Here Comes the Bride… and her Four Favorite Women!

I have often heard that no matter how long you have been engaged, you won’t feel like a true bride until you pick your wedding dress out. I have never been certain of that comment, but now I am. I’ve had it on my schedule to go wedding dress shopping in Atlanta for about four months now. It seemed so far away then, but as of today, it’s only a few days away. I truly can’t believe it! I am about to go pick out the dress that Tres will see me in for the first time as his wife. I’ve had this thought in my brain over and over for the past week, and every time I think about it, my stomach turns. Nervousness, excitement, love, eternity – these are all strong words and emotions, and the realization of them has definitely come to me. I mean, you only get to pick out a wedding dress once in your whole life, and I can’t believe I am about to do this! The best part of it all though is that a man as great as Tres has picked me to spend the rest of his life with. Once I pick that dress out its official – I will soon be Mrs. Francis Xavier LeTard III !

All the ladies - We were the bridesmaids for Nenne's Hawaiian wedding! So to prepare me to become a bride, I will have the four women there with me who have pretty much been the four most important women in my life from day one: my Mommy, my Nenne, my Aunt Gina, and my cousin and Maid of Honor, Melissa! I always heard you should never bring more than two people dress shopping, but it wouldn’t even make sense not to have all four of these women here on the special day when I choose my gown. We are not only all close, but each of them has shaped and formed me in some way to become the woman I am today. I truly believe that the advice they gave me growing up and the role models I saw them as helped me with every decision I ever made in life; therefore, having them as the voices of my wedding gown is only fitting!

Me, Melissa, Gina, and Mom in Oahu, Hawaii for Nenne's honeymoon!
Growing up, a week (or sometimes even a day) didn’t go by that me, Mom, Nenne, Gina, and Melissa weren’t all together. At one point, we all lived within two miles of each other, and going to Nenne and Gina’s house was always such a treat. I can remember sitting around and chit-chatting with them, asking them advice on teenage problems, and getting some of the best advice a girl could ever get. When Melissa was born, I was just a little girl… only about nine years old, but since she’s existed, she has been the closest thing I have ever had to a sister. Sadly, about 7+ years ago, Gina and her kids moved to Austin, Texas, so a trip down the road has become a 10 hour drive. We don’t see them as much anymore, but we try to get together as much as we can. And when all us girls get together we are a HOOT, and it’s still some of the most fun times I could ever have!

Me, Nenne, and Mom at our Sex and the City Movie Party Mom, Nenne, and I had planned on driving to Atlanta to dress shop for day one, and when I got a call from Gina several weeks ago saying that her and Melissa were flying in to Atlanta to meet us, I was ecstatic! This is truly the best way I could ever go wedding dress shopping – a fun girls weekend in Atlanta with my family!

TOP - All of us - Christmas 2008
MIDDLE - Mother of the Bride and Bride
BOTTOM - My little Maid of Honor!

The plan is to get to Atlanta Thursday night and EAT dinner (only our favorite thing to do), and then the shopping will begin Friday morning at Brides Against Breast Cancer. If you haven’t seen my blog about where I long to purchase my wedding dress CLICK HERE to read my Brides Against Breast Cancer blog post! As much as I want to purchase my gown there, I realize I may not find one, so I have appointments lined up at two other bridal boutiques. And, if I don’t find anything there, I would say I’m in trouble. As my mom and Nenne said to me, “If you don’t find a dress after shopping at three different places, then you have a problem.” Haha! Saturday, the plan is to have Melissa try on the potential bridesmaid dress I have picked out and shop for Mother-of-the-Bride dresses and Grandmother and Aunt of the Bride dresses if they want to! Just pray that I come home with a dress because I am a tad stressed about it! I will post a new blog as soon as we come back. Wish me LUCK!!