Girl talk: Of pouf and panties

• The Wedding Planner's Web log

By Tanya Bricking
Advertiser Staff Writer

Monday, Nov. 3, 2003

Today's lesson in wedding planning: Undergarments.

I went for my first wedding gown fitting today. The dress shop saleswoman told me when I made the appointment to make sure to bring the shoes and undergarments I planned on wearing the day of the wedding.

The shoes were no problem. But hunting for undergarments isn't exactly a piece of cake in this town.

After finding nothing at the mall, and being hesitant to buy something in a department store where the lingerie department clerk wasn't sure how to measure me, I went online and bought a bra/body-hugger-type undergarment recommended by a bridal magazine. (Was my first mistake to trust a bridal magazine?) Suffice to say I hadn't tried it on before I went to the fitting and tested it out.

I put it on, and the seamstress helped me step into the dress. (I can't mention exactly what the dress looks like because I don't want my fiancé to read about it. It's all right with me if he wonders what's underneath.) So the seamstress zipped up the gown and said it looked like it was going to fit great.

I was immediately depressed. Fit great? This was a dress I ordered a size bigger than the one I originally tried on because I thought she was going to alter it down to fit me perfectly. I mean, she would need to alter it down, right? Horrors! I've skipped too many days at the gym.

People in the store were nice, though. They told me how beautiful the dress looked as my seamstress, a petite woman named Yee, placed pins strategically around the bodice. She adjusted the hem and showed me how the small train would bustle. Then she took me back to the dressing room and told me I could come back in two weeks for a final fitting.

I was feeling a little deflated despite all the poofiness the dress shop could provide. (And there is high poofiness potential. I opted to forgo the crinoline slip to take it down a notch.)

I started daydreaming about girdles in a desperate attempt to stop feeling like the Michelin Man.

So I asked Yee for some advice about my choice of undergarments. Good thing I asked. She was back in a flash with a better bra and tips on what kind of panties would work best. (From what I gathered, I should go for a tight-fitting, supportive bra and bottoms that are either a little long or G-string so they don't create a panty line.)

The better bra was like magic. I put it on and the seamstress pinned in the dress about another two inches. Sold! The bra could be the best 55 bucks I've spent on wedding accessories. The women sitting around the fitting room area liked it so much that I heard one of them ask if it came in black. Nope, just white, the seamstress said. It is a wedding gown shop, after all.

I've been on a high ever since I left the shop. Then I did something that made me feel even better: I perused a sampling of wedding-dress pictures that, in comparison, really make me look like a princess.

For any bride who feels a bit like a puff pastry trying on wedding dresses, poking fun at others is always good therapy. See the "ugly wedding dress of the day" at www.uglyweddingdress.com for a pretty hilarious pick-me-up. (The master behind the site considers it a public service, to "seek out the ugliest wedding dresses in existence so you don't have to.")

I know it's a little mean, but it doesn't really make fun of real brides. The site mostly ridicules model shots from designers. Most of the models look anorexic, so they don't have my undergarment issues. But now that I know how to cinch two inches off my waist, I could forsake comfort and wear my new $55 purchase under anything. Even if it's just to sit in front of my computer and hope it doesn't hurt when I have a good laugh.

Tanya Bricking writes about relationships for The Advertiser. Reach her at tbricking@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8026.

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