Dress fitting number two

At the end of my night shift today I went down to Winchester in order to try on my actual dress for the first time. I was a girl on a mission and went equipped with my shoes, underwear and carefully curled hair in order to experiment with the full bridal look. I not only wanted to see the dress but to decide once and for all on my hair accessories and veil. It's safe to say that the mission has been accomplished. 

On Our arrival at the shop, me escorted by my mum and mother-in-law to be, we were greeted warmly and one of the assistants shyly asked if I would mind her re measuring me as she's being trained to do it. I had no problem with this and was thoroughly gratified when she was flummoxed by the first measurement and apologised as she must either have got it wrong or i'd lost an awful lot of weight. I confessed to it being the latter, which was followed by many congratulations. 

The downside to this was that by the time I came to clamber in to my dress - yes that is the only way in - it would barely stay up. With the arrival of the seamstress and a number if carefully placed pins everything started to come together. Sadly while getting under the skirt to make adjustments the dress got pushed up into my face and now has a lipstick mark on the skirt - I was hastily reassured that they will be able to get rid of it and I've chosen to take them at their word! 

Ultimately the dress was in situ and all doubts as to whether or not it was too plain we're eradicated, particularly when I tried it with a veil and hairpiece. I thought I'd already decided on a modest veil with silk trim but I was seduced by something else entirely. Then I tried on multiple hair accessories ranging from sparkly tiaras through to silk flowers and came to a slightly unexpected conclusion. 

I am not one to flatter myself but today I have to say I could not imagine ever seeing a more perfect version of myself. The dress, veil and hair accessory complemented me and one another beautifully and I felt like a princess and more importantly a bride. By the end of the fitting I was absolutely buzzing with excitement and cannot wait for the wedding day to come around so that I really won't have to take my dress off. I can't wait to see James' face as I walk down the aisle on dad's arm in my outfit. I felt more than a million dollars and am 100% certain that the dress and the extras are completely perfect. I am one happy bride to be. 

73 days and counting!!! 

The diet

Most brides diet. At least that's what I understand. Some do it more successfully that others. In the past my weight has fluctuated quite a lot and I've previously had some success when it came to dieting. I will never be a stick insect. I accept that. As I've grown older I've also come to embrace having curves and I count them as one of my greatest assets. That said for the last 2 and a half years (about the same length of time that James has cooked for me with any degree of regularity) my weight has remained steadfastly high. That would be a full three stones higher than when I met James.

Unfortunately for my appetite that is going to change. As soon as James proposed I started being careful and as such managed not to gain any weight over the Christmas period. When midnight struck on New Years Day though it was out with snacks completely. No chocolate has yet passed my lips this year and I think it only will at the cake tasting and subsequently at the wedding, presuming that chocolate is one of our favoured flavours at said tasting (two weeks today!).

Finally today I started seeing results. I am now proud to announce that I am officially 3 pounds lighter than I was this time last week. Fear not it's not the result of a crash diet. I am eating three square meals per day and fully intend to continue doing so. I do now have the belief that I can lose that weight and after the joys of trying on my beautiful dress I have something to aim towards. True I've had my measurements taken but I'm told there's not a problem with losing an extra stone (or two) between now and the big day. Anyway dinner's being served. Goodnight!

THE dress

So I had a few days off work and today, almost on the spur of the moment, I booked an appointment at a Bridal shop in Winchester. By chance they had an appointment going at 13.30 and so Mum and I arrived. We were both full of beans and very giggly. Despite my usually infallible wedding radar it transpires I have both driven and walked by this particular shop hundreds of times and never noticed it. But today the start was promising and I fell immediately for one of the dresses in the window. It was exactly what I thought I was looking for. Full skirt, ivory/ cream coloured and had a beautiful lace overlay giving it some coverage up top. It was one of 5 dresses I ultimately tried on. It was not however... The one!

Brides of Winchester is an unassuming shop. It stocks a range of British designers and a good start was that it stocks Sassi Holford dresses, a number of which had caught my eye in my bridal magazines. At least two of her fabulous creations featured amongst those I tried on. The pattern seemed to be that I preferred dresses that flared from the waist and had an embellished top but simple skirt. I also knew from the outset that I did not want fishtail and I did not want bling - Lace but not dazzle. My wedding scrapbook is full of them! I tried on a number and struggled not to be disappointed by the fact that I didn't get that wow feeling. And then there was dress number four. Yes that's all it took for me to find THE ONE. Even as I was stepping into it this dress felt completely different. It's hard to say exactly how but I just got the feeling. As I pulled it up into place that feeling intensified and as my Mum finally burst into tears I knew we'd cracked it.

All I will say about the dress is that it is not at all what I was expecting. It's completely different from dresses I've seen other brides in. One thing I never realised about wedding dress shopping is how customiseable the dresses are. If you want or don't want straps they can be adapted to whichever dress you pick. If you do or don't want overlay they can be added/ taken away. If you want a belt it can be added or taken off. And that's before you even think about the veil. Today, for me, everything fitted perfectly into place. The dress I've chosen is by a designer I'd not previously heard of. She is a small independent and rarely features in the bridal magazines. Her dresses are timelessly elegant. I've never seen a dress like mine and you never will again as even if I told you the name and the designer now the pictures online are very different from the dress that I will walk down the aisle in in eight months time. I go for my fittings from July.

Oh go on then I'll give you one hint. I've always loved Sweet Home Alabama.

So that's it. That's a big fat tick in the box of trying on wedding dresses. As a life experience I have to say it was pretty good and perhaps made even better for the fact that when I woke up this morning I had no idea today would be the day. I will never again go into a bridal shop as the blushing bride to pick out a dress. Instead I will walk in to try on my dress. The chosen one. The one that will be present in the pictures on our mantelpiece for years to come. The one that had my mother in tears when I walked out the changing room. The one that had me bemoaning the fact that I ever had to take it off. The dress to end all dresses. The dress to completely bust my budget. My wedding dress!