Saturday, August 6, 2011

The MOG Dress

Since several of you have asked me (several times) to show the runners up for my Mother of the Groom dress, I will go ahead and do it even though the only pictures I have of those dresses are pretty terrible. Not to mention awful. I wasn’t wearing much make up, my hair was awry and I didn’t have on proper shoes—not to mention that the pictures are very much on the blurry side.

But hey. You all make me happy by reading my blog so I will do my best to make you all happy by doing my best to honor your requests for certain post topics. So here we go!

Dress Number One

I liked this one pretty well although it would have had to have been taken in on the sides of the bodice since I had to get it one size larger to accommodate my, um, capacious hips. It was sort of a bronze, champagne color and it would have done fine if nothing else was available; however, I didn’t truly love it.

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Dress Number Two

I liked this one pretty well in the store but once I got it home, it just felt more, I don’t know, conservative than what I was looking for. (Although hemming it just above the knees would have helped jazz it up a little.) I did love the green color, though.

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Dress Number Three

This one was a strong contender. I loved its classic, sophisticated design and I thought the color was good on me. The two drawbacks were: 1) I knew it was going to be a bright and colorful wedding and I didn’t love the idea of wearing a “non color.” 2) It would have had to be hemmed and while I have a great seamstress who does my basic alterations, I knew that to turn a gown into a knee length dress is not just about hemming, it’s also about being able to accommodate the flow and the drape of the design so that it still looks right when it’s in a shorter length. I just wasn’t sure if my seamstress had done that sort of thing a lot and I was nervous about it not working out well. So I put this on the “I’ll wear this if I don’t find anything else" shelf. (Note: all dresses came from Dillards.)

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At this point in the MOG Dress Choosing Process, it was about two weeks before the wedding and I was starting to feel just a teeny bit of stress. And you have to understand that where we live, it’s at least a four-hour round trip to any sort of major shopping center so just getting to a store is expensive and time consuming. I had looked around on the Internet when I first started shopping just to get some ideas, but I hadn’t really considered actually ordering something that way. By that point in the process though, I thought it might be time to give online ordering a whirl.

I browsed between different major department store sites and found that most of the dresses that I really loved were just way too expensive; I finally made my way to the Dillards website and found two possibilities. Since I couldn’t make up my mind, I ordered them both, knowing I could return them at any Dillards store.

The first dress just didn’t do well on me. It was too short and the big bow (which looked really good on the model in the picture) made me feel like I had an unseemly growth emanating from my middle And my middle emanates enough “growth” on its own, thank you very much. (I saw a quote recently that said, “Middle age is when your age shows up around your middle.)

Dress Number Five

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But the second dress I ordered? Ladies and gentlemen, we had us a winner!

I loved the length of it and the special detailing on the bodice and sleeves. The color was vibrant and seemed like it would be a good fit for a colorful, Florida wedding. The only alteration needed was for it to be taken in on the sides of the bodice. (Once again, I had to order a bigger size to accommodate my, ahem, you know.)

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I really liked the detailing in the back because the piece that stuck out from the shoulder helped to balance out the “wider area” below. And I’m all about Wide Area Balancing Out.

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So there you have it. The Dress Decision was made.

sideways pose

And just because I absolutely love messing with pictures and graphics, here is the dress (and I) in several artistic permutations.

becky texture

living room tree

purple ripple

name

Comments

L in Alaska said, “I must say, I am so impressed with Meagan's CRAFTY dad! Has he always been so talented? Did he take a class on flower arranging? Did Steve help him out at all?”

Actually, we had no idea Frank had a crafty side until this wedding. It’s amazing the cool stuff you learn about people along the way. As to whether or not he took a class in floral arranging, I have no idea; however, I tend to think he just found that he had a knack for it and went ahead and did it. And since he had the vast majority of the work done before we arrived in town, no, Steve did not help him at all. Although, the only help Steve would have been able to offer in this particular department would be, “Keep it up, Frank; you’re doin’ great!” Steve has a very long list of talents but floral arranging probably isn’t one of them. (Although he has an excellent eye for color and design so who knows? He might actually be good at it.)

(There were several comments/questions about the cake reception so I’ll just post them all together.)

Margie said, “I'm glad I'm not the only one who had never heard of a cake reception but it sounds lovely. Also there would be no problem having room for desert if it came first.”

Love Being a Nonny said, “I love that you are taking us through the wedding. I have never heard of a cake reception after the ceremony before the lunch...but I love the idea!”

Gayle in AL said, “I haven't ever heard of a cake reception either. Was the luncheon just for a select group of people? And just out of curiosity, why wasn't the wedding held at Meagan's family church? I love hearing all of the wedding details! Keep 'em coming!”

Gayle, the wedding was held at a different church because Meagan’s family’s church wasn’t large enough to hold everyone.

As for the cake reception, Nathan and Meagan stood in the lobby and greeted all the guests as they went outside to the lovely veranda outside the church where lovely sprawling trees shaded a canopied cake table, tables, lovely punch decanters, artistically arranged, colorful napkins and many varieties of flowers. That is where Nathan and Meagan cut their wedding cake and took their first bite. It was a great place for the guests to mingle and to talk with Nathan and Meagan and visit with each other--fun, informal, joyful.

An hour or so later, there was a luncheon held for family members and close friends of both families. When I posted the pictures last week of the wedding party leaving in a motor home, that’s where they were going—from the wedding site to the luncheon site.

Guerrina said, “I am loving all the posts taking us through the wedding! Don't stop! The 1st wedding I was ever in I was the flower girl (7 years old) and I remember after the ceremony we all went to the fellowship hall of the church and it was a cake & punch reception - end of story. As I've watched many weddings (not the Meaganate's) take on the proportions of a Broadway show, I've often wondered why the "simple" reception was left behind - would leave so much more money for a honeymoon and starting life! Great idea & great job, Meaganate & family!”

Guerrina, I couldn’t agree with you more—simpler wedding celebrations are sweet and lovely. One of the things that impressed me the most about Nathan and Meagan’s wedding was how much they were able to do with limited resources. A little bit of creativity goes a long way!

Deb in Green Bay said, “Becky, since you are from WI, too, I am guessing that you will remember we do weddings differently up here.... the wedding is held either late morning or early afternoon (same as down there), then pictures etc, for the bridal party; but the bride's parents will host out-of-town guests with refreshments/ snacks usually at their home or another location.

Then around 4 or 5 guests begin meeting at the rented hall for cocktail hour/dinner/dancing concluding around midnight. I remember when my brother got married in Texas they served a formal lunch immediately after the ceremony and everything was complete by late afternoon/early evening. I found that so odd and I wonder if you do/did as well?

On another note, I absolutely love the colors Megan chose for her wedding.....beautiful!!!”

Deb, as for your brother’s wedding where everything was over by early evening, I actually love that idea! (Maybe I have a little bit of Texan in me.) I think it’s a nice thing when the newlyweds aren’t getting to their hotel room at midnight because by that point in the day, they don’t have a lot of energy left over for each other. When Nathan and Meagan left the reception at about 5 pm, I remember thinking, “Oh, I am so glad they still have some moments of this special day that are just for them.”

However, I’m also aware that some weddings don’t even start until 6 or 7 in the evening, so those would go really late into the night. (Can you tell I love being in bed by 9 pm whenever possible and get overwhelmed by the thought of staying up till midnight for anything?)

I know the bottom line that we all agree on is that weddings should be started and ended at whatever time makes the bride and groom the happiest!


And Finally . . .

Deb, it was so much fun reading what you wrote about wedding traditions in Wisconsin. If any other readers would like to share your wedding traditions from your part of the country (or the world) please do. I think it would be fascinating to get a glimpse into how other people celebrate this most special of days.


14 Had Something To Say (Just click here!):

Katrina said...

I simply love the dress you chose Becky. !!!

Anonymous said...

It was fun to see all of the dress choices--I thought you looked really pretty in all of them! But then the one you chose did have some very special details the others didn't have.

You always look good anyway, but you looked especially beautiful for The Wedding! :-)

Love deb

Sharon Price said...

I absolutely love the dress but having trouble figuring out from the pictures what the true color is. Some of the pictures the dress looks purple and yet in other pictures it looks more of deep pink or fuschia color.

I'm just amazed that you actually went to a real store instead of your usual consignment store shopping. I know how you like to save.

Catherine said...

You make a lovely MOG, Becky. I liked all but the green dress, and I think it's because the color is off on my monitor. I love the lt and dark and champagne ones. But I think you did choose the best one for you.

How many at this wedding, Becky? I think there was a lot more than "a little creativity" going on here. Everyone did such a wonderful job. Were the flowers real or silk or a mix of both?

I really like the colors Meagan chose.

Anonymous said...

My wedding was held at 2:00 at a church in Washington, DC and we had a reception at my home in McLean, VA It was supposed to be an outdoor/garden reception. There were a ton of guests and my mom, sisters, cousins all prepared the food. June in Virginia......clouds turned black and it was about 95 degrees. We had the cake on our deck and my mom told me we had to cut it quickly, it was leaning!!!! Cut the cake, a thunderstorm rolled in and we all took cover in the house. Wonderful memories. have since raised 5 wonderful children, 4 have graduated from college,one in law school and the youngest in college. I always tell folks that rain is a good omen for a long, happy marriage!

Anonymous said...

I have thoroughly enjoyed the wedding posts and all your pictures. Thank you for blessing me!!!!
Dorine McNary
Williston, ND

Nicole said...

Love the dress you chose. If it makes you feel any better, I have a friend who is currently going through the dress issue for an upcoming wedding that she is the matron of honor in...her issue is that she is due to give birth 2 weeks before the wedding (actually tomorrow is when she is due)...so you can just imagine the issues she is having since she has no idea what size she will be when it comes time for the wedding!

Katrina said...

I have a very wierd request, but you would made my day .... um can you re-post a old picture with Sarah? the one I am thinking of is from 2006, you were on holiday and in the backgroud there was a elefant made out by a towel . I have been having that picture in my head for the fews days I would love to see it agian :)

Robin said...

Gorgeous dress!

Rachel said...

You looked gorgeous in that dress! Thanks for sharing the runner ups with us. :)

Anonymous said...

I love your dress but I did also love dress 3. Too bad you don't have somewhere else to go. You looked really beautiful and really did make thre perfect choice for the colorful wedding.

How tall is Nathan? He does not look that tall when he stands with his wife but in some other pics he looks really tall.

Lisa in NJ

The Pennington Point said...

You looked beautiful in your dress. I love the jewelry you borrowed....perfect. I love the picture of you with the rays of light beaming out from behind you. Funny! Lisa~

Margie said...

Becky you picked the very best dress.

Erin said...

This was really fun! I LOVE the dress that you picked, it is beautiful and the color looks wonderful on you. I found your blog through Seasons of my Heart.