ually beautiful in their own right. Theora eyed them nervously, the excitement of the day mixing

material, with layers upon layers of lace that felt more like a

en, said with a dismissive gesture, not

it? In my day, we wore wedding dresses twice our weight, and we wouldn't eve

ile, trying not to laugh, "I th

the issue further. "It's a shame, really.

Instead, she picked up the second veil and handed it to the saleslady to place on her head. It was a lovely pi

a said, taking it off qu

ses twice our weight and it wouldn't affect us one bit.

id gently, glancing at her daughter with an apolog

ll never find another dress that compares to what we wore in our time."

d, her tone shifting to a more positive no

r the third. It was lighter than the last one bu

s mother said, barely glancing

heet," Theora added with a frown, eyeing the p

s no appreciation for subtlety. In m

ppress the frustration building up inside. It wasn't easy pl

other store, the saleslady interrupted with a

laced on her head. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she had to admit it suited the dress she was wearing perfectly. The lacework wasn't too

r heart skipping a beat. "I thi

ll unconvinced. "The second o

ward Theora with a smile, clearly relieved that they were finally agreeing o

ling under her breath. She couldn't help but smile at her grandmother

ping that this would be the final choice. It wasn't easy dealing with Yiayia's expectations

t as good as the one I liked, but I suppose it's fine." She gave Theora a final onc

"We'll take this one," her mother announced to the salesl

owadays. In my days, a leaf wouldn't be turned without an elder's permissio

but sometimes it felt like the weight of tradition was too heavy to bear. Yiayia had always held on tightly to the old ways, and while T

, hoping to lighten the mood. "That nice little Greek deli is a few blocks fr

mained stiff. "Oh, it doesn't matter. I'll go home, an

d, giving her grandmother a s

'll go, but only because you insist. We only have these last

men said gently. "She'll be only a twenty-minute dr

a raised finger. "She's about to be a married woman. Treat each other

s said in unison, trying t

re impossible," she muttered, but the corners of her mouth curled upward just slight

id, hugging her grandmother ti

eace. Theora knew the next few days would be full of decisions and preparations, but for now, she was content.