The Dress Story In English...

...And through the eyes of the groom (in spe)!

So for English-language-only readers, I will try my best to summarize the dress story, as recently shared in German. I think any potential brides-to-be will sympathize and understand, and men will wonder what the big deal is. Trust me guys, when it's your wedding, you, too, will understand how serious this is.

This all happened in January, as the Wedding Exposition Fair came to Freiburg. We decided to make a day out of it, and gather some ideas for our big days. Mareike's parents came along to check things out as well. As a foreword. I will state that I was very much enthusiastic about the idea of Mareike trying a dress on, whereas she was not. When we got into the Fair, I could understand why. All over the place, there were brides-to-be standing around in all kinds of dresses, surrounded by their girlfriends who were determined to find them a dress despite the thousands of people walking by. Some of the dresses were more than unflattering. Of course I could see the advantages of having a private appointment at a dress shop, but that didn't stop me from being eager to see Mareike try at least one dress on. Not that I would be allowed to see her in it anyway.

Eventually Mareike's parents call me over to a discount stand, where groom apparel is on display. The gray suit looks nice; I think I'll try it on. Eventually we get into a discussion over whether I should or should not be allowed to wear a jacket that's a bit longer (still unresolved), when Mareike (or her mom? or the saleswoman?) finds a dress hanging on the rack that "just might be really nice". Everyone agrees. Mareike will not try the dress on. We all tell her to try the dress on. I promise to go away, and Mareike's dad promises to hold me hostage over coffee until the dress can be tried on.

Twenty minutes later, the women approach us at the coffee table. Mareike is beaming. The dress is perfect. Well, how about that? First dress, looks great! The catch? Well, you try looking forward to trying on twenty dresses with your maid-of-honor and mom, spending an afternoon/day with your hair done and drinking champagne before finally deciding on "the perfect dress". Finding "that dress" on the first try at an exposition where you weren't even planning on looking at dresses kind of takes something away from the whole experience, doesn't it? And the maid of honor couldn't be reached via telephone to ask for permission to buy the dress without her. So we'll take a half an hour and think about it.

Mareike and I walk around the Fair a bit more, about ten minutes later her dad is running around the corner: "Someone else is trying the dress on!" THE DRESS, which no one had tried on all day, THE DRESS, which looked perfect on Mareike. Of course, someone was watching her try it on and saw how it looked on her. And saw that she didn't buy it right away. And thought, maybe it looks good on me, too. And I guess it did, because now she's about to buy it. Well, now we have a problem.

And the other bride says Mareike can have the dress if she really, really, really wants it. And this is tempting. But now she would have the dress, which may have been perfect, but she will have missed out on the day of dress-shopping, and may have the guilty conscience that she took the dress back from the other bride. That's not the best story to have to tell when someone asks about the dress.

The final decision? Not to take the dress. Hope the other girl looked good in it. She deserves to be happy too, right?

So it was rough having to say goodbye to what may have been a very amazing dress. But this allowed Mareike to set up the highly-anticipated day of dress shopping with her mom and maid-of-honor, which, as far as I am allowed to know, was indeed perfect. I've been told Kristina was initially mistaken for the bride. Oops. I've been told it took all day. I've been told Mareike tried on about 11 dresses. And I've been told that the dress was found. As far as I know, the list of people who have seen it is restricted. And I am certainly not on it. Some individuals have hinted at the fact that it might be white and beautiful, but other than that, I have no additional information. If you'd like details and are a female who can keep a secret, you'll have to speak directly with Mareike. But I don't have to see it to be certain it'll be perfect.

A direct translation from Mareike herself to bring the story to an end: "I had such a wonderful day and I will never forget it for the rest of my life. Thanks, hugs and kisses to Mama and Kristina, it was wonderful with you!" (And that's just buying a dress!)