maid of mom

I’ve noticed an increasingly popular trend – moms as bridesmaids. Endearing. It really is. I only have one thing to say about it.

PLEASE DON’T HAVE HER WEAR A BRIDESMAID DRESS.

Is that too much to ask?

If you’ve worn a bridesmaid dress, you probably know what I’m talking about. They’re suitable for a 20, 30 and even 40 year old but the pastel, strapless tea length gown is not the best look for your middle aged mom. Not saying she can’t pull off the sweetheart top but, come on, she is the mother of the bride as well. Give her the option to wear a tasteful evening gown that coordinates with the other girls. Heck, give the other bridesmaids a tasteful evening gown too.

It makes sense to choose your mom as maid of honor. Now you don’t have to play favorites with your best gal pals. If you pick your mom, no hard feelings.

Overall, mom can play the mother of the bride role as well as bridesmaid or maid of honor to you. Just have her wear the mother of the bride dress!

-The perennial bridesmaid

rock 'n roll

I've received an invitation to a rockabilly themed wedding.  Hmm, rockabilly.  The invitation defines it as a subculture of style & music heavily influenced by the 1950's.  It consists of dressing and grooming in vintage/pin-up styles. 

So I ponder. What to wear? What to wear?

Although I think I have a few options in my closet that will suffice, I am feeling the challenge of finding an authentic vintage piece...because  I do love vintage as I'm sure I've mentioned.

Naturally I took to etsy for some inspiration.  Here are the options I am considering.  Your votes are welcome.
-The perennial bridesmaid

Pretty in Pink Dress by melsvanity























Yellow Couture Cocktail Dress by TimelssVixenVintage

Polka Dot Rockabilly Halter Dress by calicovintage

Fired Red Party Dress by jumblelaya

Navy Dress with Stripes & Lace by KMalinka

blues

Bridal blues. You heard of ‘em? After months of wedding plans, tastings, fittings & trials comes the main event and then? The honeymoon? Some brides experience a sort-of depression known as the bridal blues once their wedding is all said and done.

I think I am experiencing bridesmaid blues, if there is such a thing. I’m feeling quite melancholy. Maybe it’s because I’m left here in the rain with no exotic vacation.

I think it is simply because last weekend’s wedding was just so spectacular that I can’t believe it’s actually over! I keep remembering the delicious food and wishing I went back for just one more seafood cake or actually sampled the pasta station. Perhaps I should have had another lemony, signature cocktail affectionately named the Spanktini, a shout out to the groom. I regretfully never made it to the dessert buffet either because I just couldn’t pull myself off of the dance floor. I didn’t even taste the chocolate on chocolate 3-tier, square, monogrammed wedding cake that the bride & groom comically toasted and fed themselves instead of the messy cake smash on one another.

Bummer. It must have been a good party because I don’t miss out on chocolate for much.

The weather turned out to be just right for late March. It was the kind of early spring day that brings the deer out of the woods, the daffodils up and the geese flying…and they did. All of nature and 150 guests circled around the veranda at the Manor House to watch as my brother and sister-in-law exchanged their written vows. The ceremony was so very them. Sweet and nice injected with bits of humor. It was like watching a segment of their comical, everyday banter except they were in formal attire…and there was a photographer capturing every move.

The music was on point as well. Jason Mraz and John Mayer really can create a modern feel at an otherwise traditional outdoor ceremony. And who knew Slick Rick, Beyonce, Rolling Stones, Lil Jon, Dion, U2 & Guns ‘N Roses could be such a good time at the same time at the reception! Did I mention Guns ‘N Roses? Playing the air guitar to Sweet Child of Mine with the groom as we did as kids is definitely a fond memory. I’m just nervous to see the video. Swinging my hair around like Slash might have been cute when I was 7 but perhaps not so much as an adult in a gown. Time will tell.

Everyone looked fabulous.  Especially the bride in a stunning, rouched waste, v-neckline gown with an ornate flower in her hair.  Even my dad, with 2 left feet, had a way with his classic tuxedo. His dressy Chuck Taylor’s really put a spin on the threads that only he can.

Now that the vows have been exchanged; the toasts have been made; the feast has been had; and the newlyweds are on the beach somewhere; it’s time for this bridesmaid to shake the blues! One down, how many more to go this year?

-The perennial bridesmaid

mogzilla

You heard it here first. I should copyright that one.

As my brother’s wedding rapidly approaches, I have dubbed my mother a “MOGzilla”. Up until this week, she was simply the MOG but her recent behavior has escalated her to zilla status. As I threatened to blog about her if she didn’t find her Zen place, she said she’d like to do the honors as a guest blogger…

I'm Not a MOGzilla, I'm Just Misunderstood!!

Does it make me a MOGzilla because our beloved dog is having "play dates" scheduled with the couple who will be taking care of him on the wedding day just so I know he gets along with them before the big "sleepover"?

Does it make me a MOGzilla because I'm worried that I won't have enough time to get my hair and make up done AND get dressed AND be at the groom's house by 12:30 in the afternoon?

Does it make me a MOGzilla because I'm concerned that since I'm getting my hair and make up done at 9 am, the hair won't still be in place and the makeup won't still look fresh when the wedding actually begins at 6 pm?

Does it make me a MOGzilla because I told the FOG exactly how many days before the wedding he should get his hair cut so it's at the precise length that it looks best on the wedding day? And then, admittedly, I made him go back because they didn't take enough off the top the first time?

Does it make me a MOGzilla because I'm no longer happy with the dress that I spent way too much on to begin with?

Does it make me a MOGzilla because I have bought at least 5 different types of undergarments to try with said dress just so I'm sure that I will be wearing the one that looks best?

Does it make me a MOGzilla because I'm beginning to feel very sentimental and just called the groom, my son, and asked him if he was free one night before the wedding to have dinner with me, just me?

No, it just makes me a MOM. A mom who can't believe my little boy, "my momma’s boy", has grown to be such a wonderful man who is about to marry and begin a new chapter of his life with his wife.

Label me if you must but this is all new territory to me as I've never married off a child before. I know this is going to be the best day in my son's life (even ahead of the Phillies winning the 2008 World Series???) so I just want everything to be perfect. Please excuse me if I have lost my Zen but come the big day when everything falls into place, I will be the one smiling the brightest, crying the most, dancing the longest and looking damn good doing it!

undergarments

Remember when underwear was fun to wear? As an adult dressing formally, underwear brings a completely different ball game. There are no cute cartoons on your undergarments. They tend to be hideous beige or black and purely functional in order to hide some things and hold other things. They defy gravity.

I always have a difficult time trying to figure out which one I should wear under my bridesmaid gowns. I know that I’m not the only one. I'm not afraid to go there so let’s review our options.

Do you wear the thing that looks like giant biker shorts? You know the one that starts under your bosom and extends down to your knee. It promises to smooth your stomach and thighs but on the way down it crushes your ribs. You have to do a series of squats just to get the thing on. By then you’ve worked up a sweat and your make up is running.

Or do you go with the bathing suit-like one? There are a few variations and cuts. Some are strapless; some have wide straps; some offer multiple straps which just confuse me all together. So you’re basically wearing a bathing suit under a gown, cocktail hour wraps up and, of course, you have to go. Now what? You encounter the same problem on the beach when you have to go. Now add a dress over the bathing suit. There is just no easy way…you miss the salad course figuring out how to handle this situation.

What about the convertible bra thingy? I have one that claims to have the ability to be worn 100 different ways. Oh really? Do all 100 ways actually help the girls out? Doubt it. It looks like a bikini top that has gone through a shredder because there are multiple straps hanging off at all angles. You can clip the straps in wherever you want so they are not visible under different dress cuts. Better hope none of those straps fling off mid-ceremony. I have experienced this and it’s not pretty! It’s actually very awkward and suddenly things are not symmetrical like you planned.

There is another large strap that came with this 100 way bra that I have yet to figure out. It is intended for a low back dress. It is a long wide piece of spandex that is intended to be wrapped around your stomach and then hooked in above somewhere to provide some support. Fabulous. Now I need to put the biker shorts on over that to cover up the lines that this spandex contraption has created. Doubling up on spandex is never good.

Just writing about this is restricting my airflow.

Why do we put ourselves through it? I understand beauty is pain but barely breathing to nip in a few inches is a near death experience. Save your life and free your wobbly bits.

-The perennial bridesmaid