The Simple Reality

Bride(zilla) To Be

The scene was set to see three women work at a rectangular dinner table in that large Ekerö home. One inserted cards into very elegant ivory envelopes, one labeled with address stickers, and lastly it was the bride who stacked, counted, and organized them.

"Hey," she patted his arm very quickly, nearly an hour later. Björn looked over his shoulder with the phone on his ear with the other hand and he asked her with just the glance what she needed. "Can you please take these? They need to be mailed. We have an appointment at a boutique, and I can't miss it." He nodded and saw her place a brown paper bag with all the envelopes on the coffee table. She turned and in a little movement he stopped her by her hand. He kissed her without anything to say, and watched her smile. When she turned to leave he continued his conversation over the phone as if he were never interrupted.

Stockholm had been busy even on a rainy day. It didn't stop the people from rushing through the streets to their meetings, stopping for coffee, or even shopping just for the hell of it. There were four women who entered the boutique– Agnetha, Lolo, Linda, and Isabelle, and they were welcomed joyously for their appointment. The store was a popular one but worked by appointment only. It was not only a benefit to the customer's experience, but it absolutely comforted Agnetha as she really wanted this to be private.

"So glad to help you," the dark haired woman had said. She had thick black hair, round modern glasses over her eyes, and red lipstick that drew attention to her smile and accented her very chic style. "First, let me show you around. There are sections in this store where you'll find vintage, contemporary, new arrivals, particular styles, etc. We can figure out what style you're interested in and then go from there. You're welcome to try on as many as you'd like." Agnetha smiled shyly in return. She felt intimidated for a moment. Her first wedding, she did not remember this much pressure. What did she want anyway? She had no idea. It took them about five minutes before beginning to look through dresses.

"Should I wear a white dress?"

"Do you wish to wear pink?" Lolo asked with humor.

"I mean, should I go for ivory? White is so... white. Or even off-white."

"Is there a difference?" Linda asked.

"You'll notice when you see it," Isabelle said. "It's not drastic but yeah, white is very white."

A fitting room had been started after five dresses were chosen and they figured it was a good start. Agnetha had opened the door, peeked her head out and her daughter had gone to help her. She zipped up the dress from the back and Agnetha turned around to ask for the opinion of the ladies with her. It was strapless, tight, plain, and a mermaid style. It complimented her figure without a doubt, it was her perfect size but everyone was silent. Lolo approached her and pulled the very pale blue bra she wore as the straps were already off, surprising Agnetha, and she smiled to her friend.

"You don't need this."

"What do you think?"

"It's lovely," Isabelle commented. "Walk in it."

"Is it comfortable?" Lolo asked, lifting the short tail behind her as Agnetha climbed the step.

"Yes, but I don't know... something here... and here... maybe it's odd for me."

The process had gone through four more times and Agnetha had entered and left the dressing room a few times. She had tried on many styles– V cuts, long sleeves, lace, and flowy but nothing really matched her mind or heart. They had spent an hour in the store and something had yet to captured her eyes.

"You'll find something," Lolo reassured her.

"How hard is it to search for a dress?" Agnetha  asked.