First Fitting - A Pleasant Surprise!

So, you may remember from this post, that when I actually got my wedding dress it was huge on me.  Huge is an understatement, actually.  If it didn't have that one sleeve, I'm pretty sure it would have fallen down.  Yet, when I had my first fitting this past Monday, it wasn't ginormous on me.  And no, I didn't gain back a ton of weight, but there's actually a pretty simple explanation why.

First, let's recap.  When I originally tried on (and bought) the dress, the sample size actually fit me like a glove.  Here's a picture from that day:

I have no idea why that is coming up sideways, but you get the point.  But in that picture a) they had laced up the internal corset, and b) I was wearing a bra (which had some padding to it). 

Then, when I went to pick up my dress, which we had ordered the exact same size as the sample, it was MASSIVE:

Seriously, I was lucky that sucker was staying up.  But a) they didn't take the time to do up the internal corset, because let's face it, they already had my money, and b) I wasn't wearing a bra because I didn't plan on wearing an actual bra on my wedding day.  It was actually slightly disappointing.

So I was prepared to have the seamstress be a little terrified by how much would have to be taken in on the dress.  Let's face it, I don't even have a figure in that second picture, and it's supposed to be form fitting.  But when I got into the dress, she immediately laced up the internal corset (to my desired tightness) then handed me some push-up bra like inserts to shove in there, and magically the dress basically fit (except it was still much too big in the hips) and I looked like a woman again (praise Buddha)!  Check it out:

I'm not really sure why I'm standing crooked, and don't worry I'll get to the part about the seamstress being a hoarder in a second, but SERIOUSLY!  That dress is freaking hot again!  In that picture she had already pinned the hip section so it even looks like it fits in the hips.

I look like a woman again!  And if I hoist what's left of my boobs up just the right way (they kind of disappeared when I lost weight), I even look like I have a little bit of tasteful cleavage!  I couldn't be happier.

My second concern with the dress was how on Earth were we going to bustle it.  Little recap, here's what the back of the dress looked like:

Well, my seamstress may be a hoarder, but apparently she knows what she's doing.  She pinned up the back how she plans on making the bustle and it looks pretty damn fabulous...

So basically, she needs to make the bustle, bring in the hips, shorten the straps of the one sleeve a smidgen, and sew in the cups.  It will not be a total dress overhaul!  And we actually have to take off quite a bit of length, so I asked if she could save the tulle for me so I can use it to make my birdcage veil and/or fascinator.  I'll go back on July 18th to try her on again and that's when she'll tell me how much the whole thing will cost me (she wants me to have a chance to see her workmanship before trying to get any money out of me).

Now, onto the fun part.  Let me start by saying if I didn't have a great relationship with my Future Mother In Law, I may have thought she was trying to sabotage my dress.  First of all, as you've already picked up, this woman is a hoarder of all things seamstress related.  There are patterns, and fabric, and garments everywhere.  She even had a loom upstairs in her living room - no joke.  I'll try and snap a picture of it with my cell phone when we go back.  They don't have any normal house stuff, just seamstress stuff, in boxes, everywhere.

Secondly, she lives in the middle of freakin' nowhere.  She works with 2 different bridal shops as well as working out of her home.  Since I work during the day, I couldn't go to the bridal shop, so I had to go right to her home.  This is what the trip looked like...

 So we pass a barn and kind of chuckle.

 You can't really tell by that picture but there were some ancient looking horses and cows grazing in a field - according to the GPS we were 2 minutes away from the ladies house...

 As we were about to turn into her neighborhood, oh look - all the mailboxes for her street are down here on the corner...I wonder why?

 That would be because she lives on a dirt road and no mailman wants to drive down there!!!

And that is what is across the street from her.  I would have loved to take a picture of her house (she had chickens) but she was outside and I didn't want to be rude.

It was quite the adventure; at one point we were thinking - the GPS must be wrong.  But oh no, my seamstress whom I am entrusting to alter my wedding dress is a hoarder that lives in the middle of a farm (basically).  But heck, she's busy as hell, so she must be pretty damn good if all these people can get over the hoarding and the farming and bring their gowns to her, right?  I guess we'll see on July 18th!

Was your first fitting an adventure?  And seriously, if your future mother in law recommended a hoarding, farmer seamstress - would you have a slight fear she was trying to sabotage you? haha