In a lot of ways, this book was a group project. Greatest thanks, of course, go to Shelley Becker Mueller for so graciously welcoming me into her bridal shop and into her life. It was an honor to share her story, and the story of the Becker family.
I owe heartfelt thanks to Shelley’s parents, Clark and Sharon Becker, and to her daughter, Alyssa Mueller. And, of course, this book would not be possible were it not for the foresight and pioneering spirit of the family matriarch, Eva Becker.
I’m grateful to Shelley’s former husband, Gary Mueller, her siblings Jenny Badgett and Tim Becker, her sister-in-law, Sharon M. Becker, and cousin Eleanor Klein, who shared their memories. Thanks also to Seth Kruger, Rev. Glad Remaly, Pastor Brad Klaver, Paul Fox, Pat and Ken Hafner, Clarence Simon, and Robin Jones Gunn.
The sales staff at Becker’s was always helpful to me, even when the store was jammed with brides. I thank them for their observations and recollections. Thanks to Mona Bryant, Bill Goldman, Gwen Seguin, Danyel Vining, Sara DeShone, Sandy Schmitz, Kay Sillman, Jan Burnham, Kim Thelen, Beverly Schaefer, Jennifer Scott, Jeff Seguin, and Cory Pung (who was still seriously dating Alyssa as this book went to press).
This book focuses on eight brides, their fiancés and their families. I am extremely grateful to all of them for bravely and passionately opening their hearts and sharing their happiest and hardest stories. I enjoyed getting to know all of them, including Danielle and Brian Wendell; Cynda Glynn; Ted Campbell; Holly Bysko; Jack and Laura Pardo; Shane and Megan Martin; Julie Wieber; Dean Schafer; Lauren Wieber; John Wieber; Helen and Roy Pung; Carol and Paul Otto, and their daughters Missy, Jennifer, Rochelle, and Heather; Matthew Sunderlin; Victor and Lynn Hansen; Erika and Reuben Burton; Andy and Leanne Blackmore; Gavin and Kayla Schutten; Aleece Hansen; Meredith and Ron Kauffman; Ashley Brandenburg; Drew Forman; Richard and Susan Brandenburg; Courtney and John Schlaud; and Susan Driskill. (You can learn more about these brides and their families at www.MagicRoomBook.com.)
Huge thanks to my agent, Gary Morris, whose storytelling instincts, publishing know-how, and daily bursts of humor helped me through every step of this project. I value his friendship.
At Gotham Books, I am indebted to Bill Shinker and Lauren Marino for their enthusiasm for this book, and for their careful and terrific guidance as it came together. Many thanks also to the always impressive Beth Parker and Lisa Johnson, who make the publicity process great fun, to Cara Bedick, a pleasure to work with, to Ray Lundgren for his beautiful design work, and to Laura Gianino, Casey Maloney, Jessica Chun, Helen Gregg, Melanie Klesse, John Cassidy, Kevin Che, Dick Heffernan, John Lawton, Susan Schwartz, Melanie Koch, Sabila Khan, Julia Gilroy, Gail Schimmel Friedman, Sabrina Bowers, Elke Sigal, Glenn Timony, Fred Huber, Tim McCall, Kent Anderson, Mark McDiarmid, Katya Shannon, Chris Mosley, Diana Van Vleck, Harsh Patil, Melinda Hubik, Matthew Pavoni, Normal Lidofsky, Patrick Nolan, Don Redpath, Trish Weyenberg, Don Rieck, Sharon Gamboa, Richard Adamonis, Lisa Pannek, Andy Dudley, and Judy Moy.
Special thanks to Peter Jacobs and Amie Yavor, and to photographer Kelly Lynne Burke, Korey Tucker, Fred Siegel, Gayle and Nicole Goodman, Neal Boudette, Mike Radakovich, Jeff Bennett, Kate Linebaugh, Matt Dolan, Krishnan Anantharaman, and Mike Ramsey.
I thank my daughters, Jordan, Alex, and Eden, for their love and support, and for inspiring many of the questions I asked while researching this book. I’m grateful to them on other fronts too. Jordan helped come up with the idea for the lovely design on The Magic Room cover. Alex read every page, and I valued her encouragement, suggestions, and her eye for typos. Eden offered her smart thoughts about the book each step of the way. This book was a family affair. Early readers included my sister, Lisa Segel-man, my mother, Naomi Zaslow, and my mother-in-law, Marilyn Margulis.
Without question, I owe my greatest thanks to my wife, Sherry. For months, I had been mulling the idea of writing a nonfiction book about the love we all wish for our daughters. I needed a place to set the book—a place with great emotion—and it was Sherry who suggested that I find a bridal shop. I’m grateful for her love, for our twenty-four years of marriage, and for those words she said to me as I first contemplated this book: “There’s something about a wedding dress …”
Someday, perhaps, I’ll have a chance to be a father of a bride. I know that when the search for a bridal gown begins, I’ll think back to the wise advice I received from Shelley, her staffers, and all the Becker’s brides and their parents. They taught me that a bride should make the final decision about which dress is “the one.” What a parent thinks is secondary. My job as a father will be simple. My job will be to tell my daughters I love them.
Thanks to all of you for helping me understand this.
The Magic Room: A Story About the Love We Wish for Our Daughters Page 29