Behind the Seams

While most girls I knew growing up dreamt of their wedding day, my baby sis dreamt of her wedding dress.  Always the fashion maven, Meri’s been the one to give me wardrobe advice despite our 11 year age difference.  One summer when she lived with me to intern for a clothing company in New York City, she gave me a tour of her favorite haunts – Alice & Olivia, Kate Spade, and the shoe department at Bergdorf’s.  I took one look at the price tags and got cold feet.  She, meanwhile, kept hers warm in a pair of designer pumps. 

When Meri got engaged a few years later, I knew we had a daunting task at hand: to find the perfect dress.  In preparation for her big day (that would be the one when she walked into the wedding dress showroom, not the one when she walked down the aisle), she read through a stack of bridal magazines and watched a dozen episodes of Say Yes to the Dress.  Inspired by the “girl meets dress and falls in love” theme, Meri booked a trip to New York City to visit Kleinfeld’s and be taped for an episode of Say Yes to the Dress.  She couldn’t wait to experience her own happy ending, like all of the brides she’d seen on the show.

I was a little hesitant when she asked me to accompany her to Kleinfeld’s.  I remembered it as the meat market of wedding dresses from my shopping experience there a decade ago.  Poor service, too many choices, and a no-frills showroom were what stuck in my head about the store.  Meri told me that Kleinfeld’s had changed.  With a television series and a new showroom in the Garment District, she assured me that it’s one of the hottest places to find a wedding dress.

And so, one clear summer day, my daughter and I took the train into New York City and met Meri and her entourage of bridesmaids at Kleinfeld’s.  I must admit the new showroom wasn’t bad.  It had comfortable seating areas and a small display of fine wedding dresses.  After all of us signed releases and got miked, we were led to a sofa and positioned for the taping.  The show hosts then walked out and introduced themselves.  They asked what Meri’s dream dress would look like.  We knew from a test run she’d done at a small boutique that it would be in a mermaid style and that it would not be bright white or made of lace.  The hosts then whisked Meri off to the dressing room to try on dress number one.

We waited on the sofa with baited breath for nearly an hour.  When Meri appeared we were disappointed to see that dress number one was not in the mermaid style.  After an underwhelming response from us, she was led back to the dressing room to try on dress number 2.  Another 45 minutes passed before she appeared in a lace, mermaid-style gown.  Though she looked lovely, it was not what she envisioned for her California beach wedding.  She once again returned to the dressing room to try on dress number three.  We started growing restless on the sofa.  My daughter, who was six at the time, was getting tired and we were all a bit hungry.  As Meri emerged from the fitting room in dress number three, we were relieved to see that it met all of her criteria.  In fact, she looked stunning.  All of us complimented her at once.  Her maid of honor began to cry.  The designer of the dress, whom I'd never heard of, happened to be in the showroom and came over to tell Meri that the dress was made for her.  It seemed that dress number three could be the dress of Meri’s dreams, with the exception of an oddly placed bow on one side which the designer said could be removed at no extra cost. 

Just like the other brides on Say Yes to the Dress, Meri got her happy ending, right?  Not quite.  As she retreated to the fitting room with checkbook in hand (a non-refundable 50% deposit was required on the spot), I followed her back much to the dismay of the show hosts.  I encouraged her to think about the dress overnight.  If her love for the dress remained the same, she could come back the next day and buy it.  She’d only tried on three dresses and neither of us had heard of the dress designer.  It would be a very expensive lesson if she had second thoughts after leaving the store.

As is often the case, big sister knew best.  After a good night’s sleep, Meri decided not to buy dress number three.  In fact, she didn’t return to Kleinfeld’s.  Instead, she continued her search on the West coast and found a dress worthy of Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City.  On Meri’s wedding day, a group of Japanese tourists followed her around taking pictures.  They thought she was a celebrity because of her glamorous gown. 

Recently, my sister was contacted by the producer of Say Yes to the Dress.  Apparently, her episode is about to air.  She called to warn me that I may be portrayed as the villain who wouldn’t let her buy the dress she wanted.  I told her not to worry, it was a small price to pay for her dream wedding dress.

 Dress Number Three

Her Dream Wedding Dress

Looking Like a Star in her Glam Gown