Everything in my life so far has led me to the path I am now on. I guess that's the way it is with paths, for the most part, the road has many curves but you end up getting to where you want to go. I am a hopeless romantic and always will be. I can cry at the drop of a hat; it doesn't matter whether it's a wedding, a funeral, a funny or sad movie, or a Kodak commercial. It makes me cry. I have always had a passion for the bridal industry as well. Just the thought of a woman all dressed up walking down the aisle can make me tear up. So, you might wonder, what would bring me to want to be in a world where I cry all the time? Because I love it. It makes me truly happy and it brings me joy just to be involved. I love everything about it. I love the planning and dreaming: the location, the food, the flowers, coordinating the colors and the dresses. Especially the dresses! From the time I was a young girl, I would pour through the bridal magazines, looking at the dresses, imagining myself in each one. What would my wedding day be like? What dress would I wear? Would I look like the princesses I saw in the magazines?
Well, my wedding day came and went and it was totally uneventful. It was a gray, windy, below freezing day; December in Minnesota and I didn't resemble a princess in any way. I wore a gray plaid skirt( note the resemblance to the weather!) and a black velvet jacket. I had a blotchy face and swollen red eyes from crying. I was almost two months pregnant and got married at the courthouse, only two days before Christmas. There was no honeymoon, only an evening at the Radisson, which was accentuated by eating dinner on the carousel turning round and running to the bathroom to throw up as we ate and turned round. Time passed and life was hectic. I now had two young children but I managed to get my degree. Now what was I going to do? Well, I did what a lot of women do with degrees in Psychology or Sociology; I went to work in the field of Social Services. I always enjoyed helping people but it wasn't what I wanted to do. So, inevitably, I moved on and I experimented with other fields; quite a few. There was finance, payroll, human resources, temporary agencies, training and development, and then I finally landed in retail account management where I found a home for six years; the longest I had ever stayed anywhere.
I believe that everything happens for a reason and as it happened, my hours were cut at work. After the initial shock and disappointment, I found myself reviewing the local paper to see what part time work was out there. As it was, there was a part time position at a local bridal salon. I became obsessed with getting that job. So, I focused on it and two weeks later, I was hired. All these years, my interest and passion for the bridal industry had never died. When my oldest daughter got engaged and we searched for the dress, the flames ignited once again. The job at the salon and my hours getting cut were just the initiative I needed to start dreaming again, this time, much bigger than just dreaming about the dresses. I loved being in the salon: I loved seeing, touching and feeling all the beautiful dresses. I loved hearing the new brides to be tell their stories with passion and enthusiasm. I loved helping them choose their dress for the most special day of their lives. I lasted only two months at the salon for various reasons; primarily because I went back to work full time. The call to pay the bills can be stronger than the call to follow your dream; but only for awhile. I had been bitten big time with the love for the industry and this time I wasn't giving up.
I love watching "Say Yes to the Dress"; it's my favorite show. I can watch it over and over and never get tired of it. I alway see something new. I love watching the girls try on their dresses and seeing how the consultants handle the various family dramas. The thing is, it's almost always about the beautiful, slender girls who look great in everything they try on. I noticed at the salon where I was working, that plus sizes were almost ignored. There were maybe about 10 dresses dedicated to plus sizes and what there were was in sizes 18 and 20 and certainly not the most current styles. It really hit home one day when a young woman was in with her sister trying on bridesmaids dresses for her sisters wedding. She was about a size 14 and very pretty. But, the dresses were just not fitting her. And, eventually she broke down and cried. I thought to myself, there is something terribly wrong with this situation and then it hit me.... I could open a bridal salon for plus sizes and with that, the salon was born.
It's all happened relatively quickly overall in a period of about two months which for any new business is usually just baby steps, but this baby can't wait to be born and I hope to give birth before the end of the year. I am looking to open the salon sometime in November. It's been a dream come true. I have chosen the name... wait for it.... nope, can't share yet. I am in the process of incorporating and it hasn't been "officially approved" yet but I expect it will be soon. I have worked with a graphic design artist to create a logo, chosen my manufacturers, looked at locations, and created a business plan. Now the fun really starts: the search for financing. It's not easy getting someone else to buy into your dream. Just because you think it's a great idea and can justify the need, doesn't make it worthwhile to banks. I am not sure why. Isn't this America the land of opportunity and the American dream? Not if you are looking for money, it isn't. Especially when you are looking for money for plus size bridal fashion. Is there really a need? Okay, look around you. Remember that bridal sizes run two size smaller than regular fashion. So, a woman or girl who normally wears a size 14 is now a size 18. I wonder who thought of that? Clearly not a woman; especially not a plus size woman. In our world, we'd prefer it to go the other way. Normally a size 22, I'd like to be an 18 on my wedding day or better yet, a 14 or 16. No, even the best corset can't make that happen.
So, now you understand the path and the calling. I am waiting (not so patiently) to make it happen. I know it will. I trust, I believe and I live it every day. Because life is supposed to be fun and as both L' Oreal and a great comedian (now senator) once said, gosh darn it, I am worth it.
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