Say Yes To The Dress Obsession

For some weird reason I have become obsessed lately with the TLC show Say Yes To The Dress . Help me figure out why.

I mean, Daughter's wedding was over a year ago, and she said yes to her dress the year before that. We never set foot in Kleinfeld. It was tiring and confusing enough visiting the three shops in Atlanta - Anne Barge, Priscilla of Boston, and one other (I can't remember).

Bride was lucky enough to find the gown of her dreams - well, the basis for the gown of her dreams - at our first stop, Anne Barge. From then on, it was just an exercise in determining whether or not subsequent dresses measured up.

They didn't.

We didn't run into any sales pressure, except at the shop whose name escapes me. (A connection? Probably.) Anne and her bridal consultants worked with Bride all the way through on the look, fit, and embellishment of the dress. They also worked with MoB on a payment plan. A great experience, all the way around.

Watching SYTTD gives me a good scare. It shows me what the experience could have been. Oy! Brides come in with huge entourages - mothers, cousins, sisters, husbands-to-be! - to help her choose. This is always a disaster, as family members forget that it's the bride's choice, not theirs.

Fortunately, Daughter only had three of us with her. And I, for one, would never second-guess her style choices - she is light-years ahead of me. As long as we could scrape up funds to pay for the dress, then it was up to her to choose the style. I knew she'd never pick anything tacky or inappropriate.

So I watch SYTTD in horror, mostly. It's frightful - the families, the petulant brides, the bazillion dress-choices. But I still can't turn away. Yikes!

And at the end of the show, I sit back feeling veeeery self-satisfied - grateful for Anne Barge's lovely little Atlanta atelier, wonderful staff, and superb craftspeople, plus a level-headed, style-conscious Daughter. The experience and the dress were pure treasures.