Reunited!

Remember my big brown mystery box? Well, my instincts were correct...it WAS my dress! OK, I cheated and peeked at the return address, but that only made it harder to keep myself from tearing the box apart!

After a very long week of waiting, I lugged the thing over to Kleinfeld's for my first fitting...where the box was immediately taken away from me! Uh wait, I can't even indulge in my fantasies and open it myself??? I couldn't sulk for very long because before I knew it, I was introduced to my alterations specialist, Anna, and whisked away to my room. I stood in front of the curtain and took a deep breath...

See, I was pretty nervous to be reunited with my dress. It took so long for me to actually find, decide and commit to her, and since then, I've been (guiltily) eyeing other gorgeous gowns in magazines, store windows, online and of course, here in the hive. Doubts would often make their way into my head, and as much as I would try to push them out, they would eventually make their way back. So darn persistent!

So I closed my eyes, pulled back the curtain and saw her:

(Mr. Latte, sorry buddy but this is your cue to biz-ounce.)

Hello there, my pretty friend! She was pretty on the hanger but I was anxious to get her out of the bag and put her on. And here we are, reunited for the first time in 6 months:

My first thought? I was surprised at how "mermaid-ish" she looked on me. Remember that I had the seam taken up 2 inches to make the dress look more "fit-and-flare" on me, which I thought would better suit my 5'2" frame. But after 20 minutes of Anna working her magic (i.e. tucking, pinning and (gulp) cutting!), I felt much better with the silhouette:


OH! Where did her pretty ruffles go? Anna assured me that they would be there the next time I saw her. Whew!

We decided to go with a simple bustle, especially because it would be covered up by the ruffle bow thing in the back. For most of the night, people will see this:

But here it is, sans ruffle bow thing:

See the pretty veil? I was super ecstatic to see that its color and length fit perfectly with my dress! My friend Ellen is letting me borrow it as my "Something Borrowed!" Thanks, lady!

The hour passed quickly and I walked away RELIEVED, happy and content. During that hour, I was reminded of why we first became friends...I loved her style! Her modern, yet romantic silhouette and ruffle details won me over (again) and I left vowing to doubt no more.

How did you feel before and after your first fitting?