I Never Liked Lace by Kara O'Neal

Next month my husband and I will have been married for 21 years. It's gone by in a blink. Each year has been wonderful. Not happily-ever-after in the fairy tale sense. But wonderful because we've gone through some difficult times and we've only grown closer. My husband is my best friend. And I used him as inspiration to write my favorite romantic hero...


When we were planning our wedding, I tore out a picture from a magazine of a wedding dress and took it to a bridal shop. It was ivory, had a square neckline, was A-Line with an empire waist. Very classic looking. No lace. I didn't care for it. I'd had lacy, frilly dresses as a child, and while I sure liked how they twirled, I did NOT like the itchy factor of lace.

The owner took one look at my picture and said, "I've got one I think you'll like."

She pulled out a dress that had the same form as the one in the magazine picture, but it was COVERED in lace. The sleeves, the bodice, the skirt. It was everywhere. When she showed it to me, I silently said, "Not gonna happen."

But I didn't argue because I was taught to be polite. There was no harm in bringing it back to the changing room.

Well, when I put that sucker on I got the shock of my life. I stared at myself. I couldn't believe it. It was the dress. THE ONE. I felt like an Irish princess. It was $430 and I bought it. That day.

I can't explain my change of mind. I promise I shocked everyone else, too, and my mother kept asking me if I was sure. But there was something about it, something that whispered in my heart, telling me that this was the right gown to wear when I married my Prince Charming. I'm so glad I listened to that inner voice. 


Recently, my daughter--who has just graduated from high school--asked if she could try it on. I pulled it out. You can see her in it to the left. I can't believe how grown up she looks.

 

 











She is standing under a picture of herself at 10 years old. And my husband drew the picture.







Book 7 in my series, Love's Redemption, tells the story of Lonnie Davis and Willa Kramer. Lonnie is my favorite romantic hero, and I used my husband as inspiration. At the end of the book, Willa wears a wedding dress fit for an Irish princess, and yes, I made it similar to mine. But not completely. I am not Willa. Someone else is responsible for her character, but that's a post for a later date.



By the end of book 7, Willa and Lonnie are setting off for their new beginning, and my husband and I are twenty plus years into ours. With plenty more to go. I can't wait!





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