I was so excited! My long-term boyfriend had finally proposed and we were getting married. We’d been together for seven years and didn’t want to wait any longer. We set the date for three months away and I threw myself into preparations. I was determined to have the most amazing wedding ever, but was soon shocked by the cost of everything.
We were keeping things pretty simple but we’d already gone well over our budget and I was becoming increasingly stressed as I tried to hide our spiralling debt from my fiancé. During this time my fiancé was offered a job back in our hometown. He decided to take the job so we had to add moving costs to our growing debts.
My best friend and I went dress shopping and I found the wedding dress I wanted to wear. It was a gorgeous gown, long and white and elegant. It cost $4000 and although this was more than I wanted to pay, I’d fallen in love and just had to have it. I couldn’t even afford the minimum deposit but the sales assistant let me pay $100 if I promised to make regular weekly payments.
We were moving the following week and as we’d be staying with my parents for the first week and didn’t have a confirmed address yet, I gave the bridal shop the address of the place we would be moving out of. I figured I’d just change the address at a later date. I danced out of the shop, delighted with my dream dress.
The following week I went back to the shop to make my next payment before we moved away. I knew we’d be coming back often enough to make regular payments as we still had many friends in town. I looked out for the sales assistant who had helped me the week before but she didn’t seem to be there. The young girl behind the counter explained that she had just started at the job. I told her I was making a lay-by payment and gave her my name. She looked through her file for my card, all the while chatting about how excited she was to have started this new job. She pulled out my card and asked if I was making my final payment, seeing as there was only $100 left outstanding. She had obviously mixed up the amount I’d payed with what was owing. I froze as I realised her mistake. I felt terrible and knew I was doing the wrong thing but I couldn’t stop thinking about all the money troubles we’d been having while trying to organise the wedding. If I could get out of paying for my dress it would really help.
I started talking to distract her from realising her mistake and paid as quickly as I could. As I left the store with my beautiful dress, I thought about how I had probably cost that girl her new job. I felt sick but forced myself to think about how much I had saved. We moved from that town several days later so they had no way of tracking me.
We had a beautiful wedding and settled in happily to our new home. Everyone told me I looked beautiful in my dress — a dress that should have cost $4000 but ended up costing $200 and most probably that girl’s job, not to mention the loss for the bridal shop.
I never told my husband what I did. He’d be horrified by my dishonesty. He sometimes wonders why I go out of my way to avoid returning to our old town. I’m too ashamed to admit that I’m terrified someone from the bridal shop will recognise me.
Picture posed by models.
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