Who: Cora Hale and Wendy Darling What: Wendy takes Cora wedding dress shopping/looking. Or as Cora calls it, torture When: 1 March 2015, afternoon Where: Dress boutique Warnings: None Status: Log | Complete
Going to a boutique to look for something gorgeous for a wedding was essentially Wendy’s idea of a perfect afternoon, and she wasn’t even the one getting married. She also knew that Cora equated such an experience to a potential root canal performed with a rusty nail gun, so she’d aim to make it as painless as possible. First, to numb the inevitable pain, she’d gotten them both something delicious at a coffee shoppe in Costa Mesa that had unique drinks and frozen yogurt with things like Mochi and red beans - the iced lavender latte (it had kind of a nutty flavour, surprisingly) was what Wendy had purchased, and was still drinking it as they wandered into the bridal boutique.
“This’ll be grand, you can get something made, all couture-like, cheaper than what you’d pay if you got it off the rack,” she explained, or at least that was the case at this particular place. And Wendy had already done her research, plus called ahead to make an appointment. It was a hidden gem of a place in a little shopping area, and she wanted to make sure that everything would be set if Cora found something she liked.
Wendy was also thisclose to begging if she could be the one to plan a bridal shower for the engaged couple, but would wait for the right moment rather than burst right now.
Cora had lost the battle in regards to wearing a nice dress suit. No. She was apparently to wear a dress. Something about how she would look gorgeous, just trust me and Lydia looking at her all imploringly. And really, sometimes it was nice to be able to fall to those discussions when the world around them was going insane. When Lydia still had the Dreams to contend with. They at least had narrowed down the when. Which was another reason she had agreed to this outing. Supposedly.
“Right….”
This was so out of Cora’s league. She was also pretty convinced that Lydia would be better at picking something for her to wear. Tradition or something like that dictated though that they weren’t supposed to see one another in their wedding dresses? Was that it? Cora couldn’t keep track. Honestly, she’d be perfectly fine just up and eloping. Go to the courthouse, do the paperwork and call it good. Yet here she was.
It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate Wendy’s help. She did, because Wendy would have a better idea on what she should possibly wear. It just seemed Wendy was more excited about this than Cora was.
They had narrowed it down a when, but was there a where? It was important! Beach weddings meant flowy gowns, something without fuss. If it was at a fancy hotel or something, maybe a ballgown would do. Then again, Wendy couldn’t picture Cora in anything very poofy anyway. “I brought along some pictures of different gowns!” she announced, reaching into her rather large-and-in-charge handbag (this wasn’t a day for something dainty) to pull out a folder. Of course she had a folder.
Iced coffee with melting ice tossed into the trash, she focused on the task at hand. The wedding dress would be custom made for Cora, which meant months of work to create the beautiful frock and a series of alterations to fit her body perfectly - but it was fun! So fun.
“What sort of style do you think you’d like best?” she asked. “A-line, a mermaid skirt...” This chart was very handy. Wendy was nothing if not prepared.
Cora was going to have a headache by the end of the day. She was positive about this. There was no way she was getting out of this unscathed and wanting to just disappear. Why had she agreed to this again? Oh right. One less thing for Lydia to worry about. And she could survive this. Really… Hopefully. They’d figure out a venue though.
“You’re enjoying this far too much…. And you have a binder. Of course you do.”
That was all there was to it. Most girls apparently dreamed of their perfect wedding, seemed Cora missed out on that one during her childhood. It was always trying to keep up with Laura and Derek. And here she was. Getting married. God, was she insane? No. It made sense. Her and Lydia just made sense and that was what was important. That and getting through this hell.
Looking at the different designs, Cora sighed.
“I guess some sort of a-line…”
Really this was so not her thing. Cora knew nothing about dresses.
See, that was good, that was progress. Wendy liked the a-line too, it was very sleek and clean. “It’d be good for your body type, it’ll create some nice curves,” she said, because Cora was very slender, though really, the a-line was a good choice for most any bride. “But, oh, I don’t know...”
She pulled back a moment, binder in hand, studying Cora thoughtfully with a discerning squint of ice blue eyes. “If you really wanted a pants suit, they could do that here too - it’s actually kind of a new thing, you know? Plus, you can wear more accessories with a pants suit than you can a dress. Or did Lydia already convince you to go for a dress?” The poor dear looked miserable, and Wendy just wanted to make sure she was fine with all of this. There was no rule necessarily that said the bride had to wear a traditional gown.
It would be a nice pants suit. Organza, chiffon, silk, maybe a touch of satin? The materials were luxurious and pretty.
All Cora could do was nod slowly at the comment about it being good for her body type. Wow was she ever out of her element. So she would just let those who had more of an eye for fashion handle that aspect. Because if left to Cora, well… it was best not to leave these sorts of things to Cora. Of course, she also didn’t understand why they had to start looking for dresses now when the wedding wasn’t until July.
“Lydia really wants me in a dress.” Which was fine. She would handle it. Even if she’d prefer a pants suit. At least until Wendy mentioned accessories and how she could have more with a pants suit. Maybe a dress wasn’t so bad if she could avoid excessive accessories. All Cora really needed was her ring. “Maybe if there’s a reception though.”
Which..was something they would need to discuss. Had they discussed it? It was mostly a ‘give me a time frame and don’t worry’ situation. She would need to figure that out. Because there was no way in the seven levels of hell she would wear a dress for longer than necessary.
Oh, see, that was a good compromise! A dress for the ceremony, and something more suited to Cora’s style for the reception. “Alright, we can sample some fabrics then,” Wendy decided. “You can see what you like best.” She practically dragged Cora over to where there were some display pieces to look at - and this was what kept overly nosy salespeople away, a big old binder and the enthusiasm exhibited by a would-be bridesmaid (though Cora hadn’t asked, but Wendy would gladly step up to fill the role!).
“Chiffon is very light, it’s good for outdoor weddings,” she explained, feeling a swatch of it. “It often is found in a few layers, since it can be quite sheer. And of course there’s satin which has kind of a silky feel without actually being silk...”
Charmeuse was nice too, sort of a distant relative to satin. Then there were the variations of chiffon and material like taffeta, which Wendy didn’t care for at all. It was too crisp for her tastes. “It takes a few months to finish, you know,” she informed Cora. “So it’s good we’re getting a head start.”
And fabrics. Why were there so many damn fabrics?! Had she mentioned she was completely out of her element here? Because Cora was so very much out of her element here. At least Wendy kept the salespeople away as Cora would have just been a deer caught in the headlights. It wasn’t really a look she liked to have. Admittedly she still felt that way.
“Maybe we should have brought Lydia with us….”
Because this was all going over Cora’s head and it was all jumbled and none of this was making sense. She did hear the comment about it taking a few months to finish. Which okay. Personally designed dresses apparently. Made sense.
Wow did she want to just run out of there, grab Lydia and go get eloped. Or run. Punch something. Anything that made sense. Dresses and fabrics and designs? Those did not make sense.
“Just feel them and decide which feels the best to you,” Wendy encouraged, taking one of the chiffon skirts of the pieces of display and stroking it along Cora’s arm like she was a kitty. Or more like she was the lioness in need of a bit of a calming down. Maybe they should find a place for a soothing, hot cup of tea after this - that shoppe that Cora seemed to like, and Wendy did too! “See? This one’s nice, isn’t it?” Chiffon was so pretty, and it’d be easy to move around in. Which was probably comforting, since Cora wouldn’t want a big ol’ poofy, stiff dress.
It was going to be okay, just breathe. “I bet a nice a-line dress like how you wanted would be perfect, made out of chiffon. Look, see, I’ve got photos of it - “ She opened her binder and showed off a couple examples. The dresses were lovely, some with intricate hand-stitched beaded designs on the waist, a puddle train and some without. “Next time we can bring Lydia,” she promised, and with another discerning squint asked, “Speaking of, who is planning your bridal shower?” Hint, hint.
“I guess it is…” Was it possible to get overwhelmed from fabrics and styles of dresses? Because Cora was pretty sure she was getting overwhelmed with all of this. Breathing was good, but she hated being out of her element. Give her something to build, let her punch something, go running. She was good with all of that. Put her in a dress shop and having to pick fabrics and designs and suddenly she felt extremely lost. Easy movement was always a plus though.
When Wendy said they could bring Lydia the next time, Cora felt some tension leave her body. She was fairly certain Lydia already had in mind exactly the type of dress Cora should wear. Which made sense since it was Lydia, but she would also trust her judgement on it as well. Besides, there was another question that caught Cora completely off guard as she had never been to a wedding.
“My what?!” That would answer the question of no one was planning it. Cora didn’t even know what that was. Sounded like a baby shower. Plan pack up and take Lydia to Budapest with her was sounding better every second.
Well, that was probably enough torture for the time being. They’d managed to pinpoint a silhouette for the dress, which was quite a feat, so Wendy wouldn’t push her luck. At least they had some progress to report back? “Your bridal shower,” she giggled, tucking away her binder of torture for the time being. “You register for gifts and people purchase them, and the bridal shower is just a fun time let people, well, shower you with well wishes for your new life together.”
She wasn’t going to beg....well, maybe a little. Hopeful eyes, like bright sapphires, glittered with promise. “Please, can I plan one for you both? It’ll be so classy and lovely, I promise you’ll enjoy yourself!”
Oh thank god, the binder from hell was going away. Perhaps Wendy had chosen the wrong calling. She was very good at traumatising people with binders of dresses. Surely she could be paid for that. By people who actually enjoyed this sort of thing and didn’t see it as some form of acute torture.
So it was like a baby shower. There was no doubt in Cora’s mind that Wendy could plan such a thing. She had a binder of dress designs. But she couldn’t just..make the decision herself.
“Talk to Lydia?” It wasn’t like Cora had any friends who would want to plan such a thing beyond Wendy. Lydia would might so really, getting her okay was probably the more important thing. Once again, proof that it was much better most of these things weren’t left solely to Cora to decide.
“Alright,” Wendy beamed, ultra-wattage, her smile all wedding bells and cake toppers. Because she was so excited, never before had she planned a bridal shower. That just meant she’d have to make this one extra special, and surely Lydia would agree to it? She’d be incredibly convincing, that was all.
Hooking her arm around Cora’s, she gently ushered her from the shop - after grabbing a few business cards to tuck away, and some samples of fabric to take with them. That way she and Lydia could go over things together. “How about we stop for something sweet, somewhere? To celebrate your first excursion into a bridal boutique?”
Wendy would have a lot better luck with Lydia when it came to these things. Really, why she thought Cora was the one that needed to go investigate this sort of thing was beyond the brunette’s understanding. Unless she was secretly wanting to torture her.
“Something sweet sounds good.” And then finding something to punch. Maybe she’d go see if Hans wanted to spar. That would be a good way to release the tension from all of this wedding dress looking. And really, it hadn’t been that long. For Cora though? It had been hellish.