A Perfect Wedding Gown

By Lu

What is every girl's dream? Yep, I'm sure many girls would agree with me that each and every one of us spent a good amount of time when we were little, daydreaming about our wedding day. There's something about being a princess for a day and marrying your prince charming that just makes your heart throbbed with anticipation, right? Well, because it should be the happiest day of your life, or so you envision. You want this day to be perfect and there are so much to plan! Like Shania Twain utters in her song "No One Needs to Know".... She wants the bells to ring, the choir to sing, the white dress, the guests, the cake, the car, the whole darn thing! Whew!

Yet, I believe, the most important element of all is the white dress. Looking like a million bucks for one day, so pretty you want your future husband to cry at the altar because he's so overtaken by your beauty, would be the cherry on top!

I didn't get so lucky. I married my sweetheart, but he didn't think I looked better than usual that day. I didn't either. I hated my dress, my make up, my hair. It didn't matter that we had 600 guests and five feet high wedding cake. It wasn't how I envisioned it. The fact that we are not together anymore also says something about it. I should have seen it coming :D.

Yet, looking at bridal magazines and how girls just look absolutely breathtaking in the white gown always give you a little hope - that every girl deserves that one perfect day, even the Bridezillas.
Both of my sisters had perfect weddings. They both looked spectacular and happy on that day. The sweetest thing I heard a man said to a woman was when David told my sister, Ri, she could wear her stilettos even though she would be taller than him as he wanted her to be happy on her wedding day. Oooooh, how can any man be sweeter than that? She did look for shorter shoes awhile, but she was fixated with the pretty white satin with silver embroideries stilettos that were ridiculously tall. When David saw her walking down the "aisle" towards him and saw her on those shoes, I thought I heard him mouthing.."are you fn kidding me?!" LOL! That was so funny! I wasn't sure if it was directed to the fact she looked so tall or that she looked so beautiful he couldn't believe it. Ri said that the heels didn't matter as she sank into ground anyway.

David and Ri, on their wedding day

They got married outdoor at the garden of La Bonne Auberge, a French Restaurant that occupies a 200+ year old farm house in New Hope, Pennsylvania. It was a lovely spot with a really beautiful flower garden. Yet, a few days before the D day, a couple of deers came and ate all the flowers in the garden! We actually had to buy tons of mums to decorate the garden so it didn't look like it had just been devoured. However, it didn't change a thing. It was still perfect.
Annette got married recently in 2009 and she was also a gorgeous bride. We both envy her as she has a great bod. Ri and I always have to work on it - dieting, watching what we eat - and we're still bigger than her. Annette can eat junk after junk and she stays thin and lanky. I think she's the neighbor's daughter as we surely didn't share that gene! Yet, she shares a distinct physical trait with my dad so we couldn't deny that she's our sister.

My goofy sister, Annette

Annette is the baby, the artist, model, designer, advertising exec, crocheter and lastly a cook. Oh, but she's also the difficult, moody, pouty, pain in the butt, lippy little sister every one has. I saw her transformed from the goofy kid (Ri's words not mine), to the dorky grade schooler (this is mine), to a goth who loved Daniel Johns from Silverchair, complete with tattoos and piercings, to fashion and career conscious girl, and to the woman she is today.

She's a woman with so much personality and whimsy and I didn't expect any less from her on her wedding day. I still remember Werner, her husband, telling me that it was the happiest day of all his life. Werner said it was perfect that we were all there coming from all over the world, his parents dancing with huge smiles on their faces, his brother was there from Prague, all of his friends, and that he got to marry Annette. Yes, I'd say that's a pretty happy occasion!

From the invitation, menu, table setting, favors, name cards, flowers, venue, they were all done with taste and simplicity. It was a small intimate wedding, shared with close friends and family. They got married in a church that was 700 some years old and we were singing The Beatles' "Let It Be," instead of any church hymns. But, the coolest thing was her dress.

Not every girl could pull this dress. I certainly couldn't. When she was planning it, she kept on sending me all these simple, demure, cute dresses that I, personally, would like. My sister was larger than life, still is, and she needed something that just screamed "Annette!!!!" Those dresses weren't her.

Then one day, she sent me a picture. She said she found her gown. When I looked at it, I 1000% agreed.

The dress, featured in a Magazine

The dress was made by a young talented up and coming Indonesian designer named Mel Ahyar. Mel was Annette's senior at ESMOD, a French Fashion Design School. She was so talented and got many awards for her accomplishments as a fashion designer. She even got an award for her work from Ungaro. Good thing Annette knew her, as if not, she wouldn't get married in that gorgeous dress. The dress was featured in many magazines including Harper's Bazaar. Look at how intricate the layers were, and each of the layer had little pearls sown on it. Annette took out the handmade roses and the neck treatment, as she thought it was too much. She made the gown her own. I couldn't believe she found a gown that shared her personality - layers and layers of it!

Going down the church steps

Knowing my sister, she didn't spend much time planning her wedding, as she's a last minute type of person. Yet, and thank goodness, they pulled it off. I was so happy for her, for finding her prince, married him, and for once in her life, I see her now a little more at peace and molding into routine we so call life. I can now talk to her like friends as now she shares some of those aspects of life I've been doing for decades or so - working, cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, laundry, and watch some TV if I'm not too tired :D.

Well, maybe someday, I will share one more thing in common with my two sisters: have a wonderful wedding and marry the man of my dream. Yet, even though I feel I want that day to be so perfect and redo what went wrong last time with the dress, make up, hair - I think I will spend more time planning my marriage, and hopefully I will have a great lasting one. I saw many people repeat the same mistake for being too hasty and did not take the time to plan, or analyze of what actually is important. The last thing I want would be another divorce or being stuck with the wrong person for years. I vow that when I do make another vow, I know that I've done all I could to make sure I saved the best of me for him.

I changed my mind - the dress isn't the most important element after all.

So, Monique Lhuillier or David's Bridal? When the day comes, if I have my family with me, my two sisters by my side, my friends in attendance, and that man God made just for me, standing there waiting to take my hand, I think it wouldn't matter a bit what I wear.
Thanks to Annette for the photograph of the dress. It's really a top shelf gown.