I had been looking on selling sites as you do, just to look for cheap wedding bundles, centrepieces, trying to grab a bargain, when I saw a wedding dress near enough identical to the last one, I’d tried on in the shop, sorry, I meant house. It was seventy pounds, brand new and my size. It did sound too good to be true, but I messaged the woman. I had, had a look at the dress online and saw that the same dress was being sold for around five hundred pounds, so I thought even if it didn’t look nice, I could always sell it on and make some money.
All these business ideas started running through my mind. I thought about turning my spare room into a wedding dress shop. If that women could do it, so could I. I would offer tea and coffee, too and put the heating on, and clearly state that it wasn’t a shop, it was a house. Anyway, all hopes were dashed when the lady emailed back to say that the dress had been sold. Gutted, I was, but now I had it in my head that this couldn’t be the only dress that was being sold cheaply so carried on looking online and found the same identical dress in my size, a bit pricier at a hundred and eighty pounds. I messaged the lady and she still had it, but said it needed to go that night. I said I would go and look at it, so off I went. It was beautiful, just like the picture, so I bought it there and then. So, then I had a dress that I hadn’t even tried on but looked nice on the tall slim model in the picture online. I was the opposite, so it would definitely need altering as I was a short arse. I liked the back of the dress as it was corset style so would be ideal if I put on any weight as I could let it out, as my big fear was back fat.
I couldn’t wait to show my sister and mum and they thought it was stunning. I just prayed it looked as good on me on the day, once altered.
I had been also making an epic fail when it came to my dress. I was too honest for my own good. Everyone who asked me about it, I blurted out I got it from a selling site for a hundred and eighty pounds and did they want to see a picture. Not even just close family and friends, just everyone. Was this bad luck? I hoped not, because I was not the luckiest person in the world already I knew it was bad luck for the groom to see it, but unsure about everyone else. I didn’t even register that it would even be until someone was shocked when I just showed them.
Bridesmaids
It’s weird how when you get engaged some friends just assume that they will be a bridesmaid and you always must have that awkward conversation with the ones who aren’t. This is nothing like the film, sorry to disappoint.
Picking bridesmaids is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Some are no brainers and just expect to be asked. When you are working to a budget it’s even harder. If money was no object, I would just ask all my friends. I didn’t want to be a tight bride where I ask them to buy their own dresses as I think that is something a bride needs to provide. I think, though, the title bridesmaid needs to change to bride slave, as really, your bridesmaids are there to work for no money at all. They must obviously plan your hen do, wear a dress that is inferior to yours, compliment you constantly, not look as nice as you on the day, and any other jobs in between. On the day they will be practically working unpaid, so providing a dress is the least I can do.
For any of you that have been a bridesmaid already, you will know that it is hard work and longer than a day’s work, as you are constantly the go to girl on the day and the days leading up to it. You have to be on hand for dress fittings, hen do, help with wedding hair, wedding make up and flowers… the list goes on. I was happy to be asked to be a bridesmaid as. As an adult this was my first time, but a thirty-year-old bridesmaid is not really attractive. I was so much cuter as my younger self, although I had lost my front two teeth, which didn’t look great in photos and that was when I loved having all the attention so was in a lot of photos. My job back then was only to look cute. It changes as you get older.
I called one of my oldest friends, Jodie, and told her I was engaged the morning after it happened and after her first two questions—'what is the ring like’ and ‘how did he propose’—she said, “Send me a picture,” which proves my earlier points. It wasn’t even a question really. It was like, “I’m going to be bridesmaid,” there was no question that she wouldn’t be, but I wanted to ask her in the correct way, send her a card or a present saying, ‘will you be my bridesmaid?’, but she beat me too it. I think she was more excited than me. I was to be her bridesmaid in a few months.
