Heavy Snow Magic and the Baton of Happiness.

Ten days ago, I went to try on wedding dresses, and the moment I put it on, I found a dress that made my heart flutter and thought, 'This is the one!'

It was expensive, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

I thought, 'I'll just splurge!' but it turned out that the dress took a long time to order, and it was already too late—it wouldn't arrive in time for when I needed it.

I tearfully gave up on it once and visited a few other shops, but my thoughts kept drifting back to it, thinking, 'I really wish I had that one...'

While I was looking at wedding-related posts on Instagram, I discovered that there is a huge culture of #hand-me-downs (essentially second-hand buying and selling), and that passing a dress on to the next person is called a #baton-of-happiness.

Thinking it would be wonderful if it were meant to be, I started a journey of searching through Instagram, Mercari, Fril, Yahoo Auctions, used dress shops I'd never used before, and even overseas websites. However, that dress seemed to be very popular, and everything that looked like it was in good size and condition was already sold out...

But, as that happens, it's human nature to feel even more like that's the one I want.

So, I casually consulted my sister, and she searched all over the internet for me, sending me a screenshot from Instagram saying, 'How about this person? It's so lovely! They just posted it!'

There was a photo of a very beautiful bride and groom. I fell in love at first sight with both the dress I wanted and the bride wearing it, so I sent a message right away.

I received a very polite reply immediately, and I was surprised when we started talking! Our bust sizes, which are the standard for that brand's dress sizing, were exactly the same, and our nearest train stations were also exactly the same! Miracle after miracle occurred, and in the blink of an eye, everything was settled. We decided to meet today to hand it over in person.

It was snowing heavily, but the cafe in front of the station she specified was a one-minute walk from my house, so it had no impact! In fact, not only were we able to meet safely, but a third miracle occurred: both of our husbands had to come home early due to the heavy snow, so they were able to join us. We ended up having a very exciting and fun double date♡

The dress, which she said she only wore for three hours at the hotel, was very clean and cute. It was much cheaper than the price I was going to pay at the shop, and it even came with the encounter of a wonderful couple who live nearby... If it's like this, second-hand is totally fine!! Or rather, second-hand is better!!

If there is one concern, I knew it from the moment I saw her Instagram, but she is clearly thinner than me. The bust size might be the same, but everything else might be quite different. Lol

It's not a dress I can put on by myself, so I'm worried about what I'll do if it doesn't fit at all when I try it on for the first time... But that worry will accelerate my motivation to diet, so I'll take that as a good thing too◎ Looking at the dress, I'll do my best from now on to become a bride who looks good in it.

Connections are truly amazing! Today everyone was happy, and I definitely received the 'baton of happiness.' Thank you from the bottom of my heart♡