BRIDESMAID FOR REAL, Part #3
A long adventure of how I became to be a Bridesmaid in a real Wedding when only the Bride and Groom knew my real gender.
By Joyce Devries, joyce_devries@hotmail.com ICQ: 26082876
Note, this a true story, none of the names have been changed, but certainly not the events of the days!, this is taken right from my diary entries of the time.
My (email) name is Joyce Devries and it was a real life adventure that till this day has never been matched for an exciting adventure. I am 5'2", TV, live near Toronto, Ont., Canada, pass quite well as a woman and have done tons of "real life" things as a woman, but this was the ultimate in adventures.
BRIDAL SHOWER, EARLY NOVEMBER 1989
The summer of 1989 was frustrating, as I knew what was coming in the fall and every time that I drove by a Wedding that was happening on a Saturday, I saw the beautiful Bride or Bridesmaid's. I knew in a few months that it would be my turn and I was green with envy.
I spoke with Debbie almost every week and she told me that she had talked with Teresa and that she was going to be wearing another colour of the dress we had chosen. Hers was going to be a more Royal Blue, while all the other girls were going to remain as the slate or powder blue. When she explained it to me I was lost as to why she was doing it, but explained that she wanted to highlight Teresa as the Maid of honor and instead of changing the flower arrangements, the easiest thing to do was simply change the colour of her dress.
Early October finally came and I was really getting excited, I had dreamt over and over of what would happen over the next month and relished the past of what already had happened. I got a call on a Monday evening from Teresa, my girlfriend answered the phone and told me that it was for me, Teresa told me that in two weeks we would be having the Bridal shower for Debbie that the Bridesmaid's throw. It was a surprise and that all of the invitations had been sent out in September and there were going to be 30 or so people there. I was told to arrive at noon at her house, which she gave me directions to and that she was going to be fooling Debbie to think that it was some new furniture she wanted to see. The next evening was my girlfriends and I usual "girls night out", I decided to tell her about it then.
This was a typical Tuesday evening and as always I was dressing to match what she was going to be wearing and that that was a girl coming home from the office going out to dinner. It was 4:30pm and I scanned both our wardrobes and decided to go with a gray silk long sleeved blouse and a 3 tiered black, below the knee length skirt, the blouse was my girlfriends and the skirt was mine. I showered and got my usual "squeaky clean" and moved to the bedroom to apply my makeup. As I left the bathroom I slipped on my pink satin makeup coat and got out the other things needed for the outfit. I slipped on a pair of silky nude hose and was just pulling the last of them up when it happened, a snag that went down to my left knee. I was not happy and was left scrambling to find a pair that was good enough to wear out, I exhausted my lingerie drawers and luckily found a black pair in my girlfriends lingerie drawer, they were the cheap kind and not the sheer style, but would have to do. I slipped them on as well as some black lace panties, and a matching bra. I sat at the makeup table and did what I usually did and applied a "business coat of makeup", with subdued tones on my eyes and cheeks and a light reddish pink lipstick, I certainly liked the look. I pulled off my makeup coat and then turned to the clothes and slipped them on, the dark hose really did not fit perfectly, but given the circumstances I really had no other hose to wear. I then slipped on the blouse and then the skirt and finally my black kid 3" heels. I put on my favorite long dangle gold earrings and applied a healthy coat of Obsession perfume. I looked myself over in the mirror and thought I had done a good job and certainly looked like a woman coming home from the office.
I was checking my purse and my girlfriend came through the front door and quickly noticed I was dressed and ready to go and without even taking off her coat asked if I was ready to go. I told her "yes" and she opened the closet and grabbed my coat and helped me slip it on. She lead the way and away we went to the car and off to our usual Tuesday night spot for a "girls night out" dinner. We got to the restaurant and my girlfriend lead the way and asked for a table in non-smoking, and the "always welcome words", "right this way ladies" chimed from the hostesses lips. We were seated and right away ordered our dinner and settled in. My girlfriend smiled and commented, "my that blouse looks familiar" as I took off my coat and reminded her of the common closet we shared. She was in the process of taking off her coat and I noted that she was wearing a purple turtleneck from my wardrobe, a short black skirt and low black patent heels.
As we waited for our dinner, she could tell I was getting excited about the upcoming Wedding and the shower, and other parties and such, wanted to know if I was excited?. I grabbed her hands and smiled and looked deep in her eyes and said, "of course I am". I told her what the date for the shower was, and that was 3 Saturdays away and what the "theme" was, I told her it was a "kitchen and bath shower". The way and tone I said it made her remark, "I know dear, it is not a lingerie shower, but for you that might be best". She said that she would take care of the gift and then asked what I had in mind to wear for the shower?. I would be lying to say that I had not thought about it and had thought of several different outfits, my girlfriend mentioned, "perhaps we should get you a nice slacks and jacket outfit?, you cannot always be showing up in a skirt and heels". I told her outright that there was "no way in heck" I was wearing slacks, pants or anything else, I was a "skirt and dress only girl". She smiled back and me and said, "fine, I will remember that for the future, and at Reitman's I saw something that might work out perfectly for you, why don't we stop by there on the way home?". She also asked me if I had considered where to get a strapless low backed bra as it was going to me needed?. I told her that I completely forgot about that and she mentioned a place on the way home we could stop at to get it.
For those that do not know, Reitman's is an awesome place that caters to women only, and not only younger women, but all ages. From formal dresses to lingerie, it is a wonderful place to shop.
Our meal came and it was a nice evening as two girls, soaking up the ambiance and discussing things about the Wedding and just casual "girl talk" in general. The restaurant was fairly empty and both times I used the ladies room to freshen up, I saw no other girls in the washroom. The last trip to the washroom, my girlfriend joined me and we stood side by side at the vanity touching up our lipstick, it was a special time. We gathered our jackets and she settled up the bill and drove us to a large mall on the way home.
As we entered, the first place was Sears, and right inside the door we went in was the lingerie department. My girlfriend took the lead and immediately went to the bra section and started grabbing boxes of bras to see if they were right. A middle aged woman came over and asked us "would you ladies like any help", my girlfriend chimed in right away, "we are looking for a strapless low backed bra for her", pointing over at me. She then said, "you won't find that here, you need to go to the specialty area, come with me". Around the corner and down another isle was the area she talked about. As I stared at the bras, I though to myself, "these look like torture devices, not lingerie". The woman asked me my size and I told her and then she asked what the occasion was that I needed the bra for. My girlfriend piped in that it was for a Wedding and the Bridesmaid dress I was wearing was slightly low in the back, and off the shoulder in design. She smiled and asked me when the Wedding was and as she searched and found a bra in my size, she handed it to me and asked me if I was "used to wearing a bra like this". I told her "no" and she advised me that I should wear it for a few days prior to the Wedding to "get used to the 'issues', associated with strapless low backed bras". I thanked her and took the bra to the counter and nearly died as she rang it up, $59?!!!, my girlfriend quickly dropped down her credit card and paid for the bra. As we were leaving the store I commented on how expensive a piece of material can be?. She just commented, "I warned you, being a Bridesmaid is not cheap, and we need to get you wearing this as soon as possible so you know how to 'handle' it".
I had no clue what she was talking about, and followed her into the mall and towards Reitman's. As we walked up to the store front, my girlfriend stopped me in front and in the store front was a mannequin was wearing a 4 tiered faded jean skirt and a pretty short sleeved blue blouse with a wide "peter pan" collar. She said, "that my dear is what you are wearing to the shower, I think it will look perfect on you, let's go in and see what it looks like". I followed her into the store and on one of the first racks was the skirt, and on a rack right behind it was the blouse. My girlfriend already had the skirt and the blouse in her hands before the salesgirl came over and met us and said, "looks like you have found what you liked ladies?, is one of you trying this on this evening?". My girlfriend made a motion to me and said, "she is", the salesgirl grabbed the blouse and skirt from my girlfriend and then motioned to me to follow her and lead me to a change room. She opened the door and hung up the clothes and motioned me in and asked to call if I needed any help. I made sure that I was out of view of my girlfriend before I checked out what she was wearing. She was stunning, in her mid 20's, a tiny figure and had on a pearl colored silk blouse, I could see her camisole barely through her blouse, a black leather miniskirt, also what looked like really sheer black hose and low black patent pumps. Her makeup was perfect and she smelled wonderful, I had to be careful in looking at her, as to not arouse the suspicions of my girlfriend, she was a 12 out of 10 for sure!.
I closed the door and got undressed, the skirt and the blouse fit perfectly, it looked really not right with the opaque black hose, but in any case, I opened the door and walked out modeling the outfit in the mirrors that were located at the back of the store. Another girl, just over from me was modeling what looked like the exact same leather miniskirt as the salesgirl was wearing. I paraded around and my girlfriend complimented me on the look and eventually the salesgirl came over and was "comparing notes", with her agreeing that it looked great. As I stared at myself in the mirror, I loved the way the skirt complimented my figure, falling right at the knees, and the blouse helped my hips look wider and my waist smaller with the small shoulder pads. I found myself staring at the girl trying on the black leather miniskirt and how sexy it looked, I quickly found myself looking back with my girlfriend saying, "hello.... Barb?, over here!". Both her and the salesgirl and myself agreed the look was perfect. My girlfriend then said, "take that off Barb, I owe you some money, so give me the skirt and blouse and I will pay for it while you get changed". I went back into the change room (which was tons smaller than the ones at Promises and Lace), and slipped back into my blouse and skirt and hung the new skirt and blouse over the door and my girlfriend came and got them and said, "see you at the front".
I put my skirt and blouse back on and opened the change room door and about the same time I was coming out, the girl that bought the leather mini came out and we walked to the front together. My girlfriend was waiting there and had the Reitman's bag in her hand and said, "ready to go Barb?, everything is settled". I told her "yes" and she handed me the bag and out the store we went, I could not help to stare at the racks of the leather minis that were on one of ones closest to us as we left. My girlfriend caught me staring and grabbed my hand and gave me a smile back as we headed out of the store.
As the date of the Shower got closer I of course was getting more and more excited. I got a call from Debbie one Friday evening and she told me that all of the dates/times were now confirmed (of course she knew nothing about her Bridal shower). The following is what she told me and I copied them down:
? The actual day of the Wedding everyone was meeting at her parent's place for 10:30am to get dressed and ready. ? Her mother was arranging for a hairdresser and makeup artist to be at the house to do each of the girl's hair and makeup. A trip to a salon was not going to be needed. ? The night before was going to be the rehearsal party, meeting at the church was 5pm, dinner was to follow, dinner was at a posh golf and country club her father belonged to and dress code was definitely formal. ? Two weeks prior to the Wedding on the Saturday we had an appointment at Promises and Lace for our final fitting of the Dresses, hers included. ? Carl was pushing for allowing his best man to hold a bachelor party and Debbie was insisting on a "stag and doe". Carl won and Debbie and Teresa decided that the girls would have a bachelorette party, it was going not going to be a surprise and we would be going out "clubbing", the Saturday night after the dress fitting.
That was the last time I spoke with Debbie before the shower and on the Saturday morning of the shower I did not even have to wait for my girlfriend to remind me to get ready and around 10am headed straight for the shower to get cleaned up. I really took my time in the shower and again made sure I was "squeaky clean", when I came out, I went straight to the bedroom, and like she had done previously, my girlfriend left me out all of my clothes, neatly arranged. I looked at the clock and saw that I had an hour and a half to get ready and really wanted to take my time. I slipped into my favorite lace pink panties and matching bra and then opened the package of ultra sheer nude hose my girlfriend had left out for me and very carefully put them on. The apartment was warm and I did not bother with my makeup coat and sat down and started to apply my makeup for the day. I really took my time as I applied my eyeshadow and eyeliner as I did not want to overdo it. I decided to do something a little different and used an all mauve colour on my eyes and used the eyeliner to make my eyes a little more dramatic, and after I applied a healthy coat of mascara, I knew I had done well. I applied very little blush and used my light pinkish-red lipstick to complete the look.
I moved to the bed after I had looked over my makeup and thought it was perfect and what I as trying to accomplish and grabbed the blouse and slipped it on. I remembered my perfume and put on a healthy dose of Halston's and then continued to dress and put on the skirt. Again it fit perfectly and I finished dressing by grabbing my 3" kid black "work" heels and sliding them on. I looked myself over in the mirror and everything looked great, I grabbed my purse and made a quick check to ensure everything was in it and then made my way to the living room to meet my girlfriend for "final inspection". As I entered she heard me coming and noted "mmmm, very nice", I sat down and she helped me fluff out my hair and asked me what time I wanted to leave for the shower, I told her in about 10 minutes. She was going to drive me there, and the plan was that I was going to be taking a cab home. When she heard that Teresa's house was only a few blocks away told me to call her when I was ready to come home and she would pick me up, it would not be a bother to her, I thanked her and took her up on her offer. After I double checked my look in the mirror I headed for the door, and my girlfriend already had her coat on and helped me with mine and handed me the present for Debbie and we made our way downstairs to the car.
As we made our way to the shower my girlfriend asked me if I was nervous, and I was, but in an excited kind of way, I knew that I was just another Bridesmaid and really did not know what a shower was really all about. She had to admit she really did not know either as she had never been to one, but in a few months she would and that I should take "notes" for her. It only took about 5 minutes to get to Teresa's and as we pulled in front my girlfriend gave my hand a gentle squeeze and said, "enjoy yourself Barb and remember 'smile'!". I grabbed the present and made my way to the front door and before I could even knock on it, Teresa opened it and invited me in.
Again I was stunned, Teresa was gorgeous, she was wearing a lime green single breasted jacket, a matching just above the knee length skirt and about 2" matching dyed satin heels, I could tell her nude hose was ultra sheer. Her breasts were definitely visible from under the jacket and as I looked up at her, her face was perfectly made up, her hair was freshly curled and gave her a certain softness to her face, the smell of her perfume had me in a trance. I was shocked back to reality as she greeted me with, "I'll take that Barb", as she grabbed the present and offered to take my coat. As she hung it up she complimented me on my look and told me to "make myself comfortable, leave your heels on if you like", which I did, and that I was the last guest to arrive.
I walked into the living room and was not really ready for what I saw, as it was wall to wall women, with little chats going here and there. I tucked my purse at my side and thank heavens Connie, one of the other Bridesmaid's came over and greeted me, "Barb, so nice to see you, it has been a while", we hugged and gave each other a little kiss and I returned the greeting. Connie was in the same outfit as she wore to the engagement party and looked me over and complimented me on what I was wearing. She pointed to where the drink table was and then told me where Liz and her were sitting and invited me to join them. I went to the drink table and grabbed a glass of white wine and then made my way through the clusters of women chatting and found the other Bridesmaid Liz on a couch in the corner. She got up and greeted me as well and we exchanged a little friendly kiss, as I looked as Liz I definitely saw a 19 year old girl. She was in a really tight and short black jean skirt and ultra sheer white blouse, her lace bra clearly visible through it. Her hose were sheer and nude and the heels she wore were black patent and about an inch taller than mine. The makeup she wore was nice, a little heavier than I would have worn, but certainly nice (I was later to learn she was going out "clubbing" after the shower (whatever that meant)). As we sat and chatted I asked Connie and Liz if they had either been to a shower and both said, "no", so I got some comfort knowing that I was not alone. We were chatting about what we were supposed to be doing when the call came, "she's here!".
Debbie came walking through the door and she was not really that surprised and told everyone she "kind of guessed what was going on", you could tell because she definitely was not dressed for a leisurely Saturday afternoon. She was wearing a black knee length tank dress and a blue double breasted blazer, her hair was obviously freshly curled and her makeup was done really well, her heels were the same I had seen all along, about 3" and kid black. She certainly looked beautiful and started making her way through the crowd and talking to all of the guests. Teresa asked me to give her a hand and I helped, grabbing plates of snacks and little sandwiches and placing them on tables in the living room.
As Debbie made her way through the crowd, I joined Teresa and Connie and Liz and we chatted about the Wedding and relationships and all sorts of "girl" things, I was really feeling comfortable now. We talked about the change in Teresa's dress colour and the flowers and if anyone had seen them, which none of us had. Connie asked me if I had started dating again and I told her that I was seeing a guy, but it was not that serious we were "only friends". She then asked me something that I nearly froze on and that was, "so does only friends mean you have not slept with him?, or just an occasion blow job?". At first I was shocked, but then Teresa said to Connie, "that is not fair and what kind of a question is that?, it is none of your business". I told Teresa that it was alright and politely answered, "no we are just friends", Connie just smiled and said, "better not tell the usher you are paired with that, he is a total letch". I felt uncomfortable, but Teresa started a new conversation that made me feel better and asked, "so does everyone know how they are wearing their hair for the Wedding?". I had not even thought about that and since I had a full head of curly hair I really had no choice and was glad when Teresa announced she was planning on wearing hers down. Connie who had straight short black hair said down, and Liz, the only one with long straight hair was going to wear hers up.
Eventually Debbie made it over to us and gave us all hugs and thanked us for coming and as we hugged she whispered in my ear, "my another new outfit?, someone has been doing some serious shopping". I just smiled back and thanked her for the compliment. We chatted about the Wedding and Debbie made sure that everyone knew the dates and times of the different events. She also mentioned that in two weeks when we were getting together for the dress fitting that we all wear at least knee high nylons and the bra we would be wearing on the day of the Wedding, as this was the last chance to change anything. She asked if the time for the appointment was alright for all of us and no one disagreed. Some tinkling of a glass indicated something was happening and Debbie's Mom was asking everyone to come and sit in an adjoining room. I followed the other girls and in the room was a ton of chairs sat up around and a lounge table in the middle and that is where Debbie sat. I sat in between Liz and Teresa as I was starting to get the impression that Connie did not like me. Debbie's mom stood up and announced it was time for some games. None of the reading I had done about showers mentioned games and wondered what kind of games are 25 or so dressed up women going to play and decided just to "play things by ear".
Debbie's mom then asked everyone to get their purses as the first game was to see who had the most points for items in their purse. She started explaining the rules, it was simple, she had a list of items that could be in a purse, and points for each, whoever had the most points won. Carl's mother was the person that helped her and went around the room and asked for everyone's name. She then started calling items out and if you had what she called you got points. Since I had not really gone too many places and such, needless to say my score was low, it was interesting to listen to things that she called out. I certainly made a mental note of what she was calling, things like, a tampon, Kotex pad, condom, tissues, a lighted compact, etc., I definitely was going to make sure some of those things were in my purse in the future. I had no clue who the girl was that won, but she was about 25 and the items that were valued high were things like a condom and tampon. She won a lovely table ornament, made by the same Aunt that made the flowers for the Wedding. The next game was simple and it was basically, Debbie left the room and after she did, we all were given cards and pens and told to answer a series of questions about Debbie, the one that got the most right would win. The questions were ones like, what colour of lipstick was she wearing?, colour of her skirt?, blouse, was she wearing earrings?, etc. We all handed in our cards and as we sipped on wine and chatted, a few minutes later, Carl's mother came back into the room and announced that there was a 3 way tie, myself, and two other women and that we all would get a prize. I got a bottle of wine as the prize and put it under my chair.
When Debbie came back in the room she gave each of the winners a hug, and as she moved away from me she gave me a special smile. Debbie was seated in the middle of the group again and it was time for her to open her presents. This took forever as she carefully opened each one and all of the guests were encouraged to go up and get food and if they wanted to, wine. One ritual that I found was odd and could not figure out was that every time she opened a present, either Debbie's mother or Carl's would take the bow off of the present and place it on a paper plate. Eventually she go to the present that my girlfriend had picked out, and I had no clue what it was, but it turned out to be a handy little chopper for the kitchen. Finally the last of the gifts were opened and the paper plate had a couple of ribbons on it that served as straps for a hat and Debbie was made to wear it as a Bridesmaid hat. It was actually quite funny and several pictures were snapped of her wearing it and Debbie was beet red while this was going on. It was around 6pm or so and some of the guests started to leave and I asked Teresa were the phone was as I needed to call for a ride home. Liz overheard me and offered to drive me home and it was not a problem as it was on the way to the club she was going to. I accepted her offer and was about to go for my coat when Debbie asked for all of the Bridesmaids to join her in the living room.
Debbie want to make 100% sure we all knew what time the fitting was for and that Connie would be picking us up like the last time. She also told us that her bachelorette party was no secret, but that she would let Teresa contact us individually about getting together later that evening and that we would be going "clubbing". Liz mentioned that she had to get going and I took the hint and went and grabbed my coat and met Liz at the door. I gave Debbie a friendly hug and a light kiss goodbye and followed Liz out the door to her car. I slid into the passenger seat and Liz drove me to the apartment. Part of me wanted to ask her what "clubbing" was, but I decided not to and would save that for when I saw my girlfriend, as I was lost as to what it was. Liz dropped me off at the apartment and I made my way up the stairs, and as I entered I surprised my girlfriend who was not expecting me. She came and helped me with my coat and asked how I got home and I told her that Liz had driven me home. She smiled and said, "well that was nice, it saved me a trip!". She grabbed my hand and lead me to the living room and for the next hour or so had me tell her all about the shower and what went on. I was still on "cloud nine" and was sure that I forgot to tell her about a bunch of things. I slipped out of my clothes and cleaned myself up and certain reminisced about a wonderful and stellar day!.
I talked with Debbie a few times over the next couple of weeks and she was definitely getting more and more excited. She also assured me that with all of the conversations she has had with her mother, Carl's mother and the other Bridesmaids, no one is "on to me" and that things are looking really good for me. As for the upcoming Wedding, I should fit right in and to relax and enjoy myself. At one point she asked what I was planning on wearing for the "clubbing" night out. I came clean with her and admitted that I had no clue what "clubbing" was, and all she did was laughed a little and said, "ask your girlfriend she will know, and I cannot see what you are going to wear". She left me wondering and I was curious at what she meant, about 15 minutes after that same phone call, I got a call from Teresa to confirm the details of the bachelorette party. Basically, Debbie's mom rented a small bus that was going to be driving us around so that no one had to drive and that we were going "clubbing". She asked if I had any friends that wanted to join us and told her perhaps I did and she told me just to let me know how many, and that they all be at my apartment between 6:30pm and 7pm the evening of the party. I told her "no problem" and was still left wondering what "clubbing" was all about.
The evening those calls happened, my girlfriend was working late and when she came home I told her the calls I had gotten and how Debbie asked what I was wearing and Teresa asked if I knew anyone that wanted to come. She smiled at me and said, "I do hope you said me, as the last time I have been 'clubbing' was with my girlfriends two years ago, right after I turned of age". I told her that I would let Teresa know and asked her point blank, so what is "clubbing", she explained it was going from establishment to establishment and enjoying the atmosphere. I thought that was pretty easy to understand and asked why Debbie made the comment about "cannot waiting to see what I wear". She had an evil grin and looked me right in the eyes and said, "you leave that to me, I will make sure we both are 'appropriately' dressed for 'clubbing'". She left it at that and refused to answer my question of "what she was talking about".
The next Saturday was going to be a "big" one, the final dress fitting and the bachelorette party.
To be continued.....
Joyce Devries, joyce_devries@hotmail.com ICQ: 26082876