everything is said in silence

so yesterday, alvin and i went down to the wedding studio. it was time to pick our outfits.

3 weeks ago i called to reserve a gown which i had my eye on but didn't try because i had no time. i was also advised to try my gowns 1.5 months from my wedding date because 'there was no rush', said my coordinator.

that was complete BS. the gown was reserved by someone else already (reserved for the 15th of May; that customer tried on the gown 4 months before her wedding date!) and i was really upset. i was irritated and felt so cheated that i shifted my gown fitting 3 weeks ahead. the coordinator tried to cancel at the last minute but i stood my ground. which led to yesterday afternoon.

we met angel first; xinwei would come around after she was done with work. mel also had something on (haha bet she's busy with planning as well :D) so she couldn't come. the plan was for alvin to find a nice jacket, then he would go off while i tried my gown with just the girls.

nope, he's not allowed to see my gown until the wedding day. i really like the whole first look idea. it's the same as sex - the longer you wait, the more you appreciate it when it happens. it sounds gross, but i'm not trying to be!

really.

so anyway!! alvin found 2 suits and the one we wanted was also OUT because it was reserved by someone else getting married on the same day as us. this is not happening again, no. i looked straight at my coordinator (who happened to be around - i was being helped by her assistant that day) and told her, 'YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. you tell me to come in late for my fitting and everything that i want is out. are you serious?!'

so they scrambled around looking for another piece... apparently there was one more which was out on rental so they tried tracing it down. while that was happening, alvin just stood there wearing his 2nd piece... which just started to grow on us. so in the end we took that one.

then they said, 'oh this doesn't come with pants.' what?!' ARGH WHATEVER! we'll tailor our own.

my goodness, i really hate wedding studios sometimes. but alright, alvin's done!! he popped me a kiss and left.

i trust xinwei and angel's taste with all my heart, and i was so glad they were there with me. the studio was split into 3 floors, of which the gowns (a really small range) were on the 1st (new gowns of this season) and 3rd (older gowns) floors.

while we scanned the first floor, the girls rejected everything except one gown. i tried it on and i looked like a mess, so that was abandoned. moving on to the 3rd floor...

the first row we encountered were all rejected. xinwei outright laughed at the designs or rolled her eyes. it's damn cheena, i have to agree. all those pretty dresses i saw when i signed were all gone! we picked out a lot of dresses still, just to try and average out our picks. we all had our choices - xinwei was hogging the long gowns with elaborate skirts, angel picked those with great cutting for showing off the shoulders, while i spent all my time at one particular rack because it was the simple dresses rack. one really caught my eye and xw had to stretch all the way in just to grab that.

and then we also saw the dress that was never meant to be. funny thing was when we walked up the staircase there was a picture of the dress but xw waved it off. but the moment we saw it on the rack she was like, 'OOOH THIS IS PRETTY...'

woman. srsly.

i tried it on for kicks, and it was real pretty... if i was a size 6 (i'm a 10). meh. love the crosshatched lace skirt though! sigh.

the first dress i tried was one with one of those cake skirts... it was nice. and the girls loved it - but honestly i had reservations about it. i never really loved wedding dresses with those skirts... i don't know, it just wasn't calling out to me. but we KIV-ed it coz the girls were so sure every other dress would pale in comparison.

HAHAHA WE SHALL SEE.

dress after dress i kept trying. cupcake skirts, flouncy, super tight, super loose, chests that were only 0.75 times mine (i had half a boob squashed into the side of the bodice. i came out so we all could have a good laugh.)

then it was THE DRESS. the moment amber the assistant zipped it up, i gasped. but amber said no, it's not nice.

no way! in disbelief, i pulled the curtain back and hopped out (it's kinda hard to walk in) and the girls yelled, 'THAT'S IT! THIS IS IT! NO NEED TO TRY ANYMORE!'

shortie me stood on the platform and spread the skirt out. the front was so simple and elegant, then the back really surprised me with its detail which i missed the first time. man, it looked like this dress just came out from a fashion mag. and its details are in peach, which is the wedding color!

that's just amazing. this is also the same dress that caught my eye, and this dress turned out to be incredibly flattering! it's a cut which i never thought i'd ever wear. shocking man.

i tried on a few more very quickly because all i wanted was to wear that gorgeous dress for the whole day. at the end of the parade, i confirmed the dress and hence we were allowed to take some pictures so i can remember the details. then amber asked, 'would you like to see it with a veil?'

cue overexcited starry-eyed girls.

when she put it on, i could see angel and xinwei in my peripheral vision while i looked straight at the mirror. we were all stunned - xinwei had a blissful smile while holding on to a possible evening gown, angel was a little choked up and just reeling from the moment, and i just stood there, a little overwhelmed and teary-eyed. that moment was profound man.

it's like those brides + bridesmaids movies you see!!

when the moment passed, angel whipped out her camera and took pictures from about 10 different angles. hahaha. then we moved on to evening gowns.

i was not hopeful. i tried about 10 dresses before i sat down on the floor, tired out and exasperated. the colors were terrible, or the cutting was really really weird, stupid xinwei kept laughing her head off at how ge-tai some of them were. it seemed fruitless and futile, and we were nearing the end of their range.

finally, xinwei decided to pick a gown in a color which she really didn't love. but the moment i put it on the effect was marvelous. and it made me look striking even without the sash because the gown color was so complementary. we all called it the Cinderella dress for obvious reasons (in case not obvious, it's the color). :D

even the girls were amazed by how terrible it looked on the rack, but completely gorgeous when worn. i might decide to wear a blue sash in my hair for the banquet to match the Cinderella outfit. so funnn!!!

so this concludes my dreaded wedding dress search, and this is all the description i'm giving alvin hehe. also, the pre-wedding gown was done and altered beautifully!! that one damn chio too.

i'm just really glad this nightmare is over. time to clear catering and invites now.

God, i need strength. *rolls around*