhouette are you leaning towards?"
"Oh, um.” I looked over at Justin.
He laughed. “We need the full treatment, Sarah. We’re going to try one of every style to see what she’s most comfortable in. And then we can narrow it down from there. Sound good, Brooklyn?”
I nodded. I was so glad he was here.
“Great,” Sarah said. “And when is your wedding?”
"It’s December 22nd,” Justin said. “So we need to make a decision today.”
Sarah stared at him for a second. "Wait, you mean this December 22nd? That's less than two months away. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to turn something around that quickly."
“Sarah.” Justin said her name with the most serious expression on his face. “We both know that your designers always make exceptions under certain circumstances.”
Sarah looked over at me and then back at Justin. "Yes, under very limited circumstances. But rush orders start at..."
"Her father let me know that her budget is $15,000,” Justin said.
My budget is what?
Kennedy’s jaw dropped.
I was pretty sure I looked as shocked as Kennedy. And Sarah. Sarah was probably thinking there was no way I could afford that. I was wearing a pair of jeans and Matt’s varsity jacket. She probably thought I couldn’t even afford to be in the store.
“And when I say $15,000 is the budget, I mean it’s the minimum,” Justin added and smiled over at me. “Your dad wanted to make sure you knew you could get anything you wanted,” he said and winked at me. “I’m loving him more and more every day. He’s making this wedding very easy on me.”
At least $15,000? That was too much. I wanted to run out of the store and go over to Goodwill to find something second hand. I wasn’t a designer dress kind of girl.
Sarah cleared her throat. “Well, the rush won’t be a problem at all then.” She looked embarrassed. “Do you want to head back with me, Brooklyn, and we can get started?”
I nodded.
“And if you all would like to look around for dresses you think Brooklyn would look good in, please feel free."
Justin squealed with excitement and got up right away and started looking through the dresses. Mrs. Caldwell and Kennedy laughed and joined him as I followed Sarah.
***
There didn’t seem to be a style that I liked yet. The problem was that I loved dancing with Matt and all the dresses felt…too heavy. Or too big. They were all just too much everything. It seemed like the more expensive the dress, the more it weighed.
Sarah was just unzipping me from a poofy dress when there was a knock on the dressing room door.
“It’s just me,” Justin said from the other side. “And I have the perfect dress for our beautiful bride.”
I held the current one against my chest as Sarah opened the door.
Justin was smiling and holding up a dress. “This is the one,” he said. “I can feel it.” He shoved it into Sarah’s hands and walked away with a sassy strut.
It was hard to tell how it would look on. But as soon as Sarah zipped up the back and put the clips on for it to fit my frame better, I was…speechless. It was long-sleeved with sheer and lace embellishments down the arms. The bottom was loose and flowy. And the best part? Even though it was tight enough to accentuate my waist, it was comfortable.
“What do you think of this one?” Sarah said.
There was a lump in my throat and I wasn’t sure why. I think a part of me was still worried I didn’t really belong in Matt’s world. But in this dress, I looked like I belonged beside him. “He’s going to love it,” I said with a laugh as I brushed away my tears.
"Let's go show everyone." Sarah opened the door and I slowly followed her out, holding up the soft, flowy material so I wouldn’t step on it.
I walked up onto the platform and dropped the fabric so that it pooled perfectly around my legs. Everyone stopped talking.
“Brooklyn,” Kennedy said. “You look so amazing.”
“A ten out of ten from me,” Justin said. “You’re simply glowing in that dress.”
I smiled and turned to look in the mirror. I really was glowing. It was like this dress was made for my body.
“That’s definitely the one,” Kennedy added.
"Here," Sarah said as she clipped a veil into my hair. She spread the sheer fabric across my shoulders. The lace accents matched the dress perfectly. I felt like a princess. And I could picture my wedding day better than I ever could before. Walking down the aisle towards Matt’s smiling face. Saying “I do” and promising him forever. I could see it all so clearly.
The only person who hadn’t said a word was Mrs. Caldwell. I glanced at her in the mirror to see her reaction. She’d grabbed a tissue and was blotting her eyes. I turned around to face her. “Mrs. Caldwell?”
She laughed and continued to blot her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m a mess.” She tried to wipe away the rest of her tears.
I would never describe Mrs. Caldwell as a mess. But the fact that she was crying had me worried. “Do you not like it?”
She laughed and stood up. “Brooklyn, you look stunning.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “Matthew’s going to love it.”