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His Gift by Harrison Fisher

So last month was simply a flurry of activity. There was not a solid week where I was asleep in the same town. Between two to five days each week I was sleeping in another place. Busy, you say? Just a wee bit!

One of those excursion included a three day stint of interviewing wedding planners. I previously looked at every planner mentioned in my state on two different wedding websites. Then I narrowed it down to eight. My Fiancé reviewed them based on a comprehensive checklist I provided; cutting the list to four. Those top four we interviewed. I am nothing, if not methodical! Right away, two of ladies did not mesh well with our personalities and vision. The other two left us with days of deliberating. In the end we went with our gut and picked the very first lady we saw! So yaaaay, we have selected our Planner! First Real Step completed!

Now, I may or may not have mentioned this, but I am hoping to have my wedding dress made. This is a roll of the dice. On one hand, it could be rather expensive; much more than purchasing a gown from a boutique. On the other hand, it might actually be a money saver since one is not paying for a Label. Thus said, I am incorporating the ladies of the Wedding Party (which I have dubbed WedHeads in my mass correspondences) to assist me in choosing elements of the silhouette.  I have a degree in design so I can look at a small swatch of paint or fabric and instantly envision the finished look. This goes for a certain cut of clothes and color changes (i.e. the fabric is an ivory and I can see it in a champagne). Of course, this is much more difficult for the average person. The WedHeads are rising to the challenge as best they can. The usual response is “Ugh! I can’t see how it looks on you,” “Oh! It looks much different in the picture than in person” or “I love this neckline and this skirt . . . but will that look weird together?!”

The “wedding dress” shopping is an exercise in perspective. One I did not anticipate. For example, of the 20 different necklines I tried on, I have a trio I absolutely adore. After the WedHeads each ranked their favorites for me, the tabulations came out that my #3 choice were in their top five, but my top two choices were not even ranked! Moreover, their top choices, I thought were pretty but not “the one.” Oddly, given the five women, three necklines showed up in every single one of their top choices. . . .I cannot do the math in my head (or on paper . . . or a calculator . . .) but those are really slim odds! 20 options, 5 selectors, 3 dresses that made each of their Top 8. Is there a Bookie somewhere? Does anyone want to figure this out for me? . . . So philosophically, I am wondering about the disparity of how I see myself versus how other see me . . .

The way it will work for choosing the elements of my wedding dress; because of course, I have a system!:

  1. Try on a boat load of items, focusing on a certain element (neckline, sleeve length, waist level, bodice type, skirt shape, skirt length, details, fabric, color) Take pictures of them all to show the WedHeads who were unable to accompany me on that particular shopping excursion.
  2. I then download the pictures, gray-scale, print out, and number them. I have to gray-scale because color plays a big factor in how each WedHead perceives the clothes.
  3. Met with each WedHead alone and spread out all the pictures in front of her. Ask her to pick her Top Eight. I ask them to keep in mind what they think I look pretty in, if it looks Bridal, and will it be practical for all night of dancing and festivities?
  4. Once she picks her Top 8, I record her results. Then do the same with each other gal. I then consolidate their rankings; selecting the Top 4.
  5.  Of the Top 4; I pick my two favorite looks.
  6. Those two looks get taken to the seamstress and between the two of us, we talk it over and choose one together.
  7. In the end, no one knows what the dress will look like; including myself! –Oh, I so love Good Surprises!

Those were the only two things that were sort of accomplished last month in the wedding realm. Next I will be asking both parents for their guest lists, to review, consolidate, deliberate, and excommunicate from the list. Mainly, we will move ahead by following our Planner’s advice and those Bridal timelines (I love those things! Lists and deadlines! Woo-hoo! Fun stuff for the Type-A personality).