[16 yr old] Rehearsal Dinner Dress

I love this dress! I have owned it for 16 and 1/2 years. My mom and I went to Seattle together at some point during my engagement to Kevin. It was during this trip that we walked into BCBG (at that time it was still on the street and not in it’s current location at the downtown mall Pacific Place). My mom saw it, picked up, and said, “Here, try this on.” Well, I did, and we both fell in love with it. For one, it’s paisley; for some reason I have always had a love affair with paisley. The other great part of this dress aside from all the muted, natural colors is the classic cut. I’ve had this dress for many years, and when I put this dress on for our date night to celebrate our anniversary, I still felt as pretty as the bride I was 16 years ago! And luckily, it still fits–which is a good thing.

The rehearsal dinner 16 years ago was such a special night. Jane and Alex held it on the roof of the Cavanaugh Hotel in Spokane. It was splendidly elegant! We were joined with good friends and our supportive family, the sky was crystal clear with a perfect temperature, the food was delicious, and the wine overflowing. (The wait staff had repeatedly carded me for my I.D.–which was in the hotel room. Finally the manager put a stop to that, and then it was like a free flowing jug. I remember my little brother Nicholas and one of Kevin’s younger cousins also getting a little tipsy. It was all good though!) For Kevin and I, our rehearsal dinner was just as special as the next big day. I truly felt like the most special bride of all–as every bride should!

And now a little comment on my jewellery: I wore the new “A” Kevin gave me for our 16th anniversary (This Etsy shop makes similar charms). I added a rhinestone bauble to dress it up (similar). My lipstick is Destinée by Chanel; it’s a super natural berry color that the library ladies in Beijing gave me–since I’m a lipstick librarian!

Do you have a dress or item that just makes you just feel pretty, inside and out? Please share!