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When a mother dreams of
her daughter's wedding day she has visions of the flowing
white gown and a beautiful bouquet. She pictures her
husband, the father of the bride, walking their daughter
down the aisle, arm in arm while tears of happiness blur her
view.
Never in those days of
anticipating her daughter's Cinderella day did she once
think about something equally important - the shopping for
the wedding dress. But, as the mother of the bride soon
learns there are many tedious steps that need to be taken
before the glorious event of walking down the aisle.
As a newcomer to the
bridal scene I pretty much thought that if you've seen one
white wedding dress you've pretty much seen them all. Did I
not learn anything from the past experience of shopping for
Prom gowns? This, I was to learn, would be an experience
like no other. The hangers each held a variety of styles.
There were the poofy-foo-foo dresses with yards and yards of
material. There were A-lines, straight lines and mermaid
styles for the slimmest of the slim. Organza, tulle, satin,
silk and lace were just the tip of the fashion fabric
iceberg.
Patiently, I sat and
watched as my darling daughter modeled a medley of gorgeous
gowns, one prettier than the next. Any one of them could
have been the perfect one. Whether fancy lace or simple
satin - they all looked flawless on her petite size 6 frame.
Fear of commitment
seemed to be what spurned her on to visit other bridal
salons.
It wasn't too long ago I
had been in a similar situation, but that was senior prom
and I thought that was cause for an ultimate Tylenol
moment! I can tell you now that shopping for a prom gown
pales in comparison, and rightly so. This is a big day; one
that will not only live on as a memory in our hearts but
that will also live forever on the wall in the form of a
framed photograph of this merry milestone in all our lives.
So, it was, with minimal complaint from me, that we searched
and searched some more.
I was becoming quite
good at going with the flow and I began to enjoy the
outings. Oohing and ahhing became as natural as breathing
as my daughter modeled these fantasy gowns before me.
Finally she had it narrowed down to three. All were similar
in style, all looked stunning and beautiful but still no
commitment from the bride to be.
I was now in the 'going
with the flow' mode and knew she would eventually find what
she was looking for.
And, it did indeed
happen, quite by chance. Browsing through a salon she chose
a dress from the rack that I wouldn't have guessed she'd
take a second look at. Her decision to try it on would
change the course of our shopping adventures. It would also
signal the beginning of the wedding planning. No sooner had
she slipped into this creative vision of splendor and we
both knew this was thee dress for her.
There was my little
girl, standing there in a white wedding gown; a white
wedding veil with tiny sparkles of crystal and bugle beads
trimming the edges that softly caressed her shoulders. The
sight brought tears to my eyes.
The message hit home as
I watched her gracefully step in front of the long triple
wide mirrors. My baby girl is getting married! There is no
turning back only going forward, toward a new life with the
man she loves.
Time is flying by so
fast! We've reserved the church, we have the reception
hall, the DJ has been booked and the photographer has been
hired. And as the date draws ever near I know the hardest
part for me will be accepting that my little girl will be
leaving home to make her own home and family with the man
she will soon marry. For her, finding the perfect wedding
dress signals the excitement of new beginnings. For me this
a lesson in learning to let go, slowly and gracefully as the
sound of wedding bells ring out in her not so distant
future.
kathywhirity @ yahoo.com
Bio
Kathy Whirity lives in
Chicago where she shares her life and love with her husband
of 28 years, Bill, their two daughters Jaime and Katie, and
two rambunctious retrievers Holly and Hannah. Kathy is a
family life columnist for two area newspapers. |
