Page 24 of In a Pinch

We all chat as we make our way to the front door. We are greeted by a brunette dressed in an all-black jumpsuit and the cutest hot pink kitten heels I’ve ever seen.

She smiles warmly at us. “Welcome everyone! I am Bridget. We are so happy to have you here. Just to confirm, this is for Isla with the Reynolds wedding, correct?”

Isla steps forward and shoots her hand up. “That’s me! My mom will be joining us virtually. They said you guys had, like, an iPad on a stick so we could walk her around, right?”

“Yes, we sure do! Who else do we have with us?”

Isla points to each of us as we nod our heads when it’s our turn. “My maid of honor, Addie; my future sister-in-law, Liv; and my future mother-in-law, Anna.”

“It is wonderful to meet you all. Can I get you started with the mimosa bar?”

“Mimosas and pretty dresses? Sounds like the perfect combo.” Isla smiles and we all begin to follow Bridget back to our spot. We make our way to the back of the building and sit on the plush couch.

Bridget sets up the iPad, and Isla is able to FaceTime her mom.

“Hi, baby! How are you feeling? Is that Addie over there?” Carrie asks. Gosh, it has been so long since I have seen her. Since they started traveling six years ago, I think I’ve only seen her once.

“Hi, Carrie! It is so good to see you!” I crowd Isla’s space and send her mom a smile.

“I’m feeling super excited! I hope we get the dress today!” She claps and already has tears springing to her eyes.

Bridget gets our attention. “All right, now that the gang's all here, what are we looking for today?”

“Well, I am doing a beachfront wedding at sunrise. So, nothing too fluffy, but also not so tight I can’t pop, lock, and drop it on the dance floor.” She then demonstrates what kind of movements she’s thinking of, as if the lady couldn’t pick up what she was putting down.

“All right, booty-shaking dress without too many frills, got it. I am going to go pull some suggestions. If you all want to go look around and pull some yourselves, go ahead. With how many of you are here, I would suggest no more than one or two per person, so we don’t overwhelm our bride.”

Isla walks off, dragging her mom on a stick, which shouldn’t be as amusing as it is. We all gather dresses, and I find one that is simple, with some beading that will catch the light nicely. It isslightly fitted, yet still flares out just past the hips, so that, as Isla says, she can shake her ass.

Liv completely ignored Isla’s suggestion and picked a ballgown.

“Liv, did you space out on the part where I said no ballgowns?” Isla asks, and her face does a poor job of hiding her annoyance.

“No, but I did want to see you in at least one. You have to try them all because you never know what you are going to like.”

“I can confidently say that I will not be wearing that. Ballgowns and beaches don’t really go hand in hand, but I will try it on to appease you.”

After we all get the dresses into the fitting room, the fashion show begins.

She walks out wearing the ballgown, shooting eye daggers right to Liv. “It’s going to be a no from me.” She does do a circle, and a princess wave as she steps off the pedestal. They have two of us on each side of her, with her dressing room behind us and a large mirror in front of her.

Before long, the majority of her hype squad is slightly buzzed, and our laughs fill the room. It has been a while since I have felt this much happiness around me, but that could be the champagne talking. Anna looks over at all of us, and even though she is sober, she can’t help but laugh. Isla has been nursing the same mimosa all morning so that she doesn’t let good champagne make her decision.

She’s down to her last two dresses at this shop: hers and mine. The others were great. She would look like a million bucks in a paper sack, but I agree with her that none of them are quite right yet.

She comes out wearing my choice, and it looks just like I thought it would on her. Slightly fitted, showing off her figure, but loose enough that she can still move in it.

“Well, can you shake your ass in it?” Liv asks as she brings her mimosa to her lips.

Isla puts her hands on her knees and swings her hips around. “It is booty popping approved. I love the beading. I like that it’s elegant, but still makes me feel like a million bucks. I didn’t think I would like the straps off the shoulders, but it is gorgeous.”

I hear her mom sniffle from her little pole seated next to us.

“Is this the one?” Bridget asks.

“I need to try on the other one first, but so far, this is my number one. I feel so good in it.”

She gets hers on, which is also beautiful. It is more of an A-line and is much simpler. It’s satin with a deep V and shoulder straps. It looks so timeless on her that she couldn’t go wrong in this dress. It hugs her perfectly.

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