Planning a destination wedding in Albania comes with its share of surprises. Some are magical — like dancing with 200 guests in a palatial ballroom. Others? Well… you learn to improvise. Case in point: my wedding dress hemming fiasco.
Buying vs. Renting a Dress in Albania
I bought my wedding dress in the U.S. because I couldn’t find anything I loved as much in Albania. In Albania, it’s much more common to rent wedding dresses, usually for around $900+, roughly the same price as buying a dress in the U.S. The catch? Rental dresses often can’t be altered to fit perfectly.
In a culture where the guests show up looking flawless, I wanted to feel good too.
But, I made a mistake in hindsight and opted not to hem my dress in the U.S. I figured, “There are tons of amazing tailors in Albania. I’ll just have them do it there.”
The Tailor Mix-Up
Three days before the wedding, I visited a tailor in my husband’s hometown. She promised to hem the dress for $10 — no problem. I was thrilled, thinking I had saved money and that everything would be ready in time.
Fast forward to the morning of the wedding, three hours before the ceremony. I finally tried on the dress. Disaster: it had not been hemmed at all.
A language barrier? A miscommunication? Or maybe she just pocketed the $10 and called it a day? Whatever happened, It was totally my fault, I should have checked it beforehand!
It was a rainy Saturday, barely anyone was working, and we were at the venue with full hair and makeup. There was no sewing kit in sight. Panic set in. My husband, ever the problem solver, jumped into action.
Rrushi Im!
He called out for tape, scissors, and safety pins. Luckily, someone ran in with the supplies. My dress had a four-foot train, and there was no way I could dance our long practiced Viennese waltz in it.
The guests were piling into the venue, waiting for us to begin. Surprisingly, everyone had arrived on time — a rare feat at an Albanian wedding, where being fashionably late is the norm. My husband didn’t flinch.
He shrugged off his tuxedo jacket, knelt on the floor for thirty minutes, and pinned the massive train inch by inch, rolling it above my ankles. Hands pricked and knees sore, he stayed calm and focused while finishing the hem. He was determined to make our first dance happen.
The Magical Result
Finally, he got up from the floor, dusted off his hands, and twirled me around to see the finished product. He had done it! The boss of the venue knocked and popped in: “Are you ready?! Everyone’s waiting! The DJ is ready with fireworks and smoke!”
I took my husband’s hand and we descended down the steps from the second floor to the main ballroom below. He led me in our waltz to La La Land’s “Planetarium” song. It was so magical!
Everyone commented on my asymmetrical scalloped hemline — so unique! “How ever did you come up with that?” they asked. No one suspected a thing. 🙂
The moral of the story? Always get your dress tailored well in advance, and try it on before the big day! But also… my husband is awesome!
