Bridal Party Meeting and First Bridesmaid Dress Fitting (Sort of)

Michael and I first met because of our two mutual friends, bridal party members Jessica and Ryan. After the night we met, the four of us hung out together frequently. Over the last 3 ½ years, though, a lot has changed (Mike and I moved out of state, Jessica became a mom) and we don’t get together nearly as often as we’d like to. So on Saturday, we drove down to NJ for the express purpose of seeing our good friends, and having our first Bridal Party meeting!

Sure, it was only two members of our bridal party, but they are ‘special’ in that they introduced us. More on that in a minute- but first, Jessica and I met up for lunch and catching up, just the two of us. We had a casual lunch at which we talked more than ate. Then we hit up some of the President’s Day sales at the local Jersey outlet mall. I got some work-wardrobe staples at The Gap and J. Crew at 40% off- AND no sales in tax in NJ! Score!

The raspberry sangria she semi-accidentally made in 2008 changed my life. No joke.

 I had recently dipped my toe into the murky waters of choosing a bridesmaid dress. Yikes. Each of my bridesmaids has a very different shape and fashion sensibility than the next. Both style and fit were called into question, and I decided to put this task off until I was better emotionally prepared to deal with negotiations.

Although in the meantime, I did come to realize that one thing I would definitely need to consider is fit. The dresses I like best so far are only available online or in just a handful of salons across the country.(J. Crew’s Bridal Collection.) But Jessica and I realized as we walked past the J. Crew outlet that we could probably get a good idea of fit by trying on a similar dress from their ready to wear collection! Eureka!

Initially, I worried these dresses might not work. As I said, each of my girls is a different size and shape, Jessie’s best summed up as Va-Va-Voom. But she was game to hop right in, unprepared, and we experienced a Wedding Miracle- a similar dress to my current favorite not only fit- it fit her wonderfully TWO SIZES SMALLER than she had estimated! Hurray for Wedding Miracles! (Now if I magically fit into a dress two sizes smaller than anticipated when I go gown shopping, I might become religious.)

Here she is being all cute

And in model mode. I'm definitely going to work in the socks!

This is not the dress I had in mind, but it had a similar shape and cut, so I’m thrilled to know it’s an option, and that other dresses from the line could work as well.

Later that night she and I met up with Michael and Ryan at The Pour House, our old local dive-y hangout. (Best mozzarella sticks in the state, hands down. Must be enjoyed with ketchup, of course.) The plan was to start talking about the night we met, and how Jessica and Ryan might incorporate that story, as well as their unique vantage points of having been privy to details of our nascent relationship, into a special toast we’ve asked them to do. Unfortunately we were so busy catching up that we hardly touched the subject, but we’re looking forward to getting together again soon! Next time I’ve been instructed to put on my Bossy Bride hat and be sure to have a clear, typed agenda complete with action items and tasks to assign. Plus a gavel and laser pointer. You asked for it!