With only a few months to go before the wedding, Rory knew that one of the most important things that she really needed to get sorted out as soon as possible was her wedding dress. It hadn't really taken her long to decide on bridesmaids and had settled on having Lane, Paris, Honor and Steph and although they'd all wanted to help Rory with this important decision, their busy lives and conflicting schedules meant that it was just Honor and Steph that were able to go along with Lorelai when they all headed to New York for day of dress shopping.
They knew they were short on time when it came to ordering a dress as six months was normally the minimum lead time, however Rory was fast discovering that money talked, and in New York City, so did the Huntzberger name. Once the stores were fully aware of which family they were dealing with they were more than happy to bend over backwards to help Rory find the dress of her dreams. She did normally care to name-drop but Honor had pointed out that desperate times called for desperate measures!
Rory had spent some time doing some research on dresses and had found a boutique that carried some of the designers that she loved. When they arrived at the store, the sales assistant met them at the door and welcomed them all in.
"Hello, I am Bridget, and I'm going to help you find your dream gown," she said with a warm smile "You must be Lorelai?" she said holding her hand out to Rory.
"I am, but actually everyone calls me Rory" she smiled.
"Okay, Rory. Well, it's great to have you here. Shall we get started?" Bridget gestured for everyone to take a seat. "The first thing that we normally do with our brides is learn a little bit more about your wedding," she said. "Why don't you tell me a little bit about the groom and how you met."
Rory smiled. "His name is Logan and we have a little girl called Lily. We met at college a few years ago, Yale, which is where we are going to be having the ceremony. We've been apart for a little while but have recently got back together and live together in Hartford."
"`Sweet!" Bridget said "Yale is a beautiful campus. And the reception? Where will you be holding that?" she asked.
"We're having it in the ballroom at a brasserie just a couple of blocks away from Yale." Rory said "It's modern but with a very old New York kind of style. We really want the wedding to represent us but…" Rory paused, not sure how to say what she wanted to say without coming across a little elitist. "…we're both from quite prominent families locally so we are aware that there is a bit of an image to uphold - Logan's family more so as the Huntzbergers are in the media industry and very well known. Chances are we'll find our photo ending up somewhere in the press."
"Oh!" Bridget said, as she suddenly realised that she was dealing with quite a significant wedding and started to fully understand the importance of whatever dress they selected. "So is there anything, in particular, you have in mind?"
"Not really. I mean, I haven't really had a long time to think about it as everything has happened kind of fast." Rory smiled at Bridget. "I think I'd like to just try a few different silhouettes and see what suits me best if that's okay with you?"
Everyone had their own idea of what style Rory should have or what suited her best. Lorelai really wanted to see her baby girl in a big princess style ball gown, while Steph thought Rory would totally rock a figure-hugging mermaid style and Honor was sure that a classic A-line strapless style would suit her. Rory herself, she had no idea of what she wanted at all and she was completely open to suggestions.
"We can do this any way you want to" Bridget smiled "You're the bride after all. Now, always the difficult part…budget-wise what are we aiming for?"
Rory and Lorelai exchanged glances. Rory had never been comfortable when it came to spending and splurging. "Erm, there's no real budget. Whatever the right dress costs I guess" she said nervously.
"Excellent" Bridget said. "That gives us a lot of flexibility which is important given the short timescale we are working with. Let's go look at some dresses shall we?"
The ladies all walked around the boutique together looking at the racks and racks of dresses. Rory felt a little overwhelmed by the displays and so Lorelai and the girls all helped to pick out a dress they liked and Rory selected a couple of her own choices to try on. She headed back to a dressing room with Bridget while the girls took their seats in the staging area and enjoyed a glass of champagne.
"So Rory," Bridget said, "Which out of these dresses would be your favorite?"
Rory looked at them "This one" she said pointing to the dress she had first picked out for herself.
"We'll try that one on last then" Bridget smiled putting the dress to on side.
The first dress that Rory tried on was Lorelai's pick, which was a stunning ballet-inspired Vera Wang ball gown with a chapel train. More than a hundred yard of tulle gave the skirt it's frothy volume and the bodice was crystal-encrusted with rosettes designed into the skirt. It was a beautiful dress but Rory had never really seen herself as ball gown kind of girl and while she had to admit that Lorelai's choice was pretty stunning, it didn't really feel like her.
She stepped out into the waiting area so her entourage could see for herself. "Awwww" they all chorused as they saw Rory in a wedding dress for the first time.
"You look amazing Rory," Honor said.
"How do you feel in this dress?" Bridget asked as she adjusted the skirt.
"I think it's beautiful but it's not really me, you know?" Rory wrinkled her nose "I don't think I'd be comfortable in this style. Sorry, mom, I know you wanted me in a big poofy dress."
"It's your day kid" Lorelai smiled. "You've got to pick what you want."
Next Rory tried on the dress that Honor had picked out for her. Honor had fantastic taste and she had chosen a romantic, full-length, A-line gown from Badgley Mischka which was just so effortlessly elegant. It's fully beaded bodice with glimmering beading and an alluring, deep V-neckline was a stunning contrast against the dreamiest soft tulle skirt cascading down from a figure-flattering waistband. Rory liked this dress more than she had when she had first seen it, she really loved the tulle skirt. Honor really did know how to pick them she thought to herself as she smoothed down the dress and walked out to her friends. Again, they all cooed at Rory but while she felt a bit more comfortable in this gown it still didn't feel like the one for her so it was back to the drawing board.
Steph had picked out a gorgeous lace trumpet gown with a chic scalloped hem. The strapless gown, which had a corset back, featured an ultra-feminine sweetheart neckline and the beaded sash at the waist created a stunning focal point.
Rory looked at herself in the mirror. "Wow," she said to her own reflection as Bridget laced up the corset.
"Is that a good wow or a bad wow?" Bridget asked.
"I'm not sure, I mean wow, it's pretty show-stopping but I'm not sure it's the kind of look I am going for?"
Bridget tilted her head to look at Rory. "Let's take it out to the girls shall we and see what they say?"
"Va Va Voom!" Lorelai said when Rory stepped out "That's one sexy wedding dress!"
"I'm not sure sexy is what I was aiming towards…" Rory said as she twirled for them. While her friends all thought that it was a stunning design they all agreed that it didn't really fit in with her whole theme or the feel for the day.
Finally, it was on to the two dresses that Rory had selected for herself. The first dress was a crepe sheath wedding dress from Jenny Packham. It was the epitome of grace and elegance and it's highly embellished cap sleeves, back yoke and waistband just oozed old school Hollywood glamour. She liked how she looked in it and the group gave her a positive response making it a definite contender. Rory was happy that they seemed to be getting closer to where she wanted to be.
The final dress that Rory tried on and the one that she had pretty much set her heart on from the beginning was a full -length 'modern vintage' style dress from Badgley Mischka. The dress had a sheer overlay bodice, a jewel neckline and cap sleeves. Whimsical and soft, the A-line silhouette of the dress was created from layers of soft net over chiffon with a gathered waist and a chapel train. The intricate metallic embroidery detailing sparkled across the sheer overlay bodice.
Everyone could see that Rory's whole demeanor totally changed when she stepped out in the final dress. She walked much tall and she almost sparkled with happiness. As she stepped out into the area where the girls were waiting for her there was a collective gasp.
"Oh my god, That's the one kiddo," Lorelai said wiping tears away.
"You think?" Rory said as she looked at her mom nervously.
"I really do" Lorelai nodded. She couldn't believe how emotional the whole process was making her feel but she knew seeing her daughter so relaxed and happy in front of her that it was without a doubt the dress she needed to wear.
"That dress was made for you Rory" Steph nodded along with Lorelai.
"Honor?" Rory asked, "What do you think?"
Honor stood up and walked over to her. She placed her hands on Rory's arms and looked her in the eye. "Rory, I think my brother is going to just die when he sees you walking down the aisle to him wearing this. It's perfect" she smiled as she gave Rory a hug.
Rory looked at her own reflection. Yes, she thought, this was definitely the dress for her. She had loved it when she saw it on the rack but as soon as it was on, she knew that she was never going to want to take it off. She loved the way it flowed and moved and how it made her feel like a complete goddess. This was absolutely the dress that she wanted to wear to marry Logan.
Bridget helped a very reluctant Rory out of the dress. "Did you want to look at anything else while you are here? Mother-of-the-bride outfit? Bridesmaid dresses maybe?"
Rory nodded "Yes, I think that would be good to get those ticked off the list while we are here," she said, her motivation at a peak after successfully finding a dress for herself. She followed Bridget back out to the showroom to see what they could offer. Rory loved the style of the Jenny Packham bridesmaids dresses and was happy to let Honor and Steph choose the style, taking into consideration what might suit Paris and Lane too. The girls settled on a chiffon dress with a delicate Chantilly lace flutter-sleeve bodice with a thin ribbon sash accenting the waistline and a keyhole back. When it came to the color of the bridesmaid's dresses, she wanted to tie everything together and so to fit in with their wedding venue Rory picked a sophisticated a blue to match the famed 'Yale Blue', a color which was deeply ingrained in the culture of the university.
Once the bridesmaids were all sorted, Rory had even managed to convince Lorelai into getting her mother-of-the-bride outfit. Lorelai fell in love with a champagne ball gown with an intricate lace bodice complete with long lacy sleeves. The shimmering satin high-low ball skirt dipped to the floor at the back and was calf-length at the front and was finished off with an oversized sash bow. It was way more than Lorelai could afford to spend on one dress but Rory insisted on buying it for her because it suited her so well.
"Well I'm exhausted ladies but I think there's one thing left to do," Rory said as the girls all looked at her expectantly. "Shoes!" she squealed. They jumped into a cab and headed to Jimmy Choo to pick some shoes to finish off their outfits.
Lorelai was uneasy about spending so much money on one pair of shoes.
"Rory, this is way too much," she said as Rory spoke to the sales assistant to pay the bill which had run into thousands of dollars. "I can't let you pay for all of this!"
"Don't worry" Rory said "I'm not, Dad is," she said waving Christopher's credit card.
"Right," Lorelai said as she rolled her eyes "I forget that your dad has all this money these days. In that case, spend away, Chris owes me a few birthday presents" she winked.
When she got back home Rory collapsed on the sofa next to Logan.
"Successful day?" he asked as he looked across at her.
"I have a dress, the bridesmaids have dresses, even my mom has a dress. And we all have very sparkly shoes courtesy of Jimmy Choo. Well, and my father of course" Rory winked. "I'd call that pretty successful."
"Wow, Ace you actually got a dress? Can I see what it looks like?" Logan asked.
Rory rolled her eyes. "Of course you can't see it, Logan, you know that it's really bad luck!" Rory tutted "You'll just have to wait but luckily you really don't have to wait all that long. I just hope you like it."
"You could wear a burlap sack for all I care," Logan said as he pulled Rory over to him "I really can't wait. Only three months until I finally get to call you Mrs Huntzberger" he said as he pressed his lips gently to hers.
Rory closed her eyes and felt herself melting into the kiss. Yes, she thought, I definitely like the sound of that.