Many people have a television show that they secretly love to watch: a small indulgence and guilty pleasure not often discussed. Shows such as the "House Wives of Orange County" or "The Hills" are some prime examples. For me, that show is "Say Yes to the Dress." One day I also learned that a few of my female colleagues (married or not), were also closet fans.

If you have not seen the show, "Say Yes to the Dress" is on The Learning Channel (TLC) daily. The show is about a bridal boutique, Kleinfelds, in New York City. Brides of all ages, shapes, sizes, and styles come from all around the country and the world to buy dresses from this famous shop. The show features brides with $20,000 budgets to those with more modest resources of $1-2,000 to spend. The brides come with an entourage of friends and family members to find the perfect dress and, to keep viewers riveted, with a little angst and drama.

After a few months of watching this show religiously, I knew that (a) I did not want to spend nearly that much money on a wedding dress, and (b) I wanted the process to be drama free and simple.

Almost as soon as the ring was on my hand, I began searching David's Bridal Web site. Over Christmas I sat down with my mom and we found one dress we both loved. On a Friday night in January, I made a call to David's Bridal in South Burlington: they had the dress. It was on sale. It might not last long. "Do you have any appointments tomorrow?" I asked. They did. I signed up.

At this point, I had not yet asked my best friend to be my maid of honor. I had planned to do that at brunch the next morning, now also the day of my appointment at David's Bridal. Luckily, my friend immediately said yes, she'd be delighted to be my maid of honor. Earlier that morning, before brunch, I had asked my roommate, a bridesmaid, to come dress shopping with me and she had said yes too. So in less than 24 hours there I was, armed with a bridesmaid, a maid of honor, and a pretty good idea of what I wanted. I felt confident as I walked into the store with my posse.

The woman who helped me with my dress was short, with fiery red hair, and a perky, motherly personality. From the moment we walked through the door she was up and running to get everything I needed.

Step one: put shoes on. Check. Step two: put bra on. Check. Step three: put large poofy slip on. Check. Step four: gingerly step into dress. Check. Step five: take a deep breath and walk out onto pedestal.

The first dress was the one I saw on the Web site. I definitely didn't love it. Two or three different dresses came next. I did not like something about each of them. When you watch "Say Yes to the Dress" it's easy to see the aha (!) moment by the dreamy and satisfied look on the women's faces.

My last gown of the day went on. It was a token gesture and nothing I had truly considered wearing; it was very different from all the others. (Note: There are no dress description specifics in this article; I fear that if my fiancé reads this, I then will have spoiled the wedding dress surprise.)

For the record, the "This is my dress" feeling is a real emotion. It swept over me the second I walked in front of that huge mirror and stood on the pedestal. The dress I didn't expect to like - it fit right, it moved right, it looked right, was priced right, and I knew it was mine.

But wait, one most important element from this near perfect equation was missing: my mom. How could I have come this far and have forgotten to call the most important person in my life? She was supposed to be there at that moment - crying and telling me that I looked beautiful... I couldn't possibly buy this dress without her presence and blessings. In the dress, in the store, I called my mom right away. She was shocked that I had tried on dresses already and even more so because I thought that I found the one. Good luck would have it that there was an appointment cancellation at the bridal salon the next day and I grabbed it.

At first, mom was uncertain as to whether she could drop everything the next day and drive down to help her daughter decide on a dress. Nevertheless, it didn't take long for her to turn on a dime and decide to come to Burlington for this special occasion.

After trying on my first choice and getting a very pleased reaction from my mom, she picked out a few more for me to try on. Happy to have her with me now, I tried on some other styles. Ultimately, these gowns simply served to convince us, even more, that my aha (!) choice was indeed the right one.

We left together that day, mother and daughter, close friends and companions, with a beautiful wedding dress in hand and a perfect moment to remember.