The Wedding Dress Handover

Sewing one's own wedding dress is a big endeavor, stressful and frightening. That's nothing compared to sewing someone else's wedding dress. Throw in the opportunity to deal with Bridezillas and you'll quickly understand why I never wanted to be a professional seamstress.

So when a friend called me up, crying that her e-bay ordered dress had arrived and it was *sob* hideously *sob* ugly *sniff*... I couldn't let her keep crying like that. I offered to come by and see how horrible it really was. And it was. The fabrics were cheap costume fabrics, stiff and not at all flowing like in the original images she showed me. The cut and fit were awful, enveloping her thin waist line in layers of tulle that stiffly stood out, making her appear much heavier than her petite frame really is. She looked at me hopefully as she asked if there was anything I could do to help, make it better. I told her it would probably be easier to start over and I'd be happy to help. Seconds after the words tumbled out of my mouth I realized that I probably shouldn't have said that. Her eyes lit up and I knew I had offered more than I had bargained for. 

Over the past two months, while in the midst of packing up one home and creating another, I diligently worked on her dress during my nights and weekends. We did fittings, redesigns and more fittings before she started to look happy about the dress. On Saturday evening I painfully hand stitched the lining of the dress and the back closure, putting on the final details. A quarter to midnight, I called her up to tell her the dress was finally done and ready for her. She was ecstatic and I could hear it in her voice. 

I'm sure that her Sunday was longer than mine as she waited for me to finish work and the gym. On my way home, I picked her up, bringing her to my house to see the finished dress. Still shy in front of me, she quickly changed into the dress. I zipped her up, tied the sash around her waist and pointed her towards the mirror. It felt great just to see her face light up like that. She looked radiant and beautiful in a form fitting dress that accented her petite figure, elegantly elongating her. 

As she walked into our living room, my hubby smiled, complimenting her on how beautiful she looked. She blushed and I have to admit, it felt good to see her so happy. I gently packed the dress so she could take it home in preparation of the upcoming wedding.

This morning, I woke up to a sweet text from her - "Good morning. Wanted to thank you for all the work you did. The dress is wonderful! I couldn't have asked for anything more beautiful!" It made me feel all warm inside and happy that I agreed to do this for her. Her smile, happiness and appreciation are the best payment. 

(I promise to post pictures of her in the dress after her wedding at the end of the month!)