My sister has a thing for numbers. She and her fiancé met on the 22nd in the fall years ago, and they will be married on October 22nd of this year. Naturally, it was ideal that plans lined up perfectly for us to go shopping for her wedding dress last Friday, on January 22nd.
It was a whole-day affair. I met up with Salia, Mom, Josh’s mom, and Josh’s sister Sarah at my parents’ house just before noon to prepare for the dress trip. Salia decided long ago that she loved the designs of Alfred Angelo, whom you might know as the curator of the Disney Bridal Collection. They have a salon in Beverly Hills, right next to Beverly Center. After 45 minutes in the car, the excitement in the air amongst the five of us was palpable.
She tried on eight dresses and felt beautiful in every one. I took 220 pictures – and she looks beautiful in every one. I only wish I could share even one photo of Salia in white – but I’m not one for spoilers. We all cried. We all laughed. We walked out of there with a wedding dress ordered, bridesmaid dresses potentially chosen, and a canceled 4:30 pm appointment at David’s Bridal. I’m not sure it could have gone better.
We celebrated our success with a round of Ice Blended drinks from Coffee Bean (and drank them while sitting outside next to a space heater. Can you tell we are from Southern California?) and a quick jaunt at the Beverly Center. Ironically, we spent more time driving from Beverly Hills to Culver City for dinner than we did perusing the shops at the mall.
Once we finally met up with Dad and Josh for dinner, the reality of what just happened set in. Salia had found her dress in one day – and they’ll be married in 9 months! We enjoyed a delicious meal on the patio of Akasha, a lush restaurant in the gorgeous Hull Building in downtown CC with a menu that rotates seasonally. If you like farm-to-table, you’ll love this place.
After watching all those Say Yes to the Dress episodes with her, it was so fun to see Salia have her time in front of the mirror. It will be so fun watching this wedding take shape!
