"How the fuck do women breathe in dresses like this?" Winona mumbled.
"It's not that bad," the woman behind her chuckled. "There, all done. What do you think?"
Winona looked at her mirror image and sighed. She didn't harvest any hard feelings towards the woman helping her in the dressing room. She was just doing her job. But she hated the wedding dress with its tight corset that the woman had just tied. It came with a full, poofy skirt to make her look like a princess. She was so not a princess type of woman.
"You don't look happy about it," the woman said.
"It doens't fit my eyes and hair," Winona tried.
The woman found Winona's light green eyes in the mirror and smiled at her. Her green eyes and her butter blonde hair wasn't the issue. The dress was.
"Everything looks good with white," the woman said. "It's okay to hate it. You can try on another dress. I'm here for you all afternoon to find the right dress."
"No, my mother chose this. She's gonna throw a fit if she doesn't see me in it," Winona sighed. "Worst part is that I know she'll love it."
Winona stepped out of the dressing room to show the dress to her mother and her mother in law. Both women had come along for the appointment. Not because Winona had asked. They had demanded to come. Both her and Roman's parents were trying to take over the wedding, and so far they were succeeding more and more.
Winona studied the two women busy looking at something on Roman's mother's phone. Whatever it was, her mother clearly agreed with what she was being shown. She already knew it would be wedding related, and that she most likely wouldn't be given a choice. Not that it mattered anymore. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. The wedding didn't fucking matter anymore.
"What do you think of this one?" The woman asked.
Winona could really have used the woman not saying anything in that moment. Both women looked up from the phone and started smiling.
"That's the one," her mother said.
"There's others I'd like to try," Winona said.
"No, that's the one, sweety. I'm paying so I get a say, and I'm saying that's the one," her mother said.
She had never asked her mother to pay for anything. She would gladly pay for her own wedding dress if it meant not having to wear this dress, but she knew her mother would never let it go. It was best to just accept it to avoid a fight.
"What are you looking at?" Winona asked.
"Oh, they found the perfect venue for the wedding," her mother said.
"But we already found..." Winona started.
"We already put down the deposit and it's non-refundable," Roman's mother said. "You don't want us to lose that money, do you?"
"I guess not," Winona looked down.
"Good. Then it's settled," Roman's mother said. "Here, take a look."
Winona was handed the phone and she looked through the pictures. It was a beautiful almost castle-looking place. It looked expensive and so not anything her or Roman would want. This was once again their parents idea of a perfect wedding.
"It's alright," Winona handed the phone back.
"Alright?" Roman's mother frowned. "It's perfect."
"If you say so," Winona said.
"Let me see the ball room again," her mother said.
Winona walked into the dressing room again. The woman followed and helped her out of the dress.
"Do you wanna try on something else?" The woman asked unsurely.
"No," Winona sighed. "It doesn't matter what I try on. It's gonna be this one. We might as well cut it short instead of taking up anymore of your time."
Winona cast a quick clance at the short cocktail dress she had picked out. It was white with gold embroidery. It was beautiful without being over the top. The gold was just the right amount, and the dress was short and giving the vibe of being a more normal party than a big, fancy wedding. She was never going to wear that dress. It was a stupid dream that she left in the dressing room. She put her clothes back on and walked out to the two women who were in the progress of discussing flowers.
"We gotta keep it classic. Everyone that matters will attend, and everyone else will see the pictures. Roses. It has to be roses," Roman's mother said.
"Red and white, of course," her mother chimed in. "Do we dare with some pink ones as well? It might be a risky move but it could pay off."
"I don't like roses," Winona said.
"Pink will look good," Roman's mother said.
Of course they ignored Winona. She sighed and waited for them to even notice her. It wasn't until the woman came out with the bagged dress that the women looked up. The dress wasn't going home with them. It had to stay for later alterations but her mother still had to put down a deposit.
"You are going to be the most beautiful bride ever," her mother beamed.
"I'm sure every bride feels that way," Winona shrugged.
"Don't be an ungrateful brat!" Her mother hissed. "After all we've done for you with this wedding, the least you could do is show some gratitude."
"Thank you," Winona said.
"That's better, sweety," her mother smiled. "Okay, how about you take us old ladies out for a cup of coffee somewhere? After all, we've been paying for so much of this wedding that we deserve a cup of coffee."