It's all about the dress, except when it's about the veil

During last Thursday's bridal salon marathon, one phrase kept surfacing as Kate tried on dresses.

"I wonder how this will look with the veil."

The veil. It's the only bridal attire I have to offer my daughter, since I wore my mother-in-law's wedding dress. And because the dress was free, Mother thought we could spend a little more on a veil. We made a special trip to Atlanta from Chattanooga and walked through the hallowed archway of The Bridal Salon at Rich's Department Store.

Before the days of fancy couture bridal boutiques, Rich's was the place to go for wedding clothes. It's where the designer gowns were housed at the time. And walking in was like entering a church. So getting a veil at Rich's was a big deal in 1973. We spent about $250 dollars on it, which was big money at the time.

Alas, the veil has been stored in a non-climate-controlled storage unit in Atlanta, Georgia for the past 18 months, and I had no idea of its condition. It never crossed my mind that Kate would want to wear it since it was a relic from the 70's. I didn't treat it with much tender-loving-care.

And every time I heard "I wonder how the dress will look with the veil," which became the phrase of choice for our entire retinue (consisting of MoB, step-MoB, and one Friend of Bride) plus whatever sales assistant was helping us, I got a little nervous. For all I knew, rats had made a nice little shredded nest of the netting and lace that was once a cathedral-length wedding veil.

It was with much trepidation that daughter and I struck out early last Friday morning to retrieve the veil from the storage unit. We had to shake the rat-droppings off the battered box. I was not feeling very hopeful.

But when we got home and spread the veil out on the bed, it was absolutely perfect! Not one rip or tear, no discoloration. Unbelievable! Obviously, the Juliet cap will have to go (that 70's thing, ya' know), which shouldn't be a problem, but other than that it is in tip-top condition. Wheeeeeew!

Kate and I decided to indeed "see what it looks like with the veil" Monday afternoon. Just the two of us. Well, both of our favorite dresses looked spectacular with the veil. We had fun playing around with the ways in with the yards of net and lace could be reconfigured and updated without the headpiece.

And we've saved about $1800+, which is what we've been told a veil like mine would cost today. Kate and I can't believe our good luck. And I'm touched she wants to wear it.