Seen, Heard and Overheard

What NOT to wear in the communal dressing rooms at bridal dress shops

At the large bridal district retailer where I purchased my dress, brides-to-be are given a tour of the dress area (and told to stay away from certain racks if "on a budget" - meaning if you plan to spend less on your gown than, say, you did on your first car). Then, after you pick out a slew of plastic-wrapped wrong-sized white dresses, you're ushered into the Communal Fitting Room.

There are several of these, with walls of mirrors and little boxes you can stand on. You're told to leave on your bra and underwear, and then the nice employees help you dive into dresses. It's great fun. I've been in these rooms three times: once when my sister was getting married and twice in the last few weeks. Two of those times, I've suffered with Thong Girls in the facing mirror.

After wrestling my way into layers of white gown, I'd look in the mirror and try to imagine what I'd look like if this dress wasn't a) 3 sizes too big, b) a foot too long and c) accompanied by some strange girl's behind. See when you're looking in a mirror, and Thong Girl is in the mirror across from you waiting for someone to bring her MORE dresses, her butt is reflected in the mirror you're looking into. And that is not something I want to look at.

Note to prospective brides: Please, please, don't wear a thong when dress shopping. The other brides thank you. (And despite Thong Girl and her entourage of 7 squealing friends/relatives, I did get my dress. Well, it's ordered, it'll be here in 4 months-ish. Then it will need altered, of course.)

***

After the dress buying experience, we checked out bridesmaids' dresses, and overheard one of the patient staffers talking on the phone to a customer who was obviously upset at the way she'd been treated the previous day. Come to find out the woman (who was the mother of the bride) had tried to put more dresses on hold than the store allows. So the employee is explaining this:
"Ma'am, we tried to compromise with you. Our policy is to hold up to four dresses. You wanted us to hold 25, and we ended up holding 18. I thought we were being accommodating."

25 dresses??? I've heard of bridezilla, but this woman must be her mother!