I finally love my dress

Yesterday was my final dress fitting, and I really think it was the first time in my long, painful dress-shopping process that I actually fell completely in love with my dress.

Better late than never, right?

I don't know if my late-bloomer love is because the wedding's almost here and now I can envision how well all the pieces are falling into place, or if people finally being nice to me matters, or if I'm just weird, but I'm so happy that I finally love it, because I think it will show at the wedding.

I love how ME this dress is. Every element of the dress is reflected in the clothes I normally wear. So I look like myself in it, just dressed up a notch. Which means I'm exceedingly at ease in it.

I love how well the dress fits me. All the little spots that I was concerned about, I've worked hard enough to make them non-issues. And honestly, as much as it pained me to pay so much money for alterations, I now understand how well-spent that money really was. She's made the tiniest of adjustments in places that seemed to me to fit just fine. Only now, they really fit, and I can see what a difference it makes.

I love the way the dress fits our wedding. When I'm wearing the dress and someone asks me about the wedding, as soon as I say "beach," they begin to nod. To me, this dress perfectly embodies the feel and setting of our wedding. It's a seaside affair, but kinda vintage chic, too.

I love how the dress looks with beachy skin. I've been fair-skinned every time I've put it on, but now, with a little more color, the dress just pops. Also, I love how red lips look with tanned skin. The shock of the lipstick I've been trying to get over? That's because in the winter I'm a modern Snow White. Which I actually enjoy, in the winter. But now, with a more bronzed glow, the red is fantastic. Not too much at all. Just really festive and fun.

I love that you can see my red shoes when I walk. They make me so happy. Yesterday they made two strangers smile, too. I just cannot say enough about my red shoes. Best wedding accessory decision I've made, hands down.

I love how comfortable the dress is. It's so light and simple, I could sleep in it. I'd decided that for our After-Party I'd change into a white strapless sundress my sister wore to her rehearsal dinner five years ago along with my fantastic seersucker pumps, in order to match my groom. But to be honest, I'm really not sure I'm going to want to take this thing off. EVER.

So the big reveal, then? I'll schedule some posts to go up the weekend of the wedding and the following week. Because you know I can't let the f-word in on the surprise. Until then, there's always Not My Dress to help narrow it down...

Finally loving my wedding dress feels a little bit like victory, I must say. Safe travels to North Carolina, loved one!