Many a young woman, when she meets the right man, dreams of creating the perfect wedding day. Such was the case for my youngest daughter after her boyfriend proposed in a wonderful and romantic way over a year ago.
My daughter lives in Tennessee now, but she was raised in Hinsdale, and she wanted a New England wedding. She found a beautiful church, the reception venue, and, of course, the perfect dress.
However, during one of her visits to the church, she noticed that there was no mirror in the parlor.
We suddenly realized that she wouldn't even be able to see herself in her gown and veil until pictures were produced.
So we began a search for a cheval mirror - you know, one of the old-fashioned floor mirrors that swivel on a base. We looked in antique stores, attended auctions, and searched online. Nothing came up that wouldn't have blown out the wedding budget.
Then, with only three weeks to the wedding, I called Twice Upon a Time on Main Street in Brattleboro, which had a beautiful mahogany mirror.
I wondered if I could rent or borrow it for the day, as I needed it only so my daughter would get to see herself in her wedding dress on her wedding day.
“Well, that will never do!” the store's co-owner, Nicole Conrad, responded without hesitation. “Of course you can borrow it.”
But the story doesn't end there.
Because of the chaos of a wedding weekend, we could not find a time to pick up the mirror from the store while it was open.
And once again, Nicole went above and beyond what we ever could have imagined and offered to bring the mirror to her home, where we could pick it up.
* * *
It was so exciting for our daughter to look into a beautiful mirror on the morning of her wedding, dressed in her wedding gown and veil for the first time, complete with hair and makeup, surrounded by her closest girl friends and relatives.
That special moment when she finally saw herself as a real bride is all due to the generosity of a very special shopkeeper.
We are continually thankful to live in an area where such good deeds are commonplace. This good deed helped make this wedding day a perfect one.