The Dress

So, my outfit is in theory nearly sorted. Starting from the feet up, which is often the way that I get dressed, at least mentally. Shoes first. So, shoes first: I went to Selfridges and bought the most gorgeous blue Rupert Sanderson peep toe shoes. I knew then that I needed a dress which was a little shorter at the front, dropping back into a train, so that the shoes would be visible. No point spending that much money on those peacock blue metallic babies if no-one would be able to see them.

My first thought was a vintage dress. I've no doubt said this before, but it is important to me: the dress is not what is important about the day, it is the getting married that is. Speaking personally, and personally only as I know different things are important to different people, to me it is unthinkable to spend so much money on a dress to be worn once. So vintage, I thought, would be perfect. I rang a couple of vintage shops, who to be frank even if they had said they had anything in my size, I wouldn't have felt comfortable buying it from them, as they were so rude over the telephone. I then went to Shikasuki, my favourite Vintage Shop and purveyor of several of my favoured dresses and thought I had found my dress. But something didn't sit quite right in my head. The layers looked a little too seventies, a little too dated, a little too loo roll holder. So I didn't buy the dress.

Then came the fortunately, unfortunately saga and an unexpected trip to the bridal shop at Oxfam in Southampton. It was there which I found a dress which fitted my criteria: white/ivory, strapless, plain, elegant, hung well, showed off the shoes but with a train at the back. It is slightly too big but this is easily altered if I have not put on any weight by next June. As my Mummy said, easier to take out fabric than it is to try and add some back in.

I tried on a traditional veil at the bridal shop but it was the wrong colour although the style was pretty good: edged tulle reaching to my elbows. I tried on a few jackets but they were all wrong: too many shoulder pads, embroidery, sequins, too formal. I know that I want to have my shoulders 'covered' in the church. But Mummy to the rescue, who found the most beautiful embroidered cape/jacket and it is perfect. Elegant, some detail in an otherwise plain outfit.

The only question that it leaves now though is what kind of veil to have and how to have my hair. Should I stick with the traditional veil or should I go for a more modern and elegant birdcage style headpiece? Should I stick with the feather idea? Or perhaps I will wait until nearer to the time and start concentrating on the bridesmaids dresses instead...

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