Say Yes to the Dress

Hand-sewn beading on my dress
Isn’t my mom incredible?!?!?

I have always been a fan of the show “Say Yes to the Dress” on TLC and when the time came when I needed to purchase a dress, I was super excited. Armed with photos of wedding dresses and my fashionable mother, I booked my first bridal salon appointment one week after returning from London.

When I finally said yes to a dress, it was to one that didn’t exist. My mother was gifting me the wedding gown and she was going to make it… from scratch.

Crazy, huh? My mother works in the fashion district and actually specializes in evening gowns, so she knew what she was doing – sort of.

She started working on the dress in August 2012 and was making good progress, but then Hurricane Sandy hit New York in October 2012. Our basement was flooded with 4 feet (1.2 meters) of water and thankfully no one was hurt. However, there was a lot of property damage and the dress was put on hold. Finally, my mom finished the dress in June 2013 and I boarded my flight to Amsterdam with my dress in hand.

It hangs in my closet now and every time I look at it I am amazed at how beautiful it is. This dress may not be from a famous designer but it was made by one of the most important people in my life and I feel so blessed.

Now, I just need to make sure I don’t get fat between now and September…