"One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art."

My mom thinks it's awfully funny these days to call me Bridezilla. And I have to admit, I have gone ever so slightly insane over one very significant wedding detail, which I am about to explain. But I haven't become totally rude and obnoxious - or at least that's my hope - so I would really prefer a nickname with just a smidge more class and a smidge less giant destructive lizard monstrosity.

I've been pretty embarrassed to say this, so I'll get it over with quickly: I ordered another wedding dress off the internet a few days after I received the first one. Whew. But don't worry, it gets even more embarrassing: I bought a third dress from a store in Pittsburg last Thursday.

No one may be impressed by this, but in case you are wondering, yes, the third dress is "The Dress." I absolutely love it and feel beautiful in it and wish I could wear it over and over. The first two just didn't give me that feeling. I wanted them to, but they just didn't quite have that magical quality.

Anyone who sees me on a regular basis will testify to the fact that I don't spend all that much money on clothes. Yes, it's undeniable, I own a lot, but you will rarely see me wearing anything more high dollar than a cutesy shirt from Maurice's. As a matter of fact, I'm willing to bet that at least 75% of my garments are from JCPenney - and no doubt a quarter of those were clearance! (I like to think that somehow I still manage to be more fashionable than my adorably clueless other half, who patently refuses to buy new garments under anything less than dire circumstances.) Thus, a good portion of this drama was caused by my being utterly appalled at the cost of wedding dresses. It still blows my mind that it is so ridiculously difficult to find a nice new dress for less than five benjamins. Even if you aren't counting tax and the almost universally necessary alterations!

So, I bought the first dress at a much better price than one might have expected, the caveat being that I had never tried it on or even seen it in person. Or even in a realistic photo. Unfortunately, even though it was beautiful and quite well-made, in my humble opinion, it just didn't fit quite right. I wasn't comfortable in it. And it didn't wow me like so many of the more expensive dresses I had tried on in the store did.

So, I ordered another one from the same place, but in a different style that I thought might suit me better. I very anxiously waited for this one. After all, I was running out of time! You are supposed to order dresses at least 6 months in advance, and I definitely was past that point. What would I do if I didn't like it?

Well, it got here, and at first glance it was just what I had ordered. But, it still just wasn't quite right. In some ways it fit me better than the first had, and in some ways it fit me worse. That wouldn't be a total catastrophe since I still could have had it altered, but at the end of the day, I still just didn't love it. Woe is me. Obviously it takes a better person than myself to be content with a less-than-perfect wedding dress.

So, I went back to The Jean Scene to try on the one dress I had really and truly liked, but had talked myself out of. You see, it too had some fit problems. The thought of me flashing our pastor, or better yet, an entire church full of friends and relatives, kept me from ordering it in the first place. On top of that, I didn't think I had the greatest service there, since I went during prom season and they were terribly understaffed and not nearly as professional as most of the other stores I had gone to. But in this situation, I was willing to give it another shot.

Once I put it back on, I knew that it was the one I should wear on my wedding day. Even though it regretfully cost quite a bit more than either of the ones I had already purchased, it was absolutely perfect (except, of course, for those darn inescapable alterations). And I still got a bit of a deal on it, since I bought the sample. Even though Mom thinks I'm the silliest thing ever, she was happy to make me happy by helping with the dress.

And, because God is good, I already sold one of the other ones to another budget bride over the internet! What a beautiful thing :)