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Today is a big day in my family. My mother is in town and we’re out and about looking for a Mother of the Bride dress. I’m taking a little break from blogging to spend time with her, but I’ll be back tomorrow with a show-stopping Real DC Wedding and an update from our bride blogger, Sarah Christine. I’ll also let you know how our dress search goes!
In the meantime, have a wonderful day!
Photos: Martha Stewart Weddings
Oh, wow. This is a hot topic in my family right now. Mothers have such a tough time finding a beautiful dress that fits well. My own mom called me last night to say she had just spoken with my future mother-in-law — they were discussing dresses. Neither has found one yet.
There is a lot for mothers to consider when finding a dress for your wedding. First, there is color. Do they try to stay in the same color palette as the bridesmaids? Or select a complementary color? Then, there’s the length. Long dresses, short dresses, tea-length dresses… And finally, there’s the fit. Strapless? Suited? Portrait collar? Ruffled collar? Mandarin collar?
Sarah Christine is here to share her experience with finding a perfect dress for her mom.
From Sarah…
Most brides think finding their dress is the hardest part of planning – for me, it’s the ongoing battle of helping my mother find the dress of her dreams.
A little back story…
My older brother, Christopher, was engaged during the summer of 2001– at that time, he was also in the Navy reserves. After September 11th occurred, the Navy called him up to make sure they knew where he was, just in case they needed him. My brother and his fiancée got a little spooked and he wanted to make sure that, if he got called in, she would be taken care of. So, on October 4, 2001, they had quick ceremony with just their two good friends. The moral of this story is that my mom never got to attend her son’s wedding or experience the treasured mother-son dance.
Fast forward to the present–I was doing my daily round-up of blog posts one day when I came across a “Mother of the Bride Dress Contest” being held by Brides Local Magazines. Brides Magazine was looking for moms that were having a tough time finding their ideal dresses.
The magazine wanted to bring them into their offices in New York to have the mothers try on numerous gowns. On top of that, they would be included in a photo shoot (with hair and make-up provided) to be published in their fall issue – ding, ding, ding! This was absolutely perfect!
Photos: Brides.com
After writing in the story of my mother not experiencing that memorable dance, I was notified that my mother and I had won the contest! Two weeks ago, my mom took a trip into the city and had a great time trying on so many gorgeous dresses.
Last week, I was invited to the Conde Nast building to join my mother for the photo shoot. Besides hair and make-up artists waiting for the three moms that won the contest, loads of shoes and beautiful jewels awaited them. In fact, my mom wore a necklace that was $32,000!
Photos: Brides.com (this is just a model, not Sarah Christine’s mom)
After all was said and done, my mom had a great time with the shoot, but still wasn’t in love with any of the dresses that they picked out for her, even though they looked amazing on her.
I would love suggestions – where did your mom get her dress? Please share your wealth of knowledge!
Photos: Lily and Sharkey; Susan and Mary (both from Martha Stewart Weddings)
So…has YOUR mom found her dress? If so, can you share her experience with us? Where did she find it? Did she have help from you, from her girlfriends, from a personal shopper?
If you’re anything like me, there will be tears at your wedding. I see a lot of weddings, and at least one tear falls on my cheek during either the ceremony or the father-daughter dance. I always bring tissues.
So, if you are at all a crier, I would highly recommend Trish McEvoy’s High Volume Waterproof Mascara. I started using it six months ago, and I have since told all of my friends about it. I even let my girlfriends try mine (something I was later told you’re not supposed to do), but I just LOVE this mascara! When you find a quality product that is actually worth talking about, you want to tell the world!
You can find this little tube of magic at BlueMercury — located in Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Bethesda Row, and Baltimore. More location details here.
It’s your wedding — cry if you want to!
Punk Rock Bride is launching their 2010 collection! All of Stephanie’s new dresses will be shown at her launch party on March 4 from 7-9 pm in Washington, DC.
Stephanie has offered to give away 10 tickets to attend and be the first to see the new collection. Winners will also receive 20% off any Punk Rock Bride dress, have a few cocktails, get to meet Stephanie and some of Washington DC’s best wedding vendors. To enter, leave a comment at Foxy.
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