Ah... the first trip to try on bridal gowns. It can be a dream come true, a wonderland of white and ivory silk. Or, as in my case when I got married, it can be a bit of a nightmare filled with samples sized 6 and 8 that were not so fun to squeeze into for a size 12 bride!

In any case, my sister is ready to dive into "the white sea," as I call the first glimpse at the endlessly long racks of wedding gowns at the big bridal stores. She called me today to invite me along on the hunt. She also made a call to the store to set up an appointment. It's important for the bride to set up an appointment to try on dresses at nearly any store or salon so the staff there will be prepared to devote their time and attention to her. The David's Bridal web site has some great tips about whether you should choose a weekend or weekday appointment and what your bride can expect when you set off on this big bridal gown adventure.

Often, many or all the bridesmaids will attend the dress shopping expedition but only if the bride asks, as my sister did in this case (the other two bridesmaids-to-be haven't yet been officially "asked!"). Also, many women will invite their mother to shop for the bridal gown since it can be a very sentimental moment (read: tearful -- bring tissues) for Mom to see her little girl in the "big white dress" for the first time.

Trying to net the perfect dress can be a squealing good time with the aforementioned tears of excitement at seeing your friend as a real bride for the first time. Nothing really makes it hit home that, yes, she's really going to get married, more than seeing her walk out of the dressing room in a wedding dress... any wedding dress.

I've already told you there could be tears at this milestone event but those were just the tears of joy. There may be -- as in my case when I tried on dresses a few years ago -- some tears of frustration. I had secretly thought of that day too many times and imagined myself as a lean, mean marrying machine. But the bride-to-be who walked out of the dressing room [me] was not the slender gal she'd been just a year or two before. This bride walked out of the room with one hand holding the back of the dress together because it was not even CLOSE to zipping. So, my moment in front of the mirror (and my mom and several of my bridesmaids) that was twinkling with possibility went "poof" and became a real downer for me.

I only tell you this to be prepared if there's a grimace and not a smile on the bride's face -- and if there is, do as my loved ones did for me and tell her she looks beautiful. After a little while, I did believe them, and later on when the dress was ordered in the proper size and had some alterations, I actually felt beautiful, too.