Dressed to the Nines

When I was a sophomore in college, a friend at another school asked me to be his date for a formal. I said yes, and of course I went shopping and bought a new dress. I found it on sale and paid a great price for it. A few weeks before the formal, he told me it was being postponed. I was slightly disappointed, but he said he'd let me know when it would be rescheduled and see if I could still go. 

The following spring, he told me the formal was scheduled for February. However, he had started dating someone, and so had I. He still asked me if I wanted to go to formal with him since we had originally planned to go together before it was rescheduled, but I declined as it wouldn't feel right to since we both had significant others. 

I purchased this dress nearly 13 years ago. And sadly, I never got the chance to wear it. When I graduated from college, I did an unofficial senior photoshoot wearing this dress. My friend who tagged along ended up taking some photos herself and snapped this photo of me. 

She ended up being our wedding photographer (we were her very first wedding!) and is a well-established photographer now.

I had a lot of fun at the photoshoot, and the pictures I did receive bring back fun memories, but the dress was never showcased or seen by anyone other than the two of them. 

When I graduated from college, the dress moved back home with me and stayed in my closet for a year while I lived overseas. It stayed in my childhood closet when I moved back home. It migrated to our apartment with me after I got married and moved out. And finally, it came to our master bedroom closet when we purchased our first house together where it's been since. 

Occasionally, I found myself pulling out the dress, admiring it, trying it on, and lamenting the fact I would probably never get a chance to wear it in my life. The dress was long, black, and formal. How many occasions would I have to wear a dress like that again? 

2023 was going to be the year. I was asked to play piano at a wedding, and the wedding dress code was cocktail formal. Miraculously, the dress still fit. This was going to be possibly the one and only time I would ever wear this dress. 

My husband and I enjoyed our time at this wedding. We didn't bring the kids with us as kids weren't allowed, but we had wonderful friends who kept them overnight for us so we didn't have to pick them up late and drive all the way home. So this was the first wedding in a long time where we could feed ourselves without needing to keep children quiet or prevent them from spilling/breaking/dropping anything they weren't supposed to. 

The outdoor area was beautiful although I'm so glad they
changed it to an indoor wedding. Best decision ever. The high was 102. 

I waited 13 years for a chance to wear this dress. I would never have thought so in college, but I'm glad I didn't have anywhere to wear this dress until now. My first (and potentially last) time wearing this dress will be with my husband. There's no event more special than one I get to attend with him by my side.

Happy nine years to the absolute best person I could have ever chosen to spend my life with. 🥰