What Your Mother Doesn't Know...

Saturday, I had a mother of the bride pick up some alterations a week after her daughter's wedding.  I had worked with the family through the pre-wedding period, altering several suits, bridesmaid dresses, mother of the bride dress, and the wedding gown.  

She excitedly showed me pictures of the big weekend, including pictures from the mani/pedi party the night before the wedding.  One picture she showed me me was of her daughter, the bride, pulling out a bottle of sparkling cider with a label on in proclaiming "Baby V due in August!" 

The mother of the bride said she almost dropped her phone.  Her daughter's pregnancy was a complete (and happy!) suprise for her. 

Not for me.  The now Mrs. V had shared that with me in her first fitting about 7 weeks ago, just 2 days after she had found out she was expecting.  Ironically, this is not the first time someone has confided this secret to me.  It is one of the best perks of the job, and a perk that comes my way often.  I have quite a well known knack for maternity alterations.

There is something really special about knowing a happy secret about a stranger, and it is doubly wonderful hearing the happiness from both sides. 

Paid in Pancakes

Earlier this summer I altered a dress for a lovely older woman who was celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary. I'm a sucker for stories, and hers really touched my heart.

She told me about how she and her husband had been through so much together, especially in the last 10 years--the tragic death of their adult son, her battle with breast cancer, her husband's battle with diabetes that had made him wheelchair bound, and all the financial struggles that came along with it. She was nearly in tears when she told me how much it meant to her that they had made it to this milestone.

She had me tearing up right along with her in the fitting. When it came to discussing the cost of the alterations, I couldn't help but offer to do them at no cost to her.

It merely cost me my time. Don't get me wrong--my time is very valuable. In this case, however, the kindness I was able to offer was worth so much more.

I received a kind card in the mail a few days later from her thanking me profusely. Inside, she included a gift certificate to a waffle house ( mind you, not THE Waffle House--I'll have to wait until my next trip out East.) I still get a little misty eyed thinking about it.

Today, on my husband and my first anniversary, we were able to take advantage of her kindness. Best damn pancakes ever. Seriously.

Oh, and the warm and fuzzy feeling that this story fills me with isn't so bad either.

Caring and Sharing

“How long have you been engaged?”  is a very typical question that began a very typical fitting.  Sometimes the answer you get is a nothing more than a business-like statement of fact.  Sometimes, though, you find this connection with a bride that leads her to answer more fully.  If you’re lucky, you get a glimpse into a slice of life that you’ve never even imagined. Last Tuesday, I got lucky.

“We’ve been engaged for 3 years.  We were supposed to be married last September, but postponed the wedding  because of my brother’s passing.”  She continued on to tell me the story of her brother who had died after a long battle with cancer.  The story itself was sad, but what struck me was the information she shared about his care during the last stages of his life. 

She described how difficult it was for him to get end of life care here in the valley.  When he was in the Bay area, he was able to get the care he needed relatively nearby.  But as his time here on earth got shorter, he had to travel farther and farther to get the care he needed.  How awful to have such little time left and have to spend it in the car, traveling up and down the dusty, dry, unscenic 99.  

Most of this conversation came out when I asked her what degree she is persuing.  She hopes to use her sociology degree to begin a non-profit that will improve end of life care for cancer patients and to alleviate some of the burden of travel during those last painful months.   Her ability to so calmly and clearly state her goals and story was inspiring.   

I woke up the next morning still enamored with her story.  I admire her her dedication to this mission, openess, and gentle, clear style of communication uplifting.  (Ironically, these are some of the same traits that make her an ideal client.)

Her dress was beautiful.  It was a ruched through the bodice which pleated down into a very graceful bubble skirt.  The trumpet style is being changed into more of a mermaid look, and a strap that is akin to a cascade of flowers will fall over one shoulder and gracefully fade in to the bodice.  How exciting to meet a bride who can envision what a dress with good bones can look like with a bit of restyling.  It is a refreshing change of pace, and I’m thrilled to see what the dress will ultimately become. 

Mostly, I am grateful to make something beautiful for someone with such a beautiful heart.

Yes I Cannabis!

This economy sucks.  


Oversharing comes with the territory.  There is something about being in a fitting and half naked in the presence of a stranger that makes people spill it.  

A bride arrived at my home tonight with her wedding dress, and as I was lacing her up she started telling me about how her family was struggling.  She and her fiancé have 4 kids and have both been laid off in the last year.   She then told me the story of how their family has been essentially saved by the the private bakery she and her husband run.


I'm thinking "Sexy cakes!  How nice!"


Nope.  Cannibus cakes. She went on talking about her suppliers and some past activities than I am not very comfortable knowing.  Her story was very touching, but I wish she would have chosen a different stopping place---like perhaps while my mind was filled with visions of cakes found only at a bachelorette party.  


Somedays, I'm not the quickest on the upswing. 

Thank you to our troops

I am in tears. 

When the news that Osama Bin Laden broke this week, I was very glad to hear that an enemy of this country had finally been removed as a threat.  The reality of the situation had not really set in until this morning. 

I had a woman come by for a fitting for a bridesmaid dress for her sister's wedding.  She was profusely apologetic for arriving 10 minutes late because she was on the phone with her husband for the first time in 2 weeks.  Her husband is deployed and is on the ship that transported Bin Laden's body to his burial at sea.  She said it was so terrifying being cut off from communication like that and not being told the reason until after the fact. 

I cannot imagine having to constantly deal with situations over which you have no control and still maintaining such a sweet smile. I am blown away by her strenght and kind demeanor, and am so thankful that this latest unknown situation in her life has passed. 

What a sacrifice that our military members and their families make every single day.  I admire your strength.  Thank you, and God bless. 

Fuss-Bucket Central

You know how a mother want her daugher’s wedding day to be “just perfect?”  I had a mother/daughter team for the record books stop by last week. 

This mother was so endearing.  She was so worked up and worried and wanted everything to be lovely, but she had this inate kindness that made you want to hug her and make everything ok.  I got the impression that she was very timid, a little old fashioned, and was having a hard time understanding some of the choices  that her daughter was making (flip flops!  removing extraneous tulle! going for a dip in the ocean in her dress the day after the wedding!)  

Her very laid-back daughter (perhaps exausted from a lifetime of saying “Mom!  Calm down!”), the maid-of-honor, and aunt of the bride, were all taking it in stride.  It’s like they were all placing their hand on their preverbial hips saying ”That Jane Doe. She’s fussy and nervous, but we love her.”  To me, that’s love. 

All that aside, the dress was lovely.  The bride had a larger frame, and she choose a beaded taffeta dress that had asymetrical ruching and a corset back. I think the dress shop ordered her 2 sizes too big (or the company needs to re-evaluate placement of the princess line seams in the front) which would have solved some of the fit issues. (As for me, that would have prevented the need to re-bead some of the front panel.  Blech.)  Overall, her decision to remove extraneous tulle, add straps, and go with a corset back on this dress were all very successful in making the dress look good on her frame.