The arrival of the Wedding dress began many months, shopping trips and fittings earlier.  We drank many bottles of wine and champagne with friends and family on this journey to her special dress.  After all this is the most important wedding item to be purchased and it has to be "the Dress."  She kept telling me "you just know".  I kept asking myself "when will she know"   I am not sure how many dresses the bride tried on, but I kept waiting for her to say "This is the dress."  They need to prepare all mothers of the bride with an endless amount of wine and valium for these shopping trips that are to be so much fun!!!!  "Right".  The one thing that you figure out is that by the time you have sat through trying on 60-80 dresses you are ready to pay anything just to hear the words "This is the dress!!!"

This has to be wedding dress marketing at its best.  But those words were finally screamed with joy and laughter by the bride in San Francisco a year ago this month and the journey began.  Let me tell you that I was one relieved mother of the bride and I did not care what the dress cost as long as it was with in reason.  After all we could always serve less expensive wine.

The day before her wedding I drove into San Francisco to pick the dress up all altered, pressed and ready to be worn.  They ask you when you arrive: "Are you going right to the wedding?"  Who in their right mind would pick a dress up a couple of hours before the bride is to wear it?  This means you must store this long gown with a train and veil until the wedding.  How do you transport it and keep the dress pressed?  All these ridicules questions were going through my mind as I watched a 20 something girl stuff the dress into a dress bag with no care given to keeping the wrinkles out.  Why did I pay $100 to press it, I asked myself.  Why would she ask me how long it was going to be in the car if it would be wrinkled before I left the store?  These questions seemed like pondering the beginning of the universe.

We needed a place to hang and store the dress overnight. Here is where my friends Dennis and Midge came in.   Anyone who does not know Midge; needs to know that she is a perfectionist.  She does not aspire to be one; she is one. Who better to fit the role of "Keeper of the Dress"?   Now as all of you know the "Keeper of the Dress" has to have an assistant and that was her husband Dennis.  His duties included greeter of the dress when it arrived at the house, helping me find a suitable place to hang the dress after all a closet would not do as the dress would hit the floor and lord forbid wrinkle.   

Finally Midge made him go up every hour to make sure that the dress had not moved or fallen off the hanger to the floor. 

Now I know this is the greatest responsibility of the Wedding; because if anything happens to the dress, what are you going to do?

The Day of the Wedding dawned bright and clear with perfect weather and many phone calls to coordinate the Royal Arrival.  With Midge as the Commander in Chief of this deployment and Dennis as the Captain; the dress began its royal journey from their house to the Country Club where my daughter was to dress and get married.  This is about a three mile drive and of course the car had to be prepared by putting the seats down and spreading sheets out on which to lay the dress.  The journey from the house began with the donning of white gloves.  Why only the best would do.  The double front doors were opened and the dress carefully loaded into their Mercedes SUV.  After all no wrinkles or dirt were permissible on this journey.  Midge even confessed that she wore no make up so that in case the wind blew the dress would get a stain.  This was a major sacrifice as no women wants to be seen without make up.

The Royal Arrival of the Wedding Dress at the club was witnessed by several of the staff and wedding party. I was sure they thought us all crazy until I remembered that this was an every weekend occurrence for them.    The double glass front doors were opened.  Midge, the commander in chief, gave orders to all who were there to help and the photographer snapped shoots as the dress entered the club. The arrival continued with the dress being held high and Dennis as page making sure the train did not touch to floor as it was marched up the stairs to the bride. I am sure that my daughter was more than a little jealous of the royal arrival, because she certainly did not have nearly this much pomp and attention when she arrived an hour earlier. 

I will always remember this part of the wedding day.  I can just hear Midge now as she says "Dennis, Dennis, watch that dress!!!" "Dennis...... 

A special thanks to our friends Midge and Dennis who not only are the best but executed this part of the Wedding to perfection.  Knowing Midge I would never have expected less.