Finally, I was at the point when I had to find a dress. A new shop had opened in Pittsburgh. Its website looked amazing. It is a really small shop with select (fabulous) dresses. Better yet, it was appointment-only, meaning no one else would be there. No other mum-daughter relationships staring at me. It would just be me and dresses and an amazing shop owner. It was fun. It was quiet, private, and thoughtful. And the owner was beyond wonderful about matching my energy, and understanding and respecting why I was there alone. It helped more to talk about it. To say out loud, “I think she would have liked this one.” To talk about sewing lace from her dress into my dress. To talk about wearing her earrings.