An interview with Renaissance Man:
RWR: Tell me about your experience in a bridal shop.
RM: I walk in. My married daughter is sitting next to a box
of Kleenex. My other daughter is trying on bridal dresses. I announce myself saying,
“You can call me Father of the Bride.”
RWR: Did you get bored or cry?
RM: No, the gowns were more or less beautiful and my
daughter was beaming with love. I made a joke about the Kleenex saying guys don’t
cry. That pretty much stopped any notion of crying for me.
RWR: How’d the showings go?
RM: I started generating opinions but knew if I couldn’t
back them up, my daughter wouldn’t listen.
RWR: Elaborate.
RM: Okay, I don’t know if these are original thoughts:
1. No dress trick should take everybody’s eyes off the bride’s
face (or the bride's persona/aura). (i.e. the dress and bride should be as one, which brings up point #2.
2. What style a bride chooses is mostly a reflection of how
she feels about marriage and herself.
a. Many little girls dream of being swept off their feet by
prince charming and they fulfill that fantasy by dressing in a ‘princess’ or foofy
gown.
b. Some perceive the marriage as a practical arrangement
(and yes they love their man most of the time). They’ll dress in something more
simple and perhaps with color. This leads to:
c. The successful career girl wants to project her
interdependence and assert her personality. After all, her fiancé fell in love
with who she is. These dresses can range from simple or modern to Avant Guard.
d. Some girls are rebels and dress accordingly (outrageously?).
RWR: Did you manage to say all that to them?
RM: No, I hinted at it all by covering a couple main points
because my daughter is so sharp, in the blink of her eye, she’ll fill it all
in. In the end, it’s her choice and I told her no matter what she chose, it
would be the right for her because she chose it.
RWR: Thank you for…
RM: One last thought. A day later, I told her to consider what
she will choose as partially a reflection of how her man feels about her. I
asked her how does he make you feel. Does he make you feel like a princess? A
partner? A lover? A life partner? Or all of the above. Knowing how much she is
head over heels for this man, I’d guess there’s a bit of the princess within her
successful career woman. That’s why my money is figuratively and literally on a
certain dress that is elegant with a touch of poofy and is exquisitely designed
to complement the work of art who is my daughter.
RWR: Thank you. I know our romance writers write complicated
alpha heroes, typically. Who’s to say we can’t have fun trying on atypical
traits to portray a hero who our readers will not likely forget.
And then there's the girl who puts everybody else before her. 27 Dresses, trailer, 2008.
And then there's the girl who puts everybody else before her. 27 Dresses, trailer, 2008.
No pictures?
ReplyDeleteHi Eleanor and all,
DeleteSorry, I didn't get authorization to publish picture(s) but will some time this year.
Bob
I was practical for all three of my weddings. Perhaps I should have added more of the fairy princess to show off my whimsical side.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's dress was a bit practical (not showing off all her attributes) and delicately elegant. Not an expensive dress, comparatively, but it made her feel beautiful and special for that one day at least (she and the groom have 3 kids together). I think a wedding dress should make a bride feel special. Of course, I'm not a typical romance reader either :)