Choosing the Right

Most of the decisions we have to make while planning weddings can be passed off as rather trivial in comparison with things like the economy, political matters, and the many other issues we see on the news and hear about on the radio every day. However, there are a few times when a bride, groom, or a couple may be faced with a choice that will have lasting effects beyond their wedding day. It may be a situation which will strengthen or damage an intimate relationship, or it may be a financial decision that limit freedoms in the future. My dilemma had to do with my dress and my integrity.

Here is Evelyn getting all bustled up. Oh Evelyn, I'm so sorry I trashed you on the big day!

I went in for three different fittings to enlarge the sleeves, create a bustle, and hem the bottom of my dress. At my first fitting I inquired about the remaining balance on my dress, thinking I had paid off half and would have to be putting down a final payment that day. The sales girl informed me that the dress was marked as paid off on full. I did a double take as my mind raced, wondering if I had a magical fairy god-mother that might have paid off the rest of my dress for me. I asked her to check again, she said it was paid off. I asked her to check a third time. She reassured me that I had nothing left to pay on the dress.

I started to tell myself that maybe I had been wrong, that maybe I HAD paid off the entire thing in May and been confused about the cost, or confused about what I had paid. Except, deep down I knew that she was wrong and I was right. So I let myself daydream for a few days about all of the different ways that money could be used in the wedding budget (we could afford to valet the cars of ALL the guests!), and then I committed to resolve the issue when I went in for the next fitting.

The next time I went in, the owner of the shop was the one helping me. When I brought up payment again she instantly quoted me a price. I realized that the sales girl must have been reading things wrong. I wonder if she had been letting other dresses go for less than the asking price?!?!?!

I was actually happy to hand over the rest of the money, because it felt like I was doing something honest. LOL, I know that I was really just giving the amount I had previously committed to pay, but in some small way it felt like a little victory. I had been given the chance to really make a wedding decision that truly meant something, and I had made the right choice.

What types of truly important decisions have you been faced with during the planning of your wedding?