The Dress I Bought for $48
When wedding planning started, Thomas’s parents insisted on paying for nearly everything.
Venue. Flowers. Caterer. Quartet.
A ballroom with chandeliers and velvet curtains.
My family contributed what we realistically could: the cake, the photographer, and my dress.
And that last part mattered more than anyone in that room understood.
My mom was going through chemo.
Every spare dollar was going into treatment.
She never complained. She just smiled and told me, “Make the memories. Don’t worry about the rest.”
So I didn’t buy a boutique gown.
I couldn’t justify it.
