So over Christmas break, Thea, Jay and I went wedding dress shopping. The store was deserted, we had a rollicking good time, and I can't say which of my girls had more fun. Jay loves dress-up; she found an adorable spaghetti strap three-quarter length maid of honor frock. As for the bride-to-be, well, Thea enjoyed herself, but she's not the fashionista her sister is. We left with a few gowns as strong contenders, but nothing that made her jump for joy.
She's so much like me in that respect, not overly worked up about clothes and such. Our hearts lay in other fields; she's gaga over Brian, but the dress she wears on that day of betrothal isn't the be-all end-all. Yet she wants to look pretty, one of her goals for that day. She wants to look pretty, be married at the end of it, and doesn't want to trip. She'll have some stairs to navigate, but on Bob's arm, then her new husband's, I'm sure she'll be just fine.
Yesterday Jay and I met with Thea and her other attendants and Brian's mum at another dress store, far more crowded than our Christmas sojourn. (A heads-up; if you're looking for wedding dresses, go right before Christmas. Not too many folks shopping for gowns in mid-December.) Again Jay had a ball; I think she tried on a dozen outfits, settling again on the one she found a month ago. Thea wore a few, one that could be a contender, but another lingers, which I'll investigate today. I've been drowning in The Thorn And The Rose, nearly ready for the last edits on that novel, so yesterday's road trip and trek into an Oz of sorts was quite a thrill. I get so involved with writing and the like that occasionally I need to be firmly yanked from my chair, placed in a world I never otherwise visit.
Novels are worlds of an author's making. Whether set in contemporary times or futuristic landscapes, in the midst of writing, I find myself floating where those characters dwell. Lately it's been the Willamette Valley in Oregon, circa 1978, plenty of rain falling. No rain here, not for weeks, but I'm covered in it when reading of Alvin, Jenny and Sam. Driving over freeways yesterday, the hills were brown, dry, looking like some aberration; it's January, even here in California the land should be green. It's not. It's a dull grayish reminder of last autumn, as we eagerly awaited rain. Months later, it hasn't changed. So I read about Jenny and Alvin, their encounters with rain and snow, thinking about wedding plans. Thea's wedding is five months away, dude! No fiction there, and now that I say it's this year, it feels very real. Seeing her twirling in gowns yesterday, it must be true.
It's like revising a novel, knowing there are nips and tucks ahead, but soon, oh so soon, publication nears. The Thorn And The Rose will be out before the end of the month, good grief! Best I get to those last alterations, what I'll be pondering in the coming months as my eldest edges closer to her big day. Weddings and novel publications; yes, it's going to be a busy winter and spring! (And if we manage any rain, I'll even admit winter happened to pop in for a cuppa...)
3 comments:
Wow... wedding dress shopping... just... wow. What a treasured moment :)
It's been a very, very dry winter here with temps in the 50s and 60s the last two weeks. I hate it. Nebraska usually is cold with snow. Not this year and I'm afraid I miss it very, very much.
There were two dresses I tried on when I was shopping for wedding dresses - both were too expensive, alas. But it was fun, nevertheless.
I am the lucky mother of three girls.
Not one of them would put any value on my opinion about a bridal dress. I gave up dresses and fashion the day I retired. They didn't think much of my taste before then, either!
In any case, they know I'm there for any opinion or advice on any subject and I suppose that is what counts. I feel privileged that they confide in me and am content with that.
Lucky you, Anna, to be caught up in fantasy and reality in mixed doses. How about showing us ‘the dress’ (and perhaps the bride) once it's had its day? รดรด
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