Stephanie recommended Erin to an old high school friend of her and Randy's. Maria Kallenis was the designer of Maria Kallenis Couture. She created magnificent gowns for celebrities and debutantes all around New York. She was known for her impeccable style, her astute attention to detail and her luxurious gowns that were created specifically to the bride's desires.
Accompanying his wife, mother, and mother-in-law, Randy tagged along for the wedding dress shopping. He figured that if Erin was going to buy a dress, he should at least have some sort of say in it. Erin, Marie, and Kate told Randy that it was bad luck that the groom saw the bride's dress; to which Randy replied, 'Does it matter if it's going to be on the floor later that night?'
Needless to say, none of the ladies were slightly amused.
Maria greeted her newest clientele to her boutique. "Hello everyone, I'm Maria."
Erin gushed when she met Maria. She was always a fan of her creations and for Maria to design her wedding dress was something next to seeing Stacy trip and fall on her face. "I'm Erin! I'm such a big fan of your dresses! I love what you do!"
"Well, thank you. I'll make sure that we'll create something that is unique to your personal style."
"Just make sure she's sexy. I want the whole world to see what I see on a nightly basis." Randy chimed in as Erin elbowed him. "What did I say now?"
Maria smiled as she gave Randy a hug. "Randy Orton. Haven't changed a bit since high school."
"Don't plan to." He smiled as Erin stared at him. "Unless…um…you want me to, you know?"
"Can we see the gowns while the children fight?" Marie asked.
"Sure! Right this way, Mrs. Orton." Maria led Marie and Kate to a private area.
Randy waited for the ladies to leave before he addressed Erin. "Oh, I'm so buying you a punching bag later."
"Stop saying stupid shit and you won't have to worry about me socking you, Orton." Erin replied.
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A few minutes later, Erin and Randy joined their mothers as Maria was describing various gowns to them. Maria was explaining the various gowns that would go best for outdoor weddings and various seasons. Since Erin was having a spring wedding, Maria recommended something nice and light for her.
Later, Maria explained to Erin the variety of fabrics for her gown. As Maria was going into intricate detail, Randy interrupted her. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Maria slightly turned to Randy and saw the serious look on his face. "Um, sure. Erin, I'll be right back."
"Okay! I'll keep looking at the gowns." Erin smiled.
Maria followed Randy to a private corner. "What's up?"
"Hey, I was wondering if you can do me a huge favor."
"Yeah, sure, what is it?"
Randy pulled out several folded pieces of paper and handed them to Maria. "I want you to show these to Erin and present them as your own creations for her."
Maria opened the papers and saw what appeared to be Randy's own sketches of wedding gowns. One sketch had a plunging neckline while another had the dress looking similar to a micro-mini. Maria was known for her class and elegance and what Randy gave her was something short of a hip-hop model fashion scale.
"Randy, she's not going to believe that I created these."
"Yeah, she will. You heard that she loves your creations. Just give it a shot." Randy smiled.
"Do you really want your wife to look like a high-priced hooker on your wedding day?"
"She's not going to look like some slut, Maria."
Maria held up another one of Randy's creations to his face. "I'm sure your mother is going to love her ass hanging out like this."
"Just try it, alright?" Randy looked at his watch. "I need to meet up with John. Just show the sketches to her, okay?"
"Whatever, Randy." Maria shrugged.
She watched Randy leave and she headed back towards the fitting area. She saw Marie, Kate, and Erin look through various gowns. Erin decided that she was going to wear something strapless and lots of curls in her hair. She also decided that she was going to forego the traditional veil and wear flowers in her hair.
"Erin, can I meet with you real quick?" Maria pulled her aside.
"Yeah, sure. What's up?"
Maria pulled out Randy's designs and showed Erin. "Um, Randy wanted me to show you what he designed for you on your wedding day."
"What the?" Erin said as she looked through the designs.
"Yeah. He wanted me to show you these designs as mine, but I couldn't do that. I don't create stuff like this."
"Well, I know it wasn't you." Erin pointed to a corner on the page. "See that? RKO creations." She shook her head. "My husband, the genius. Is he gone?"
"Yes he is!" Maria answered.
"Good, so let's get rid of these…" Erin began shredding Randy's designs.
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After a couple hours of brainstorming through various ideas and models, Maria and Erin decided on a rough sketch of the wedding dress. Maria informed Erin that the sketch would take roughly three to six months to design and it needed to fit her to a tee. It also meant that Erin would need to lay off the French fries for a while so she would be able to fit into her gown.
Several months went past before Erin and Maria met up again so she could see the finished product of her gown. Leaving Randy at home, Erin was accompanied by Marie and Kate as they walked inside Maria's boutique.
"Are you ready to try on your gown?" Maria said excitedly.
Erin couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear. "Yes!"
"Good, follow me." Maria walked towards the fitting area.
Marie and Kate waited anxiously for Erin's reappearance in the waiting room. They overheard Erin giggling about how she needed to back away from the cheesecake but it didn't matter since Randy liked her curves anyways.
Maria came out from the dressing room. "Are you ladies ready to see Erin in all of her glory?"
"Not naked, right?" Kate laughed. "I've seen that before."
"Introducing Mrs. Randy Orton—again." Maria said as Erin made her appearance.
Marie and Kate couldn't believe what they saw right before their eyes. Erin had transformed herself from a giggling college student to a sophisticated woman in just a matter of minutes. During their months of designing, Erin and Maria created a blush shade chiffon strapless gown. The gown was A-line and it streamlined from Erin's waist. There was a light train that trailed Erin's feet and the train was in shape of a heart.
There were various rhinestones on the gown and the light pink color was noticeable in the light. Erin didn't want a traditional white gown for she didn't want to look like everyone else. Instead, she chose a variation of her favorite color.
"So…" Erin beamed. "Do you like it?"
Kate had tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh my…my baby…" She walked over to Erin and wiped her tears. "My baby is all grown-up!"
Marie couldn't help to be a little emotional as well. "You look absolutely beautiful, Erin."
Erin smiled as she turned around and looked at herself in the mirrors. While she has been caught up in a whirlwind of a romance and relationship, it was the gown that Erin felt like she was a princess for the first time in her life.