They found it at Mrs. Tefft’s in Coral Gables. A new dress — same designer, same candlelight silk — waiting like a fairy tale on a rack. Janet tried it on, declared it beautiful, and her father signed a check faster than you can say “coal tar.”

Seamstresses stitched furiously. Rain poured outside. Somewhere, a shoemaker finished fixing a heel.

By seven o’clock that night, Janet stood in her living room wearing a merry widow bra and hoop skirt, waiting for her gown to arrive. It slid in just under the wire — like all the best happy endings.

Later, that second wedding dress became something of a legend: six different brides wore it over the years. Meanwhile, Janet’s father dined out on the coal tar story at every cocktail party from Miami to the Bahamas.

And Mary, the family maid, slept through the reception in a chair, baseball bat in hand, guarding wedding gifts after the security guard failed to show up.

In the end, nothing — not rain, not ruined dresses, not broken heels — could touch the joy of that day.

Because the best wedding stories, like the best marriages, are stitched together with a little laughter, a lot of love, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.

A Classic Setting on California’s Coast