Her daughter invited her to come up for a visit, for a second search for the perfect wedding dress. At the earlier visit a month ago, two dresses made it into the favorites’ selection, but now, with three more appointments scheduled and more dresses to try on, they hoped that a decision could be made.
The flight up north was bumpy as a ‘river in the atmosphere’ was announced by the weatherman, a unique weather pattern, promising to dump enormous amounts of rain on the Pacific Northwest. She enjoyed the prospect of spending some time away from southern Oregon with its multitude of responsibilities and turbulences that were causing stress in her life.
A glass of Chardonnay and light conversation with her neighbor made the 45-minute flight go by rather quickly, and soon enough, she was standing outside the airport, waiting for her daughter to pick her up. The black Soul stopped by the curb and she quickly got inside, smiling at the couple.
Sushi was on the menu for Friday’s dinner, and in total happiness, the three of them were enjoying the delicious rolls after having to wait 45 minutes past the promised delivery time – but the wait was worth it.
The storm increased in strength and the rain pounded heavily on the metal roof. A sizable branch from the Elm tree broke off, bounced off the roof with a bang, and landed among the raspberry bushes. The noise startled them.
The first appointment on Saturday was at a salon that they initially had not even considered to visit. Much to their surprise, it was very well organized and dresses in all sizes were readily available for her daughter to try on. A corset and slip were provided for the trying on of dresses. Draped on hangers they arrived in ivory, blush, and champagne, in clouds of tulle, organdy, and satin and were waiting one by one outside the dressing room. Every time, her daughter stepped out in one of those creations, the mother held her breath – it still seemed so unreal that her daughter was really getting married. As her daughter twirled in her favorite dress with a wine red sash around her waist and the ends of the sash dancing on her back, it became clear that this one along with one other dress would be put on lay-away at the end of the appointment.
The next visit took them to downtown, to a very posh upscale bridal salon where they were shown to a suite and changing room. A consultant brought in the dresses that they had considered in the showroom. The woman helping them was so tiny that when her daughter rose the lady seemed to become even smaller compared to her daughter’s 5′ 11″. It made her giggle inside. Champagne was offered and declined kindly as it was only 11 in the morning, and mother and daughter had another appointment to go to after this one. The dresses were beautiful, but also much more expensive than what they had projected for the dress budget. At the end of the appointment, the consultant realized that although she tried very hard the bride would not commit to buying a dress as yet. The woman’s disappointment was palpable and her attention faded as mother and daughter were getting ready to leave.
The next appointment was not until four in the afternoon, and the mother suggested they should go to one of her daughter’s favorite (and potential wedding cake provider) restaurants, Papa Haydn, for some hot cocoa and cake. Marjolain and Irish Coffee for mom and Banana Cream Pie and hot cocoa for the bride. It reminded them of a café in Dresden that they had visited back in December 2009 when she was studying abroad. They talked about the salon experiences so far, the dresses her girl was trying on so patiently, and the treatments they had received.
Before they huddled back to the car, they stopped at a paper store and perused wedding invitation cards and briefly talked to a consultant there. With her business card in hand they ran through the rain to the car and left for the final appointment of the day.
They had visited this store a month ago and had found two dresses that her daughter really liked. The intention was to try them on again along with some different styles to get a good comparison. As it turned out, her daughter talked more about the dress she had tried on in the morning rather than giving the dresses she was trying on currently much attention. The two initially selected dresses would have made a lovely dress had the laced front of one been combined with the criss-cross straps on the other. Nicky, the consultant, was very accommodating, bringing in more and more dresses, but the mother could tell that her daughter had made a decision, and it would not be any of the dresses at this salon.
During the drive home, they reviewed all the dresses, the pros and cons, prices, budget, and favorites. By the time they arrived at her daughter’s home, they had decided to revisit the first store on Sunday before making a decision.
She took them out to dinner, a new German brew pub, with good beer and pub food, but not quite like their favorite German restaurant. Conversation was lively while her daughter tried to explain to her fiancé why she would like him to come along to the appointment the next day. She wanted his input as she felt the photographs the mother had taken didn’t do justice to her chosen dress. Initially hesitant, he finally agreed, and they smiled at each other – ‘What about the first look?’ was his concern. ‘It will be very different on our wedding day, believe me.’, she assured him. The mother enjoyed observing them, enjoyed that they were a great match and very compatible, as they had proven over the past six years living together.
Sunday brunch at Pambiche’s, a walk under the old trees lining the streets with colorful leaves creating an autumn collage on the sidewalk, then off to the appointment. The same consultant, Lindsay, was ready for them. She looked at the other dresses mother and daughter had preselected on the store’s website the evening before, and leading the way to the changing room, she arranged some chairs for mother and fiancé to wait. And it was quite the show – more dresses, one more beautiful than the previous, but the final one, after almost deciding on a different dress, was the very first one she had tried on the day before – a strapless, ivory lace dress with a short train. One could tell how happy her daughter was about this dress; when Lindsay asked how the dresses compared, she had been praising how comfortable she felt in it, how soft the material was, and the pockets were an added bonus, none of the other dresses had, the length was perfect, and it would make a perfect cocktail dress after the wedding – the contender dress was scratchy, stiffer, and not comfortable. We were all grinning then, it was easy to see where this would lead. A lovely veil and a headpiece that would be woven into her braided hair complemented the outfit. The only addition needed were a bolero jacket, shoes, and a petticoat later on.
It amazed the mother, thinking back on the weekend on her flight back home to southern Oregon, her husband and her dog, how grateful she was for this daughter and her fiancé, and how blessed she felt to be part of their life together.
Hiking Poet 