My Mini Blushing Bride

So...in case I haven’t mentioned it quite enough on this here blog, my Chica is obsessed these days with all things wedding, marriage and bride bride bride.

The spark of interest was there months ago, but the royal wedding certainly fanned the flame, and now she adores all things Harry and Meghan—including this commemorative magazine I bought for her birthday. It’s one of her favorite bedtime stories these days, hehe.

Of course, her interest ramped up yet another notch when we were in T-town last week and she stared at the giant portrait Nanna has in her living room of Yours Truly in m’wedding gown.

So, naturally, Nanna busted out her photo album from said wedding, and Chica was enamored.





Then when we were back home, Chica demanded more wedding pictures—and sopped it up with a spoon when Daddy shared a lively re-telling of all things kissing that were involved in the wedding hoopla.

Her adoring/embarrassed giggles were priceless. :)

And Chicklet’s, too—though she’s mostly remained passingly interested in this wedding phase. For now. ;)

So naturally, with all this wedding interest and enamorement Chica’s built up, there was only one thing I could do to put the cherry on top o’ the sundae.

Bust out my actual wedding dress.

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: holy cow is this a majorly sentimental moment.

But you know, it really wasn’t a giant ordeal for me.

I had fond and sweet thoughts about it all, but certainly not some overwhelming sense of memory-making occasion. (I mean, I haven’t even had the dress at my own home for the last 15.5 years.) So I think that made it fairly low-key and even lovelier.

And you know, that’s sort of in line with my wedding dress itself—which was quite simple and gorgeous but understated compared to some brides, perhaps. 

Here it is (with me serving as mannequin) in a photo shoot that was actually done a few months after the wedding. 

I swear, it totally makes me laugh that the dress was cleaned and preserved in an acid-free box that could probably house at least two of my children. Because the entire thing could be folded into a teeny-tiny square. It was really a slip of a thing—which pleased me, obviously, or I wouldn’t have gravitated toward it. :)

The long veil added a bit more drama, and truth be told, I knew that’s the bit Chica really had her eye on during the picture-viewing sessions, ha.

(Side note: can we puh-lease take a moment to cackle over the flower that’s in my mouth in the above photo?? Who’s brilliant idea was that? Ha. Soooo not me.)

Anwho....

I busted the dress and veil out towards the end of quiet time a couple of days ago, and, needless to say, Chica was pumped. And the pictures are priceless.









Though Chicklet wasn’t super interested, I wanted to make sure she had some special time with the veil, too. And she humored me with some lovely shots, my beautiful girl. :)





It really was crazy to think that the union this dress prespresented was the very thing that brought me these beautiful babies all those years later.

That’s truly the priceless bit of this moment.

I really do love that I have additional memories associated with this dress now. 

And I don’t even mind one single bit that Chica (not so subtly) confiscated the veil and stuffed it in her bedroom nightstand so she could keep it close at hand.

Shock of all shocks: when we discussed Halloween costume ideas two days ago (because, YES, we do that in July when the very first Fall-themed catologues show up in the mail), Chica light up like a megawatt bulb when I suggested she be...a bride.

:)

Happy Thursday, peeps.