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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why I Did Not Want a Wedding Dress That I Actually Loved

by Chautona Havig · 1 Comment

Melissa Wardwell's Blended Lives released last week, and boy! Is it a great book with not one but TWO weddings in the offing! EEEP! via @chautonahavig

While other girls dreamed of their wedding dresses, I schemed to find a way to get Nancy Drew’s wardrobe. So when the time for me to come up with a wedding dress, I had no idea. I knew what I didn’t want but not what I did.  The funny thing is, I ended up with a dress that I LOVED but didn’t want.  The dress I wanted was an ivory, tea-length, Jessica McClintock. $120.  Perfection in my book.

That idea was shot down the moment I saw another dress and loved it.  I didn’t WANT it.  The thing was fussier than I usually prefer and it was most definitely more formal than what I was going for. No matter how much I fought for the ivory dress, someone else (NOT my mother… Mom was 100% not involved in the wedding process) shot it back down.

I did what any broke girl did. I put that sucker on lay-a-way to shut her up and started skipping more meals to pay for it.

Yay. Me.

Our wedding was to take place on February 18th.  On December… oh, 28th?  Ish? My husband broke my jaw in a car accident.  That dress that fit perfectly?  Yeah.  The poor seamstress who had to do the fitting had to wait until the week before the wedding to do the final stuff because I kept dropping inches left and right.  She also ruined the skirt by shortening it in a way that made the three tiers unbalanced, but we won’t talk about that.  Not bitter… not at all… (just kidding).

The wires came off my teeth a week before the wedding, but the damage had been done. I kept losing pound after pound, inch after inch, even into our honeymoon! And on the day of my wedding… I looked like a cloud of fluffy white. And anytime I turned without extreme care, my photographer would say, “Get back in your dress.”

Because that dress would stay put while I turned inside.  So embarrassing.

Putting this out there for the curious and for a bit of “HA! I was right!” Had I purchased THE DRESS I WANTED… that wardrobe malfunction wouldn’t have happened, and I would not have needed the dress altered at all.  Just sayin’.

Did my recent anniversary spark this trip down bridal nightmare memory lane? Nope. There’s a reason I decided to tell you…

Blended Lives Melissa Wardwell

Note: Links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you

Why I Did Not Want a Wedding Dress That I Actually Loved

And it isn’t for catharsis or anything (although I won’t refuse a good wallow when it is beneficial!)

Melissa Wardwell’s fourth book in the Independence Islands Series, her Sparrow Island book, released last Tuesday! The authors were asked to tell about the moment that they knew their dress was “the one.”  I just happened to be the gal whose “the one” really should have been “the one” for so many reasons but “The One” wasn’t the one at all.  #BecauseMe.

Blended Lives by Melissa WardwellBlended Lives Melissa Wardwell

Wedding bells are ringing on the islands, but more than romance is in the air.

Seth Mikels experienced a fulfilling marriage with his wife until her sudden death left him alone to raise their two daughters. As they approach their teens, it’s obvious that they need a woman’s influence. He’s not looking for love, but he could use the partnership of a wife. Between his handyman business and playing Mr. Mom, time is fading fast.

Sarah Reid has spent the last four years caught in the middle of one island drama after another. Following the most recent fiasco, she hopes to find refuge on Sparrow Island with her two little boys. Climbing bills and a dwindling bank account leave her no choice but to sell out and move to the mainland. Enter Seth’s handyman skills and an unexpected romance.

With Beth and Scott planning their own Merriweather wedding (complete with a Momzilla), will wedding bells ring out on Sparrow, too?

Read the next Sparrow Island novel in the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.
The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

More from the other authors….

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the other posts from the authors, learn their wedding dress stories, and enter their giveaways:
Melissa Wardwell: February 22
Kari Trumbo: February 23
Rachel Skatvold: February 24
Tabitha Bouldin: February 25
Carolyn Miller: February 26
Chautona Havig: February 27
Sandy Barela: February 28

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Filed Under: New Release

Previous Post: « Book Club Capers: February Part 2
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  1. Colleen says

    February 28, 2022 at 9:55 am

    So – I think we need a picture here! 🙂

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episod 560: A Chat witih Melanie Dobson
byChautona Havig

No one does split-time like Melanie Dobson, and boy has she got a fabulous one for us now! Listen in to what she shares about her latest, The Lost Story of Via Belle.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

I love hearing about authors’ research, but actually getting to see Grace Livingston Hill’s WRITING ROOM? WHAT?

The Lost Story of Via Belle by Melanie Dobson

Searching for a story to adapt for film, an aspiring screenwriter becomes captivated by a bestselling classic novel and the mysterious disappearance of the woman who wrote it.

1940. Via Belle’s sweet romance novels made readers believe in happily ever after. But Via’s reality was much more complicated. While her first husband was alive, her creativity thrived in a beautiful stone estate situated above a pristine lake and moonflower garden. After his tragic death and a whirlwind second marriage shrouded in secrets, Via vanished from public life, leaving behind a shadow of scandal . . . and her final story.

2006. Screenwriter Harper Rayne is desperate for a breakthrough, if only she can find the right story to tell. But when she digs into the life of her late mother’s favorite novelist, she never expects it to become personal. Drawn to the quaint Pennsylvania town where both her mother and Via once lived, Harper discovers more than a mystery to solve—she finds echoes of her own longing for love, healing, and home. As long-buried secrets come to light, Harper must decide if she’ll protect the past or rewrite this particular ending.

Described as a “powerhouse in dual-timeline Christian fiction” (Library Journal), Melanie Dobson delivers another rich, atmospheric novel about the legacy of sacrificial love and the redemptive power of truth.

  • Standalone dual-timeline historical mystery filled with drama, faith, and intrigue
  • Clean, suspenseful historical fiction, perfect for fans of Susan Meissner, Lisa Wingate, or Patti Callahan Henry
  • Includes discussion questions for book groups

You can learn more about Melanie Dobson on her WEBSITE. Also follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episod 560: A Chat witih Melanie Dobson
Episod 560: A Chat witih Melanie Dobson
July 13, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 559: A Chat with Lisa Phillips
July 11, 2026
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Episode 558: A Chat with Felicia Hurd
July 6, 2026
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Episode 557: A Chat with Laura DeNooyer
July 4, 2026
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Episode 556: A Chat with Sharon Wilharm
June 29, 2026
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Episode 555: A Chat with Jil Koller
June 27, 2026
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Episode 554: A Chat with Gloriaea
June 22, 2026
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Episode 553: A Chat with Chris Underwood
June 20, 2026
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Episode 552: A Chat with Laura Ashwood
June 17, 2026
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Episode 551: A Chat wth Kayla E. Green
June 15, 2026
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