I bought my dress two weeks ago today. I absolutely love it and can't wait for it to come in toward the end of July. It is perfect for me and my mom and I both loved it so much. She told me that it is 100% "me" and she wouldn't change a thing about it.
I never wanted a bright white dress because it always looked so stark to me. I wanted something softer. So, I ended up with Allure C243 in ivory/cafe. Many have said that Allure's ivory is one of the lightest they've seen, and it does look "off white" to me and the cafe color is not dark, but is darker than the lace and gives it a bit of contrast, which I love. The color seems very vintage to me. Both my mom and I love it. We briefly thought about ordering ivory/ivory, but just loved it the way it was on the sample with the cafe, so we ordered it just the same.
I know I was taking a risk telling/showing people what I was ordering because others may not like it as much as I do. Still, I wanted to include my family and I'm so excited about it, so I have shared it with some of my important family members.
This weekend, I was visiting my family for my little sister's birthday. My mom brought out her wedding dress and offered me the lace from it for her veil. Super sweet! My grandmother (mom's mom) had the thought to also bring hers to my sister's party so that afterwards we could see if there's anything I could use from it as well. Both sides of the family were at my sister's party and when my grandmother brought out her dress (it was a lovely light champagne satin with beaded lace embroidery on the front and a beaded neckline) my granny (dad's mom) was surprised by the color. My grandmother explained that she got it in the city on sale as a sample and that it was cheap and she liked it, so she took it home. My family is very practical and my mother picked her dress much the same way (it was $150 off the rack). I thought the color was beautiful and mentioned that it was somewhat similar to the dress I got in that it was slightly darker than typical. My granny made a somewhat snarky comment like "oh, it's not WHITE then...". No, it's not white.
My family is very religious and conservative and I still think that my granny holds to the thought that pure brides wear white and that if I don't I'll be judged. Or maybe it's more that she will be judged. I don't know.
My mom has assured me that she still loves my dress, even (and especially) the color and that she knows I do too. She has told me to ignore my granny since she will be negative about everything anyway. My granny is one that if it doesn't go the way she thinks it should, it's wrong. I'm sure I'll be doing many things "wrong". My mom says not to let it get to me and that the wedding I'm planning reflects me and Fi well and will be beautiful. She also mentioned that my dad, my mom, and my grandmother would not let me do anything that was truly distasteful, regardless of if my granny seems to think it is. My mom has been holding back many wedding details just to minimize the negativity. It's just how my granny is.
I know my mom is right. I'm just having a hard time coming to grips that someone I care about doesn't like my dress choice. Everyone else loves it (or at least has had the sense to tell me they love it). I guess it doesn't matter either way. I love my dress and I wouldn't change it for another even if I could.
I just wanted to get it out because I know other brides here may understand and relate with similar experiences of their own. Many have it much worse from family than I have gotten so far. I'm thankful for that, but can't help but feel a little down.
"They say there's no such place... as Paradise. Even if you search to the ends of the Earth, there's nothing there. No matter how far you walk, it's always the same road. It just goes on and on. But, in spite of that... Why am I so driven to find it? A voice calls to me... It says, 'Search for Paradise.' " - Kiba, Wolf's Rain