What a beautiful dress! You continue to be an inspiration, Robin, and I'm so excited for you! When is the wedding?

Awesome, awesome. Way to go, you earned it. I value your posts. Thank you for taking the time to write during such a busy time.

Oh I bet you know what I'm going to say here - we ALL have what it takes to make this happen. Each and every one of us has the ability to lose weight - well look who I'm talking to here - just take a look at what you've done and are continuing to do!

You are all just the sweetest, kindest people on earth and I am going to start crying all over again!! Really. Thank you all so much for you kind words.

I should mention that I am most likely having a little matching jacket (a short shrug type) made to match the dress with a little sleeve on it or will be building up the dress a bit and have the sleeves added right on the gown. The designer at the store is working on some sketches for me and we will decide which way to go. I can't go that bare to my daughters wedding.

The wedding is Memorial Day. We wanted it that Sunday, but the hall was booked - so Memorial Day it is.

And it really is such an unbelievable thing to not have the burden of 165 extra pounds on me at a time like this. I am going to be beaming that day instead of frowning. I'm going to be working that crowd instead of retreating. I am going to be dancing and celebrating instead of sitting somewhere looking in.

Robin, the dress is beautiful and you will look amazing in it! I hope the girl measuring you wasn't too freaked out by your crying!

That's funny. Because she was a little - confused. I went on to explain that I had lost a bit of weight and I never thought I would be able to wear such a dress to my daughters wedding or even be alive for it. It took some convincing, because she could not believe that I had not always been slim. So what did I do to finally convince her, me being me? I showed her some loose skin (then I showed her some muscle) - that'll teach her to be doubting . And then she started hounding me with how did I do it and all that kind of stuff.

Yes, it was an experience to say the least!

Congratulations. That is so Wonderful.
I can identify with your feelings,
as I have experienced similiar ones due to my weight-loss.
I also, in my wildest dreams, never imagined that saleswomen would call me tiny.
. . . .but they do. . .

Good choice on the shrug or sleeves.
That is what I do also with that type of dress.

I think some cover-up is far more attractive for older women.
Even Jane Fonda's upper arms don't look that great now that she's over 60,
which she demonstrated in her movie with Jennifer Lopez,
I think it was titled, "Monster-in-Law".
and when I was young, I always felt that Jane Fonda had the "perfect" body.

Robin - that dress is fantastic! The shrug or sleeves will be gorgeous on there, too. You are going to look gorgeous.

Your enthusiasm and joy in all of the changes you have made is so much fun to see. Reading your posts about food and shopping and such always make me smile. You are living every moment of your life, it is inspiring.

Your daughters must be so proud of all that you have accomplished!

I am sitting here crying too. That dress is gorgeous, brown is my favorite and the most elegant color. You deserve it all and more.

I teared up just reading your post. Robin, you are going to look beautiful in that dress!

Oh Robin - I am teary reading that. Our journeys are sometimes parallel, I nearly broke down when trying on wedding dresses. Everything looked lovely, I was living the dream. So, I get your post deeply in my bones.

That dress is fantastic. I hope you will bend your no photos rule and send me a photo. I will PM you my email address. I know this might be crazy to say about an "internet" friend, but I just love you!

That dress is gorgeous! Thank you, Robin, for sharing your story with us. Reading that made me feel so much better than eating a cupcake ever would.

Robin, that is the most incredibly beautiful dress, and the person who will be wearing it is even more beautiful yet....

It's not just your triumph that is so amazing, but also the pains you go to to try to share it with all of us!

I for one appreciate it every single day!!! You DESERVE that dress, and every good thing!

Robin, what a gorgeous dress.

I had a similar moment right after my last wedding dress fitting. Just LOST it in the car on the way home.

It's an amazing, awe-inspiring thing when something you thought impossible is facing you in the mirror.

You're going to make a gorgeous mother of the bride.

More wonderful comments, I swear you people are helping to keep Kleenex very, very happy!


Glory, you're going to think I'm crazy, but I am telling you, I thought of you several times and your post about how much fun it was to go wedding dress shopping! It does amaze me how eerily similar we are at times, often in fact!

I did come close a few times earlier to breaking down, got a bit teary, but her keep on calling me a peanut, then the butt comment and then the perfect body comment - sent me over the edge. Because there was a time, I know this sounds terrible, but there was a time when I doubted I'd even be ALIVE to see my daughter(s) get married - yet alone be very much alive and in such great shape.

I still can't believe that I was able to fit into and ahem, look so darn good in so many dresses! Mind. Boggling. To. Say. The. Least.

Love ya too Glory (I'm still determined we will meet one day) and I will absolutely send you a pic or two or three or four.

Ubergirl, it's real important to me to try and get my point across of just how worth it this journey is. How worth it is, and how possible it is. I suffered SO much from being super morbidly obese and now, well, now I am just LOVING my life and I DO want every one to "convert" so to speak.

For soooo many years I didn't think it was possible to lose the weight, and I can't help believe that if someone would have said to me, "I know for certain that you CAN do it and that it's even better and more worth it than you can possibly imagine", I think I would have attempted it years earlier - attempted it - and done it - and that is my purpose and my wish.

I know it's coming across very brown-ish, but it really isn't - actually, it's got lots of green in it. The color is called Antique Gold. It's a greenish kind of a gold. Hard to explain. That was my only issue with the dress. It took me a few days once I had seen it to actually go and order it.

My daughter wants the bridal party in green. One of my daughters is wearing sage green and my other daughter is wearing emerald green - that's the problem. I am going to clash terribly with that emerald green dress, but I finally decided - so what. Her other bridesmaids dresses (her friends) I've yet to see, but something tells me I won't be "matching" them so well either. But like I already said, so what. Now I'm thinking it just may be the emerald green dress that will be clash-y.

I'm going to feel like a million bucks and I really love the gown and I am getting too close to the date and needed to just go ahead and make a decision already or I'd wind up with nothing. I did see a couple of other gowns that I really liked, but oddly enough, each and every gown that I really loved, the greens were very unflattering, not nice greens at all. My daughters - no problem, lots of greens to choose from in whatever gown they chose - my dresses - very poor green choices. Oh well.

That's okay though. I get another opportunity for a gown! My next daughter is getting married in August if you can believe it. That definitely has added to the emotional factor. Yup, as many of you here know, I am making back to back weddings. Anyway, her color is blue, so it should be easier color wise. So yes, I've been looking for two gowns. Which was another reason for the delay. The dress that I chose for DD#1 wedding is so my style, but I had to make sure that the second dress (which I think I know what it will be) has to look different from the first. Especially since green and blue are similar, but I think I solved that by taking this antique-ish/gold-ish green. Actually this dress was available in blue, so I considered it for wedding number two briefly, but it was a VERY DARK navy and DD#2 (and I) would prefer a lighter blue. Such dilemmas!

Thanks again every one. How lucky am I that I get to share this with all of you????

ETA: Amanda we posted at the same time. I could DEFINITELY imagine you feeling the same way. It's just - a lot of feelings going on there and I knew you would be another one who could relate, being as you were a recent bride.

Great way to put it (as always) ...