Be Careful What You Wish For

So as the days between now and the wedding quickly dwindle, so does the opportunity for me to slim down to my ideal bridal size.

Unfortunately, I often cannot concentrate on losing weight and toning up until panic mode sets in. I need a swift kick in the butt to get going -- and it came a few weeks ago at the wedding of a dear friend of mine.

Though I've always thought of her as having the perfect body, she looked so incredible in her wedding gown that I just had to ask her how she'd gotten her arms so perfectly toned. She simply replied, "Pilates". That's what did it.

Since then, the gym has become my second home. I take Pilates twice per week and I've been running like Jackie Joyner Kersee (well, almost). I'm pretty proud of myself and I'm really starting to see results, both on the scale and in the mirror {ODH has a tendency to remind me as well!}.

I'll admit, I'm still a sucker for an occasional serving of French Fries, but as the days roll on, the severity of the situation starts to outweigh my craving for junk food.

And, as with every great undertaking, this fitness project has several important check points that allow me to track my progress.

The first of these came in the form of my first dress fitting. As the day approached, I remember thinking to myself how disappointed I'd be if the dress simply fit perfectly without any need to really take it in. I thought, for sure, that would be a sign of failure in my efforts to shrink (for lack of a better word).

Well, ladies....Be careful what you wish for!

Upon arriving at the bridal salon, I shuffled down the hall into the dressing room eager to step into my dress. I hadn't seen it since February, and even then it was a sample. This dress was mine and I couldn't wait to be in it.

I stepped into the dress and experienced a flood of emotion from several angles.

First, I was thrilled at how incredibly gorgeous it was! I loved it even more than I did when I purchased it and I literally squealed with excitement.

Second, I was struck with how unbelievably large the garment was -- at least three sizes too big. {Oh no!}

The size issue was the result of their ordering the dress up a size (possibly two) for some reason, coupled with my losing a fairly significant amount of weight (or inches, to be precise).

While I tried to remain composed, the seamstress, the attendants, and the salon owner assured me that they would do everything in their power to ensure that it would fit perfectly on the wedding day.

The salon owner quickly called the designer to see if we could get a new dress in the right size in time for the wedding. No such luck.

The seamstress, the attendant, and the head of the alterations department then took my new measurements and plotted a course of action for the coming weeks to ensure dress perfection.

Between now and the end of September they will work to essentially take apart the dress and re-stitch it down to my size. I will then come back for another fitting (and I guarantee I'll be even smaller than I was at the first). Between the end of September and October 30th, they will continue to alter the dress down as I likely continue to lose weight, and I'll come back for two more fittings.

Hopefully, in the end, the dress will be perfect and I'll feel my very best....here's hopin'!