Say yes to the dress--the final chapter: ...and now for something completely different...the actual bride

 

Ladies and Gentlemen…I give you….the bride.  The real bride.  The one with the real ring and the real fiancée; my own personal Kate and Wills.   She’s looking for the dress.  THE dress.  This is not to say she doesn’t already have one. She, in fact, does.  She bought one in Texas a while back.  Yup, Little Buckaroos, Texas.  In her heart of hearts, though, it wasn’t THE dress.  She settled.  She spent a full day looking for that dress, running from salon to salon; perhaps from saloon to saloon as well, come to think of it.  Out of desperation, she bought a dress that she hates.  Carine’s about to change that.  We all sit back and hold our collective breath.

So, rumor has it Kate, that you’re thinking Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.  If that’s the case, I feel it’s kind of ironic that you’ve chosen a designer with the word “Queen” in the name.  You cheeky monkey,  you.  Something you’re trying to tell your new 

Mum-in-Law?  But I digress…   This choice would mean a bit of the avant garde; the cutting edge.  Since Kaye is not the type that would have the little alligator appliqué on anything, and Kate looks like a walking Talbot’s ad, I’m thinking, shockingly, you guys might actually be of like mind here.   Brill!

Carine selects a bunch of gowns for Kaye—mostly Marchesa.  Knowing Kaye, I’m astonished that Carine, who just met the bride, is so perfectly keyed into Kaye’s personality and style.  There is one dress, however, that stands out on the hanger.  All of us are intrigued by its yards and yards of tuille and silk.  It’s among Carine's selections for the bride.   I’m mentally back at my TV Show, “Say Yes to the Dress,” vowing to silently take in the styles, to keep my mouth shut and allow the bride to select what is her taste, not mine.  I mentally refuse to be “that guy.” 

The first couple of dresses are fetching.  Full disclosure: Kaye is 5’9”, blonde, and would look good in a burlap sack—but put her in a bridal gown, she is breathtaking.  She tries on the first two selections.  We’re appreciative—she looks great.  Carine adds jeweled belts, veils, etc. which enhances what she is already wearing.  We note what works.  Although there are more gowns she could try, Kaye is onto the dress we were all fawning over.  She steps out of the dressing room.  There’s a collective gasp.  She looks astonishing.  The dress is unique, and she,  just stunning in it.  Carine adds a lightly sequined veil.  

 Kaye and I are now trying not to lock eyes, because if we do, we’ll both sob.  Mascara will run, blubbering will ensue--it won’t be pretty.   There’s that emotion I was missing when I tried on those dresses.  There’s that moment I have always thought was a little ridiculous on the TV show.  Guess not so much after all.  This is it.  No question.  It’s a Marchesa.  This is the one that is worthy of Kaye’s nuptials—this will be better than Westminster Abbey.   I note that after Kaye had spent an entire day in Texas dress shopping, and even then had to settle, at Carine’s she found her perfect dress in less than an hour.   That’s life in the big city, Cowpoke.

After deciding on the dress and trying on several veil combos, we look at alternatives for a reception—one long, one short. This is a lot of dress, and although it would look wonderful at any point of ceremony and party, 

we’re curious what else is out there.  Both Marchesas, since we have a definite winner here, one is short; one long—both gorgeous. 

Mission accomplished.  I got to go through the motions and live my TV obsession; we have an actual bride with her dress and we followed that by a champagne lunch at Peacock Cafe.  Ding…ding…ding…ding…ding!  Bonus!  Hey Kate—you may have Wills, but we have Carine, no paparazzi (except ourselves) and cable television. 

RED ALERT 

Brides-to-be:  On Thursday March 24th from 4 PM to 8 PM Carine’s Bridal Atelier located at 1726 Wisconsin Avenue, is having a sample sale.  This is an opportunity to purchase top designer’s bridal gowns at 30% to 75% off.  Sample wedding gowns by Carolina Herrera, Melissa Sweet, Karl Lagerfeld, Monique Lhuillier, Jenny Lee, Reem Acra and more will be priced as low as $999, $1,299, $1,499, $1,899 and $2699- marked down from original retail prices ranging from $2,950 to $8,450.  This is ever so much better than that discount place with its anchor store in Boston…I’m just sayin’…..