Bridal Show

There comes a time in everyone’s life that we experience the loss of a loved one. The members of our little family at work had that time this past week. The true test of coming to work with us was acceptance. If the “children” accepted you then you were pretty much in. When I went to work there I was thrilled to be sharing my day with two beautiful and loving Dobermans. Granted, they were outside most of the time and never roamed the house, but seeing them on a daily basis was like having well-behaved children around. Shortly after I joined the team, Rutger was diagnosed with congenital heart failure and although he struggled to stay with us he lost his battle on October 1. He left a huge space in our little family that will be hard pressed to fill. I doubt there was a sweeter, kinder, more gentle Dobbie on the face of the earth than Rutger. We will miss him terribly; all of us, his surviving family: Sage, his son, Larry and Rhonda his parents most of all and the five of us who shared his home and his heart.
Aiken’s Bridal Show was held at Houndslake Country Club this past Sunday. When you think of Aiken you think money. When you think of Houndslake Country Club, you think money. The greens were beautiful, the landscaping lovely but the interior of the building is in disrepair. The staff? I can’t say enough about the staff. Wonderful, friendly, most helpful and always smiling.
There were probably 30 or more vendors attending from Aiken County to Augusta. Tables were set up throughout the area with each displaying their specialties. Caterers, event rentals, photographers, videographers, bakers, wedding planners, bridal wear, hair stylist, fruit carvers, florist, Dillard’s with a display of their most expensive china and Waterford Crystal for gift registry and even a bank was represented just in case you had to borrow money to have the wedding of your dreams. However, with all these vendors displaying their wares the main event was the fashion show. Now remember this was a bridal show. Sho Ane Formal Wear put on the fashion show, first with prom wear, then cocktail dresses then dresses worn in Monte Carlo at casinos, then ballroom dresses and dresses slit up to the waist or cut down to the navel. Beautiful dresses model by beautiful girls all a size 6 or smaller; unreal expectations for normal size women. Meanwhile all the future brides were standing around waiting on bridal wear; gowns, bridesmaid, mother of the bride, and flower girl. After all it was a bridal show. Finally after what seemed like an interminable length of time the teeny tiny models came out in the most beautiful gowns you can imagine. There were oooooos and ahhhhhhhhhs as they paraded around in those lovely dresses and then it was over. A few stragglers remained checking out locations and bakers and caterers nibbling as they went but soon all future brides had departed. It was then, when no one was left but the vendors, that the MC grabbed the microphone and started calling out numbers for the door prizes. Duh, everyone was gone that registered.