Wedding Wednesday: Weight Loss Edition

No, I didn't get on TV.  Which, quite frankly, is sad for the networks who missed out.  I feel like I could make for some great television.  Weight loss story + crazy personality = TV hit!  Right?  Yes. Duh.

My weight has been floating around between 220 and 223.5 for quite some time.  I don't know what to do to get under 220!  Like, come on scale, work with me here.  With all that being said, I decided it was finally time to go look at wedding dresses.  I have been trying to lose as much weight as possible and my weight loss has slowed down a good bit, so I figured now was as good a time as any.

Let me just say... I was terrified.  I had all these thoughts running through my head.

• what if I never find the dress that's "the one"
• what if I can't even fit into a dress to see what it looks like
• what if I find my dream dress and it's way over budget
• what if I look horrible in all the dresses and become super discouraged
• what if I never find the dress that's "the one"    <--- obviously this was a huge concern of mine.

I was a nervous wreck the morning before.  My mom, grandmother and BFF/MOH were the only ones I wanted to go with me.  I was not about to take an entourage up to the dress shop for everyone to give their opinions.  That's how Meighan gets frustrated and turns into a major B. (bitch, bridezilla, both... you choose.)  My grandmother didn't end up coming because my grandfather wasn't feeling well, so it was just mom and MOH at the dress shop.  Like I said, I was a nervous wreck.  So nervous that I had nervous stomach issues.  I mean, someone please tell me I'm not the only bride to have these problems before dress shopping?!

When we got to the bridal shop, we all picked out several dresses for me to try on.  I went into this tiny room, filled with dresses, and started trying them on.  The first one I tried on was one my mom picked, so I wanted her to see me in it even though I knew it wasn't the one.  It was a blinged out crazy dress that just wasn't me, but I let mommy see me in it.  Then I tried on the second dress, and it was like a magical unicorn flew over my head and sprinkled fairy bridal dust all over me, because this.was.the.dress.  I knew it before I even left the dressing room.  So I showed my mom and Sam and they loved it.

Just to make sure, I tried on about 10 more dresses.  Nope x10.  I went back in to the tiny room and put my dress back on.  My dress. The dress.  THE ONE.  The dress I am going to marry Ben in.  I went out, back to the mirrored platform, and let them "jack me up."  (If you watch SYTTD Atlanta, then you know what I mean.)  I got the veil and the earrings and that's when it happened:

And then mom... 

And then best friend... 

Tears, people.  There were tears.  Best friend teared up, mom started crying and I started bawling.  And in the most unattractive, loud crying voice I said:  "Can someone PUH-LEASE get me a t-t-tissue???"

I have never felt more beautiful.  I have never looked the way I looked in that dress.  My best friend took a picture and showed it to me, and my exact words were, "that's me?"  I was honestly shocked.  A mixture of my weight loss transformation and seeing myself as a bride, in a dress, for the first time... yeah, it was super emotional.  So I slapped down some money and purchased my dress.

I SAID YES TO THE DRESS!  

(I'm telling you TLC, you missed out...)

SW: 311

CW:  221.5

-89.5 lbs