“I’m so sorry, I got caught up with the samples for the next line and completely forgot the time,” she told them, giving her a hug as well.
“It’s alright, it seems they’re running behind here although those two have just been sitting there this entire time, speaking poorly of their potential clients,” Emma added, raising her voice so the two that’d been catty and rude since she’d given her name and appointment time could hear. “So actually, I don’t think we’ll be shopping here because if I’m going to spend my money on a dress, I certainly don’t want any reminders of rude, stuck up snobs on my wedding day.”
“Is there a problem here?” a woman asked hurrying over to them as Megan gave her a proud look for finally saying something she was sure.
“Yes, I was supposed to have a ten-thirty appointment with Andrea, arrived at ten-fifteen with my friend, but it’s now ten-forty-five and no one’s begun to speak directly to me, although theladythere who is wearing a nametag with Andrea on it and was there when I notified them of my arrival, has had plenty to sayaboutme, my outfit, and my engagement ring,” Emma said drawing a furious look from Emerson on her behalf. “Just because I’m not wearing thousands of dollars of designer wear to my appointment, does not mean I can’t afford to spend more than a thousand dollars on my wedding dress. And just because an engagement ring is simple does not mean it’s cheap or that I’ll be divorced within two years because of the ring or my age, because for your information, I adore my engagement ring. It’s exactly what I would have described to my fiancée if he’d needed help to decide what to buy me. No, it’s not cubic zirconia, it’s a lab-created diamond which I preferred to a real one, but even if it were one, it’snoneof your business. You’re supposed tohelp a bride find their dress, not make jokes about them, or be nasty claiming I must be marrying a geriatric in hopes of getting a payout because only some old man would want to put up with someone like me…whatever that’s supposed to mean after barely speaking two words to me when I came up to the desk.”
“I sincerely apologize for any delay or disrespect from the staff, I assure you it will be addressed. I’d be more than happy to put you with another stylist,” the older woman said but she shook her head no, stopping her short.
“As I said, I don’t want any reminders of this on my wedding day, to my fiancée who happens to be about eight weeks younger than I am,” Emma tacked on with a smirk at the two behind the desk. “If I’m going to spend thousands on a dress, I want to know the help in finding it are fully on my side, the way my mom, my maid-of-honor, and my matron-of-honor all are.”
“And just so you know, I will happily tell Jacqueline that her staff lost her one of my model’s business and that if this is how people are treated, I’ll have to rethink allowing having Satin Touch’s bridal lingerie line to be sold here,” Emerson added, linking her arm through Emma’s walking them out the door as Megan let out muffled chuckles as she and her mom followed them quickly.
“Sorry,” Emma told her mom when they were outside.
“No, you did the right thing. We’ll find somewhere that will not only welcome you but also support you from the first moment you walk in the door, I promise,” her mom stated, giving her a hug as Emerson pulled out her phone, calling for her driver.
“Since we’re not going to look there, I think I know the perfect place to go,” Emerson said when they were all in the large SUV.
Emma didn’t mind as long as it wasn’t back at that salon, and she grinned when they pulled up in front of a seemingly plainbuilding. It was the complete opposite of the salon but in the city that didn’t mean the inside was completely opposite. Some places simply didn’t display outwardly what they were, what they had inside—a bit like her.
Emerson rang the bell and a few moments later, it opened, and a late twenty-something showed them inside the space, greeting Emerson by name.
“This is Lucy, she worked for me for a bit after she finished school, but she preferred dresses to lingerie,” Emerson said introducing all of them. “And this is Emma, our beautiful bride and one of my favorite models.”
“I would recognize your face anywhere because while I may not work for Satin Touch anymore, I still shop there religiously,” Lucy stated leading them into a room and Emma’s breath caught in her chest at the stunning array of dresses seen in the open space. Some were displayed on mannequins, but most were on racks, and she felt excitement rush straight through her at the thought of browsing through everything.
“Emerson, what are you doing here?” an older woman said coming over to their group. “Don’t tell me you and Lyle are having a vow renewal ceremony and came to me for a dress, because I might just cry with joy.”
“No, Alice, not until our ten-year anniversary at least,” Emerson said before motioning towards her. “This is Emma, I talked her into modeling for me last year after I saw them at the shop. She and her fiancée set a date for this September and she’s looking for her dress. We had an appointment at Jacqueline’s for this morning, but her staff ruined the opportunity to dress her by being rude, so I texted Lucy to see if she had time to show us around the salon.”
“And since I don’t have any appointments today, of course I said yes. After seeing Emma in person, I know we’re going to have so many option that will look stunning on you, sounless you already have something in mind, I think we should get started because this could take a bit,” Lucy stated, and she laughed softly at the hype. After earlier it was much needed and felt good, how she wanted to feel while trying on dresses.
“Nothing definitive, I just know I’m not really looking for anything that’s like a sheath or full mermaid style. Maybe a fit and flare or A-line instead,” she suggested as they moved further into the space.
“We can definitely start there, with your figure you can pull off any of our dresses, but we want you to find the one that makes you feel your absolute best. Are you drawn to any particular fabrics or colors? If you’d prefer something in lace versus satin or something in blush versus white, just let me know and I can help steer us towards those,” Lucy added as they slipped into a side space with some beautiful fit and flare gowns.
“Probably something closer to true white than blush,” Emma said, and Emerson and Megan fully agreed with that.
“Oh absolutely, with her skin tone, she looks incredible in pure white,” Emerson stated, before shaking her head at the rhinestone studded dress that has silver netting. “I think we’d do better sticking to gold accents.”
“Thank you,” Emma told her as Lucy gave her a once over, taking note of her engagement ring as well as her necklace with a nod.
“I can do that,” Lucy agreed, and they pulled several dresses with different necklines, fits and fabrics, letting her try them on to see which she preferred.
“You look beautiful sweetheart,” her mom said as she studied the A-line strapless gown with lace that she was wearing. “It’s not quite what you’re picturing though is it?”
“No, I actually think I like the V-neck one better for the top, but I like the fuller skirt of this one,” Emma told them as she turned to face her group.
“If I may,” Alice said joining them. “What if we tried a ballgown? You can carry it, and I think it might give you that bit more of a bridal feeling than what you’re getting in these.”
“Oh,” Lucy gasped, a huge smile slipping onto her face. “I think I have something you’ll love, especially if we’re thinking about having gold accents in it. It’s in the back so it may take me a minute, but it will be worth it, I promise.”
“No rush for me, I told everyone at the office I’ll finish things tomorrow,” Emerson said, and Emma grinned that her friend would take the nearly the entire day off for her when she was so busy.
“We’re both on Spring Break this week, so we’re good, and Mom came up for a couple days so we would have plenty of time in case we didn’t find anything today,” Emma added, and Lucy nodded before moving off with Alice while she slipped back into her robe to wait.
She showed her mom the invitations that she and Ben liked best while they waited, and her breath stopped when Lucy pulled the dress out of the bag once back in their room. It was stunning, a pure white masterpiece, with a tulle bottom that cascaded in waves. The top was a soft V-neck in the front, with a deeper one in back. White lace with gold threaded accents covered the top down to a natural waist that was wrapped with a gold beaded lace belt that buttoned in the back rather than tied like a lot of the others she’d seen. She liked the way that the top created lace straps to go over her shoulders but allowed the dress to still be sleeveless as well and couldn’t wait to try it on.
