Today I am at east side bride, with a suggestion or two for Mother of the Bride dresses. I will add, because I must, my culture finds it odd that there are such things as Mother of the Bride dresses. One ought to be able to exercise one’s exquisite taste and choose something quite without designation. On the other hand, we understand that needs must, on occasion. And weddings are the best occasions.
Please stop by, if you are so inclined, here. I warn you, however, that east side bride – profane, bawdy, irreverent to the nth degree – is addictive even when no wedding whatsoever looms on your horizon. Her tagline reads, “an evil club of mean hipster brides.”
I can’t even say how much that phrase tickles my fancy.
12 Responses
My mother sounds a bit like the writer’s mother–she wore a dark teal two-piece wool suit to my wedding, because that was the sort of thing she felt most comfortable in, and who was I to dissuade her? However, I confess I had a bit of a problem with the question. Perhaps it’s because I too had no fashion sense when I married. But if her mother is ecstatic over the dress and feels beautiful in it, her confidence and radiance will overwhelm any fashion peccadilloes she may be committing, no? And honestly, it’s not that terrible, though, again, as a former non-hipster bride, my taste may be off.
It’s just that there seem to be vestiges in that letter of the authoritarian impulse that overcomes so many otherwise reasonable young women when they begin planning their “perfect day,” which results in holding their friends and family to impossible beauty and sartorial standards. Perhaps her mother would feel less beautiful in whatever her daughter thinks she should be wearing, spectacular though it might be by New York standards.
I do hope this comment isn’t out of line, and I apologize if it is, but it’s something about which I feel rather strongly.
I wore black gabardine pants, a lace top, and flat shoes to my daughter’s outside wedding. I was comfortable and she was proud. I never dreamed of asking her what she wanted me to wear…and she did me the curtesy not to tell me what to wear.
courtesy.
I just love your fashion advice. It´s like reading a girly fashion magazine, but better.
Why is it some feel that every nuance of a wedding has to be labeled? Some originality if you please. My own lovely daughters had wonderful weddings that were free from such things. Except for one “mother of the groom”, but the less said about her the better.
♥
Lisa, I loved your choices for a mother of the bride. As I commented on the other site, I’ve been a mother of the groom and enlisted the bride (my darling daughter in law) to help me choose. She loved a particular dress on me and I bought it!
I like what Staircase Witch said about holding friends and family to impossible standards. A niece sent me a snippet of ribbon so my outfit did not clash with the pew bows!
I’ve had three weddings and would never have presumed to advise my mother about her attire. However, she chose a black suit for the first: message sent.
Anyone who calls himself or herself a hipster is not. Or is that supposed to be ironic? Wait, is irony hip? I need you to write about that.
I enjoyed your post and East Side Bride’s
reference to you as Our Lady of Privilege.
Nice choices.
I had all similiar color dresses at my wedding followed the accepted standard at that time.
BarbaraG
Perhaps you can help me. My daughter recently suggested I wear a tube top with my tea length skirt for her outdoor wedding in September. I had already thrifted the skirt and had planned to INVEST in an excellent and fancy white blouse, but now I’m worried that I won’t be funky enough. I fall asleep at night wondering if I should add a red crinoline under the black skirt. Seriously, I’ve been considering this…HELP!
Staircase Witch – It’s not out of line. I think my perspective is a little different because I’ve read so many wedding blogs, and as a result sympathize with both sides. The wedding industry drives so many people to feel they have to do things one way, and then young women are being driven by indie wedding blogs to do it another way, and then they want to do something their own way on the other hand, and east side bride is fun and sarcastic and a good place to vent.
valentine – You and your daughter sound so sensible. Also, perhaps you share a fashion sense. A good one, I might add:).
Amanda – Ha! The ultimate compliment. Thank you.
James – Discretion. Good idea. And it’s clear why everything is labeled, all the better to SELL it to you, my dear.
esb – et tu.
Susan – Thank you very much. I bet that was a lovely shared experience.
Duchesse – Pew bows?!? Irony is in fact hip. As far as I can tell, the hippest thing one can do is to ironically call oneself such. esb is the coolest person I know on the internet, in the way we used to define cool, i.e., she knows stuff others don’t.
BarbaraG – Thank you. It is all about the accepted standard of the times, and right now the standards are kind of impossible in the wedding world. Wedding goodies make good photos, and good photos make good blog traffic.
Terri – Help you? You are joking, right? You have a unique, individual style that only you can provide. I wouldn’t even think of butting in, High WASP gear would ruin everything.
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