I am a former tomboy (age does wonders) and never thought I'd get married, so when my boyfriend of 3 years proposed (Valentines 2011)it didn't immediately hit me that a wedding was in order until his mum asked about the wedding date. And then, pure panic. I had no idea what kind of dress I wanted. The only thing I was sure of was that I wanted a dress with little material on it...something figure hugging. Fast forward, 6 months later and 10s of bridal salons, I still had no dress. The last bridal salon I went to had Maggie Sottero dresses. I tried a few, which looked good but still didn't feel right. I was impressed with the dresses. So, I decided to go through all of Maggie dress catalogs going back 3 years. I am glad I did. I stumbled upon the Elya and immediately knew this was the dress for me. The off shoulder caught my attention and the mermaid style was just perfect. The back blew my socks off. The Maggie salon in my city didn't carry this dress and I made a decision to order it...without trial...with just measurements to go on. Boy, am I glad I made that decision. In April, with a month and half to go, the Elya arrived. I tried on the dress with trembling hands and fell in love for a second time. Ahhh, the relief ...the joy! It was exquisite. It hugged my impossibly long limbed African figure in all the right places. My husband got to see me in the dress as I walked down the aisle. He couldn't stop telling me how gorgeous I looked . I wore it for the entire wedding...dancing and all. I've decided to keep my Elya and wear it every anniversary. Thank you Maggie.