“Let’s begin, shall we?” asked Tracy, the young, fashionably dressed, and undeniably perky bridal consultant.

Tessa had been a little dismayed upon learning from Marlene that store policy required her to bring in a bridal consultant, but had been mollified when the personal shopper assured her it was all for the best. Marlene had confided that she was far from an expert on wedding gowns, but that she would certainly be on hand when Tessa tried on dresses to offer up an opinion or help with the selection.

But Tessa had to admit that the rather annoying Tracy did have a wonderful eye for style, for each wedding gown she tried on was more beautiful than the last. She had only tried on half a dozen dresses so far, but already knew it was going to be a tough choice. What made matters worse was that all six women present, herself included, seemed to favor one particular gown - none of them the same one.

Julia, for example, had oohed and ahhed over the Grecian-styled Vera Wang gown with the princess skirt and one bared shoulder, while Sasha had preferred the Zuhair Murad with its elbow-length lace sleeves and off the shoulder neckline. Joanna had liked the classic Armani gown with its empire waist, softly gathered bodice, and long train, and Tracy’s favorite had been a dramatic, more modern white sheath gown covered in lace and seed pearls.

But the moment Tessa stepped into the seventh gown she knew that this would be the one. She fell in love with the sumptuous Marchesa ballgown immediately, and from the collective gasp that went up among the rest of the group, it was evident that they, too, thought it the perfect dress.

It was strapless, the close fitting bodice styled like a corset, and embellished in an intricate pattern with pearls and crystals. The full ivory organza skirt was lightly gathered, and finished in a chapel train. It was a somewhat simplistic gown compared to a few of the others she’d tried on, but Tessa had never felt more beautiful in her entire life than she did at this moment. The gown was stunning, magical, and she knew instantly that Ian would wholeheartedly approve of it. The fact that it was probably horrendously expensive would only make him love it more.

“This one.” She turned to face the five women seated in a semi-circle in the dressing area. “I don’t even want to try any others on, because nothing else could possibly be more perfect than this one.”

Joanna stood and walked over to her, and Tessa was a little astonished to see the tears in the older woman’s eyes. Joanna touched her cheek softly, and gave a little nod.

“Yes, this one for sure,” she agreed quietly. “I can already imagine my son’s reaction when he sees you walking up the aisle in it. You’re going to look like a vision in this gown, Tessa. A living dream. The dress could have been made for you, that’s how perfect it is.”

Tessa gave her future mother-in-law a hug, and then stood back as the others approached, each of them concurring wholeheartedly with her choice.

After measurements had been taken, order forms filled out, and her veil and other accessories selected, the attention shifted to finding dresses for Julia and Sasha. Fortunately, Julia loved all manner of clothes and would have been happy with almost anything Tessa chose, while Sasha admittedly knew very little about designers or styles, and she, too, was perfectly content to leave the decision in the bride’s hands.

Tessa selected a floaty, feminine gown of pale blue for her attendants, with a strapless, gathered bodice, and a long skirt embellished here and there with sparkly diamantes.

“What do you think?” she asked Julia and Sasha somewhat anxiously, not wanting to pick out something that one or both of them didn’t really like.

But both women nodded eagerly, with Julia offering her input about the rest of the outfit.

“Silver shoes, of course. Sandals, since it’s an outdoor wedding and will probably be hot, even by that time of the afternoon,” she mused. “A cuff bracelet, or maybe a single bangle. For the hair, maybe a jeweled clip or a headband.”

“No.” Sasha shook her head. “First, with all this hair of mine, you won’t be able to see any sort of headpiece. And second, the dress is so pretty that it shouldn’t be over-accessorized. But it’s up to Tessa, really.”

Tessa agreed, as did Julia, and Tracy was nearly speechless with shock that the three of them had been able to find something they all liked in less than fifteen minutes.

“You would not believe some of the drama I’ve seen unfold when it comes time to chose the attendants’ dresses,” replied Tracy. “Arguments, tears, pushing and shoving, name calling. It’s like either really bad or really awesome reality TV.”

Julia nodded. “You should have seen my sister when we picked out her dress last year. The words “giant pain in the ass” do not even begin to touch on what went down. You’d have thought she was the bride instead of me. And then, when she got married last October, she actually bought a vintage gown from some funky old store in Haight Ashbury. Picked it out in about ten minutes. Though I’m still not convinced she actually had it dry cleaned, in spite of what she told me. Sorry, I don’t mean to sound like a snob - or a germaphobe - but the idea of wearing used clothing just gives me the willies.”

Tessa bid Tracy and Marlene good-by before heading off to lunch with Joanna, Julia, and Sasha. The bridal consultant assured her that the gown would arrive in plenty of time for fittings, and that someone from the store would call her when it had been received.

Marlene gave her a quick hug. “I’m so pleased that you chose that particular dress,” she confessed. “When I saw it on the racks, I set it aside for you immediately, and had a feeling that’s the one you would pick. Mrs. Gregson is right - the dress could have been made for you, dear. And you’re going to look like a queen in it.”

Tessa smiled. “I had a feeling you were the one who selected that gown for me. It doesn’t seem quite like Tracy’s style. It reminds me - just a little, of course, because it isn’t really the same color or anything - of, well, Cinderella.”

Marlene nodded. “I thought the same thing. Do you remember what you told me the first time we met, when Mr. Gregson sent you to see me?”

“Yes,” replied Tessa. “That with the new dress and shoes and hairstyle, I felt a little bit like Cinderella.”

Marlene gave her hand a little squeeze. “And I knew the minute I saw you and Mr. Gregson together that he would turn out to be your Prince Charming. The way that man looked at you, Tessa - well, it was very obvious that he had no intention of ever letting you go. You’re definitely going to have your happily ever after with him, Tessa, and no one deserves it more than you, my dear.”