The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck-Book Club Selection

This book was selected by my book club for June, and what a delightful read it was! The Wedding Dress takes you on a journey back in time, and into the present where two women (mainly two women, though others are part of the book) are linked together by a gorgeous wedding dress. Charlotte owns a dress shop, selling wedding gowns to Birmingham's most elite brides. One day she wanders to a mountain to pray, where she happens upon an auction. She inexplicably buys a chest for $1,000 that contains a wedding dress. Charlotte doesn't know it at the time, and this chest spurs the demise of her relationship with her fiance, Tim. Emily is a bride in 1912, in the South. Jim Crow laws abound, and Emily wants to throw caution to the wind, and have her dress sewn by a colored seamstress. In the South, at that time, this sort of thing was unheard of-and against the law! Emily was opinionated, and stubborn, so she wanted Taffy Hayes to sew her gown. Unfortunately for Emily, she is about to walk down the aisle with a complete louse, Phillip Saltonstall. She knows Phillip has his vices, but when she sees it first-hand, will she have the strength to trust her instincts and walk away? Complicating things further is Daniel, her ex- love. Daniel tries to convince Emily of Phillip's transgressions, but she dismisses him. You'll be rooting for the underdog in Daniel, that's for sure! Charlotte and Emily's lives are linked through this dress, which Charlotte finds when she opens the trunk. Even though you don't know where this story will take you, what happens in the end is just magical!  

Rachel Hauck has written an engaging, tender, love story in The Wedding Dress. Our book club collectively enjoyed this book. Our discussion was lively, and each of us had similar reactions to the plot lines in the book. I had not seen the connection between the man in the purple ascot, and Jesus, but after someone in book club pointed it out-it made perfect sense! There are religious themes in the book, so if that does not suit your fancy, this may not be the book for you. However, the Christianity is not overt or pushy, but adds nicely to the quality of the book. I highly recommend you  BUY IT!!

Happy Reading!