No change with the diet situation – it's going great. I've lost a few more pounds since then and, alongside two-mile walks every lunchbreak (and longer walks on weekends), I've just started a zumba class.
That nearly killed me. I've tried zumba on Nintendo Wii before, and it's great. But it doesn't prepare you for the insanity of a hyperactive Louis Spence-style instructor and the feeling that you're going to vomit in front of a packed gym studio through sheer physical exhaustion!
Actually, it was brilliant, and – despite the 'oof!'s, 'ouch!'es and aches since – I'll be glad to go back for more next week.
So, no, this update has nothing to do with the diet, but everything to do with the dress.
Having mentally ditched the first dress I bought, I had Plan B all set up: an elegant 'princess' style number in tulle from a well-rated Chinese company. A lovely dress, for sure, and only £130 (plus taxes) – but also another risk, as it involved ordering something I'd never tried on and would likely have to pay someone to adjust.
But I was willing to go for it, knowing that my budget was tight and wouldn't allow me to go down the bridal shop route – plus any bridal shop owner would shoo me out of the door once they heard I have just three months and three weeks until the big day!
However, that was until I saw The Dress. Oh, man, did I ever see The Dress! Light ivory silk, sweetheart neckline with off-the-shoulder cap sleeves, nipped in with a gathered sash at the waist, finished off with a flowing, pleated full-length skirt – a classic early 1960s silhouette and style.
Of course, this dress, I rapidly discovered, costs the best part of £2,000 – and is only stocked in places that require a plane journey. I discovered this after a mad moment of insanity when I emailed the designer personally, 'just in case'. Lovely lady, she replied the same day and gave me a much-needed jolt of reality.
Still, I couldn't get that gorgeous dress out of my head. That was the kind of dress I was supposed to wear on my wedding day. I could see it would flatter my shape beautifully, and – hooray! – it would also complement the vaguely Mad Men theme of the wedding.
So what to do? Well, after a couple of days – and nights – fretting about it, I finally remembered an online forum poster who had recommended a company that made bespoke wedding dresses at, allegedly, an affordable price.
So that got me thinking... I didn't want an outright copy of the dress – that didn't sit comfortably. And actually there were elements about the dress that I would have preferred not to have, such as a diamanté buckle attached to the sash and fabric bows attached to the cap sleeves.
So I decided that I could use the dress as inspiration and sketch out a design that worked for me, and see if this company could a) make it at a price I could afford and b) make it in three months.
And to cut a long story a teeny bit shorter, yes they can! It's tight on both fronts: it's completely killed our budget and has meant we're now saving absolutely every spare bit of cash right up to the big day – and it'll be ready barely two weeks before we get married.
But, actually, it's the best wedding decision I've made so far. Meeting with a proper dressmaker, having proper fittings, and generally feeling secure in the fact that someone who cares about what they do is taking charge of one of the most important aspects of the day – well, it's worth every single penny. I now have no more doubts about how I'll look and how I'll feel. I cannot wait to see it and wear it – and feel amazing.
In other words: Woo hooooo!!! :D
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| My sketch of The Dress! |
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