thanks, mom. (in advance. way, way, way, in advance).

my cousin got married last weekend. i've spent many hours perusing all her photos, wishing i could have been there. my father told me all about it over the phone and i jokingly asked him if he took notes, after all, i would be getting married one day.

he very seriously responded, that yes, in fact he'd been stowing away ideas.

this is part of an alarming trend i've noticed: my mother's voice jumping two octaves in response to the admission that i'd been asked on a date. or standing in the middle of banana republic as said mother probes friends about single, eligible sons. and then there's my favorite--the critique of all facebook profile pictures, because lord knows it will be my photo (on facebook, no less) that snags me a man.

and really i suppose it's for the best that there's no wedding near. because i can't decide if i'll want a quick trip to city hall, a day at the vatican, an evening in the tuscan countryside, or a hudson river valley farm wedding. there are just so many places, so many ideas, so many things i'd like to do.

and then there's the issue of the dress.

oh, the dress.

when i first arrived here in utah i'd spend my mornings at the gym.

and from 9 till 10 on the learning channel is none other than say yes to the dress.

you know it, don't you?

you must.

where women from all over go in search of the perfect dress, for that perfect day.

well. hmph. now take my desire for about 500 different wedding locals. amplify that by 1,000 and you'll have some inkling of how i feel about wedding gowns/dresses/ensembles.

the only thing i know for certain is it won't be terribly traditional. classic as hell--timeless, yes, but just a we bit offbeat.

the whole point of this post (which unfortunately i've gotten very distracted from) was to say (essentially) this:

so in watching say yes to the dress i've been struck again and again by mothers who are nothing less than heinous. who make the day about them. who choose the dress. and refuse to listen to their daughters. and then you watch as the poor girls have nervous breakdowns as they realize they are terribly misunderstood. and on and on and on.

and i've sent up countless prayers of thanks for a mother who knows me. and because she loves me, really loves me, she'll always let me choose. the choice will be mine. (and with my track record of choosing, the fact that she'll still let me is...remarkable).

so mom, this is to say, i look forward to the day when we'll go in search of the dress. together. and thanks (in advance) for how graciously you'll allow me the final say.

image credits:

1. Braedon Photography

via Once Wed of

Laura and Ryan's wedding.

2. unknown sources for these three photos.

the first dress is carolina herrera.

the second is unknown.

and the third is reem acra.

3. Our Labor of Love Photography

via Once Wed of

Max and Margaux's wedding.