Me? Judgmental?? Well...erm...yes.

Despite the fact that I've found my wedding dress (second fitting was today), I still troll Craigslist to see who's selling their used gowns. Some of the same ones have been showing up for months now. There are the $100 or $200 stunners that have been stored in closets since 1978 and are in perfect condition, except for the ghastly mutton-chop sleeves and huge butt bows. Then there are the cheap resales of cheap David's Bridal meringues. Yeesh. And then there are the real doozies: the $4,000 "incredible steals" from women who paid $6,000 for their dresses new and are offering to "throw in" a veil or clutch or ring pillow or newborn cousin if you'll just help them recoup some cash. All I can say is: if you paid $6,000 for a wedding dress, you're a fool. And if you'll pay $4,000 for a used wedding dress and think you've landed a bargain, you're an even bigger fool. I don't care how much money you have; spending thousands of dollars on a dress is obscene. There are families in countries you've never been to who could live for three years or more on the kind of money you're considering throwing away on a garment you're going to wear for maybe six hours. Get a damn grip. End of rant.

Dress news

I went to my first dress fitting on Monday. It's been months since I saw the dress, and as I slipped it on and stood in front of the mirror, I was struck by its utter simplicity. There's not a sequin, bead, pearl or piece of lace on it. The tailor is going to put a corset in to replace the zipper that closes the back. And she'll make me something in organza to cover my shoulders. She needed to take the dress in about four inches, so tomorrow I go for my second fitting. If the fit is right, we'll mark the hem. I should be able to pick it up a week later. Then I'll go to work embellishing my blank slate in whatever way I wish. I haven't figured out what I want to do yet, beyond embroidering the names of my single women friends into the inside hem. In other news, next week I go for a makeup lesson from a pro. I don't want someone coming to fuss over my face the day of the wedding. I know a lot of women go for this, but the idea makes me nervous. I want someone to do my hair (and my sisters'), and I want to do our makeup. Stacey the makeup pro will show me how.