My Big Fat Engagement - Engagement Advice & Warnings » wedding fashion

Marriage and the MOB: Mother of the Bride Fashion Part 2

tanya — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:18:25 +0000

This week we continue our feature of MOB fashions for Summer and Fall.

Check out Part 1 for Winter and Spring fashions for MOBs. For even more MOB stories, please check out our previous feature, ‘Mob Stories: Mother of the Bride,’ which includes tips, etiquette, and dresses.

Summer

The Mother of the Bride doesn’t have to dress in the most conservative matronly outfit she can find. The important thing is to not come across like you are trying to upstage the bride.

You can still look flashy without stealing your daughter/daughter-in-law’s thunder.

This dress from lechicboutique.co.uk is a great example of an attractive and elegant outfit for the mother of the bride. Let your accessories follow the current trends – wear several gold bracelets and drop diamond earrings, but choose yellow gold for a timeless elegance that brings out the tone of the yellow dress. The perfect choice if the bride is carrying a bouquet of pale yellow roses, like the one below from hollychappleflowers.

Fall

A deep vibrant blue like this dress from TheRoseDress.com is a great c0lor for a Fall wedding (and actually would be an excellent choice for a Summer wedding, too, with different accessories!). Let the wedding colors inspire your accessories. For example, if the bridesmaids are wearing dresses in a deep gem tone (perfect for Fall), treat yourself to a matching gem! Moms deserve to be spoiled for all their hard work, right? Shoes are a very important part of your outfit, so don’t forget to buy some new, ultra-luxurious shoes for the occasion, like the silver satin wrap shoes below, available at weddingaccessories.net.

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Marriage and the Mob… Mother of the Bride fashion Part 1

tanya — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:15:59 +0000

It’s been a year since we addressed the topic of Mother of the Bride style here at mybigfatenagement, so here are some great looks for anytime of year (I thought I’d pick a look for each season since MOB’s like to plan ahead). This week we will feature MOB fashions for Winter and Spring. Next time, we will look at Summer and Fall…

For more MOB stories, please check out our previous feature, ‘Mob Stories: Mother of the Bride,’ which includes tips, etiquette, and dresses.

Winter

If you can get past the young model wearing this dress, you will see that it is a very good mother of the bride or mother of the groom dress. The lacy long sleeved top is attractive and many women like to keep their arms covered after they reach a certain age (to conceal wrinkles, tattoos, or ‘bingo wings’). The shade of purple below would like nice with some blues or greens (even a pale blue or forest green would like nice with this purple). (Bouquet from 4everflorals.com.)

Spring

This cute suit from Jones New York would work well for a Spring (or a Fall actually) wedding. This color would be a nice fit if the bridesmaids are wearing pink or light green dresses. (Button from buttonemporium.com, bouquet from beyondblossoms.com).

Whatever the season and the wedding colors, it is important to communicate with the bride and any other MOBs involved. This is the best guarantee that you will fit in to the wedding photos, get along with y0ur new family members, and feel comfortable during this important event. Be flexible – there is always a shade that will look good on you that works with the wedding colors. In most cases, it is not appropriate to wear the exact same color as the bride or the bridesmaids (unless the bride want you to, of course). Darker or subdued shades are best (stay away from bright colors or, worse, bright prints).

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Spring Rites: Celtic and Pagan Weddings

tanya — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:34:54 +0000

Spring has been celebrated all over the world, in all types of religions – as far back as you can imagine. When the sun starts shining, the ground under our feet heats up, and the new tender greenery pokes through – it’s hard NOT to get all warm and fuzzy. If that’s not enough to cheer you up, you also have really cute little baby animals like chicks and lambs.

Here are some ideas for how to celebrate your wedding the old-fashioned way (and by old-fashioned, I mean pre-medieval!)

Handfasting

Handfasting is a wedding rite that originates from a pagan ritual, but is being used in weddings based in all sorts of faiths and by people of all different lifestyles. Handfasting is a great way to bond a blended family together, because all members of the new family forged by the wedding can participate. Check out handfasting.info for more information, as well as examples of wording for ceremonies that include handfasting.

Symbols

Oak Leaves

Oak leaves are a symbol for longevity – so the entwined oak leaves that hold two mouth-blown (and therefore completely unique) glass horns are the perfect way for the bride and groom to share a toast (mayhemltd.com). The oak tree was particularly important to the Celts,who felt that all trees were sacred.

Horns

The drinking chalices above are also horn-shaped. The horns are also an important symbol – the most famous Celtic animal symbol is the horned (antlered) stag. The stag is a symbol for sexuality and fertility.

Celtic Design

Celtic knots date back to almost 500 AD: there is the lover’s knot, the triple knot (Triquetra), and the Triscele.There are many ways to incorporate the Celtic scrollwork or Celtic knots into your wedding, including your wedding band.

Clothing

There are beautiful dresses available now that this type of wedding has become more popular. Rivendelbridal.com has a large selection, here is one example of a dress perfect for a pagan princess, or elven queen: it is called the Celtic Star.

Trees

Trees were sacred to the Celts so an outdoor wedding would be very appropriate if you are going to be influenced by this theme.

Here is a video full of imagery that might inspire you to arrange your own mystical wedding.

Language

This bronze pendant spells GRA, ‘love’, in the Celtric tree alphabet called Ogham. This pendant from celteshop.com would be an interesting and thoughtul gift for members of the wedding party.

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Black Tie Wedding

tanya — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:51:31 +0000

Black is the new White?

Black doesn’t have to be dark (see our earlier article about darker-themed weddings if that’s what you are looking for.). In the old days, black might have been a big “don’t” on the day you say “I do” but now it’s okay. More than okay, actually – black details on the big day can be brilliant. And, even better, when you incorporate the unusual into your wedding day, you often don’t have to buy it at a wedding store -making things much cheaper.

Here is an elegant cake from sedonaweddingcakes.com. The stylistic wedding cake topper is very classy and the black sugar roses are a nice touch. This cake would coordinate well with tables decorated with crisp white linens and black cloth napkins with white polka dots. This is another way to save money – some venues include white linens in their rental fee. If not, party rental companies usually charge less for white linens than for the colored specialty linens. If you are handy with a sewing machine, you can sew the cloth napkins your self. Don’t forget to launder them and iron them before the big day – a perfect job to delegate to a helpful friend, auntie, or even grandmother.

Wear something a bit racy under that demure white dress, like this black garter available from bachelorettesuperstore.com.

Your engagement ring or wedding ring could tie in to the color scheme as well, like this ring featuring black and white diamonds.

Or, wear some dark shoes and gloves with your dress for contrast! You could also add these accessories for the reception, particularly if you are having the event in the evening.

For example, here is a beautiful Alfred Angelo dress that would be perfect for a church wedding.

And here are some items to glam it up afterwards!

Black Shoes

Long Black Gloves

Like these ones from buycostumes.com.

A fascinating fascinator from folksy.com.

All of the ideas in this article would work for any color – imagine red as an accent instead of black. A little black purse would work, too (a bride needs somewhere to stash her lipstick too). A beaded drawstring purse would look great with the accessories above, perhaps a vintage purse – a great gift idea for the maid of honor to give to her best friend!

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Pets at Weddings: Attire for Four-Legged Guests

tanya — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:36:11 +0000

This post is dedicated to our dog, and the ring bearer at our wedding, Buddy, who passed away last week.

10-4 Good Buddy

Buddy (a.k.a. Budster, Mr. Buddinski, Budders, and Rex) lived the good life for 13 years. He was, cliches aside, my husband’s best friend. I also spooned him many a night when my husband was away on business trips. He was also my running buddy, our daughter’s stinky big brother, and one of the gang when friends gathered in our backyard or on camping trips…

Buddy

A big part of our family unit, Buddy was part of our wedding plans right from the beginning.

Tips for Dog Owners

1. Respect your dog’s personality – if they are not going to enjoy the event, leave them at home.

2. Keep costumes simple and try them out on the dog in advance so that they can get used to it.

3. Match attire to your dog’s style. For example, our dog would not have been happy wearing a tutu or a big frilly bow. (And, he would have looked ridiculous…)

4. Assign a responsible person to be his primary care during the big day (pick up/drop off dog, walk and water, lead him down aisle). Provide instructions (and perhaps dog treats?!) in case your pet starts barking during the ceremony etc.

5. If you are a control freak and you can’t accept the unexpected, you might want to leave animals out of the proceedings (humans are hard enough to control, after all!).

6. If he’s the ring bearer, perhaps let someone else actually carry the wedding ring.

danforthdiamond.com

Furry Fashions

These Dog Wedding Tuxedos are only $28.95 from Advantagebridal.com. I like how they are designed – they won’t restrict your dog’s movement so they shouldn’t make him feel too weird (particularly if you have a dog that’s already accustomed to wearing clothing…).

advantagebridal.com

This dress is very cute and suits this pretty little dog perfectly. It’s available at sassypup.net for only $39.99.

sassypup.net

For an elegant, more subtle look for your dog, you could buy this satin collar and bow tie from dogdressonline for only $12.00.

Another option would be to place a wreath of flowers around your dog’s neck – simple and natural – matching to the bouquets.

We took the less expensive do-it-yourself option because we had problems finding something suitable for our dog that was durable, the right size, and not too expensive. We went to a thrift store with his neck measurement and purchased a used white dress shirt and bow tie. My mom cut the collar off and hemmed the edges. The existing button on the collar, with the bow tie (elastic neck band) over top, fastened around his neck. We made cuffs from the shirt cuffs, too, but Buddy didn’t like them (he walked around like a show pony when he had them on) so we didn’t use them.

we love you Buddy

For tips about wilder wedding parties, please see my previous article: Wild Weddings: Animals.

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5 Karat Fashion: Plus Size Style Advice

tanya — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:48:16 +0000

We all have some part of us we don’t like, and I don’t think any woman feels more compelled to diet, than the crazy lengths she might go to in the days leading up to her wedding day.

Just remember what you looked like when he slipped that engagement ring on your finger – he loved you the way you were then, so you shouldn’t have to make any drastic changes now!

While it’s always the right time to make healthier lifestyle choices, it is NEVER appropriate to diet dangerously. You don’t want to make yourself sick – you want to look happy and HEALTHY on your wedding day!

Prepare yourself for a long, peaceful married life by getting good at focussing on the positive.

What is your best feature?

Your goal should be to highlight the best things about yourself and draw attention away from your least favorite…

When the Hourglass Is Half Full…

If you are blessed with the curvy part of the bottom half of an hourglass but you’re missing the top, then a full skirt may be your best bet. Select a skirt that falls loosely around your waist – a princess dress with a fitted or strapless top will accentuate your slimmer shoulders, torso, and waist.

This “Shania” southern belle style gown by Bridalonlinestore.com is a great example of simple on top and busy on the bottom – just what you want if your real better half is from the waist up!

bridalonlinestore.com

Here is another great option for this style – the detail along the neckline attracts attention and the a-line cut of the skirt skims the hips and flatters… this one is from lightinthebox.com and available for less than $150.00. Check out the back of the dress too – very pretty!

When the Hourglass is Half Empty

If you have very wide shoulders, you might consider a one-shoulder dress, which will help to balance you out.

Freedom to Bare Arms

Here are some ideas to wrap your arms around when your less favorite body part is your arms. Consider a longer elbow-length veil that will flow around your arms. Other options are a bolero jacket or a wrap, but I don’t favor wearing these during the actual ceremony. For full-time coverage, consider some sleeves. 3/4 length or even cap sleeves might do the trick, depending on your area of concnern.

The dress below by Zaftique is called “Celestial Diva” and costs up to $142.00 – wonderful!

www.zaftique.com

Prints Charming

An all-over print can camouflage curves.

Get a Leg Up

If you don’t want to show off your legs, consider a floor-sweeping gown. Another option: sex up your shoes and ankles and cover the rest!

This dress is by one of my favorite wedding gown designers, Alfred Angelo – reasonably-priced and really elegant at the same time – you can buy the dress below at houseofbrides.com.

houseofbrides.com

Short on Ideas?

If you also don’t like lack of height, consider these ways to lengthen your look: wear an up-do (avoid hair past your shoulders) and wear high heels (stating the obvious, but just in case!).

Waist Not Want Not

You can draw attention away from a full waist by raising, lowering, or eliminating the waistline.

This chiffon halter style gown also has eye catching neck detail at onlygowns.com.

onlygowns.com

The gown with sleeves pictured earlier is also a great example of this type of style.

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Green Weddings

tanya — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:58:47 +0000

Who Says It Isn’t Easy Being Green?

Here are some wedding options that are both beautiful and eco-friendly (and often, economical, too!)

A Dress That Won’t Cost the Earth

Your dress doesn’t have to be made out of recycled tin cans to earn it’s green status. Look for dresses made from natural fibers, like the gowns from Tennessee company ‘Threadhead Creations’. Their dresses are made by hand from hemp, organic cotton, peace silk, and bamboo.

Go green with your gown: wear a hand-me-down!

Reconsider wearing that ugly dress of great grandma’s if your family will allow you to alter it’s design. Re-using fabric to create a new gown is a wonderful way to be eco-conscious. There are experts who specialize in restyling heirloom gowns, like the Illinois-based Treasures by Tina. The gown featured below was originally a high-necked, long-sleeved wedding dress from the 1960′s.

treasures-by-tina.com

What Kind of Metal is Your Love Made Of?

Did you know that “mining is a very “dirty” business and the production of one beautiful gold ring will generate five tons of environmental waste, contaminating water and lands which endangers the health and lives of humans and animals” (danforthdiamond.com).

Think Refined, Not Mined

Eco-conscious jewelers offer engagement and wedding rings that are made from 100% recycled precious metals, like the 14K white gold set below.

Warning: make sure the company can provide a certificate of authenticity!

Do the Earth a Favor

Don’t send your guests home with another useless knickknack… provide guest favors that are good for everyone! Here are some heart-shaped bird seed favors: a favorite for any feathered wedding crashers at your garden/outdoor wedding! Or, guests can take them home and hang them outside their windows. These favors, from blissweddingsmarket.com, can be personalized with your name and a ribbon that compliments your wedding colors… If you buy at least 35 favors they are only $2.99 each – so they are nice to your wallet as well as the earth!

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Ring Bearer Wear

tanya — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:49:07 +0000

According to Wikipedia, the term ‘ring bearer’ is defined as the ‘attendant at a wedding who carries the ring(s)’. By this definition, the ring bearer could be any person (for example, sometimes the best man performs double duty and carries the rings as well) or even something else (a pet, a remote control airplane, who knows…?).

However, I think most of us think of a cute little boy accompanying the flower girl when we picture a ring bearer.

Here are some cute ideas:

The Little Man

Match your Ring Bearer to the Grooms for a classy look that isn’t too cute-sy (but still pretty darn cute!). This would probably be the first choice if your Ring Bearer has any say in what he’s wearing – remember he doesn’t want to feel silly!

Flowergirldressforless.com has quite a few suits that are like mini versions of the full size…

flowergirldressforless.com

Personalized Pillow

The ring pillow is often just symbolic (the real wedding rings are usually held by the best man for safekeeping ). However, it can become an heirloom that is passed down to weddings in later generations. Bumblebeelinens.com provides step by step instructions on how to make your very own ring pillow from handkerchiefs (which can be purchased at their site).

bumblebeelinens.com

danforthdiamond.com

Unique Ideas

Paperposie.com is a great resource for children-related wedding items. They describe this teddy bear as a ring bearer gift but I think it would be a sweet replacement for the traditional wedding pillow: the rings could be attached by a ribbon around the bear’s neck.

paperposie.com

Thank You Gifts

Here is a cute shirt he can wear at the rehearsal dinner or any other wedding events…

www.paperposie.com

Here’s another idea that will appeal to boys. This would be even better if a baseball game is part of your wedding activities or if your bride and groom (or the families) are big baseball fans!

www.bridalsalon.com

Here’s a funny shirt for the ring bearer from a seller at cafepress.com:

cafepress.com

Diamonds in the Rough

And after all of the preparation, this is what you might get…

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My Big Fat Engagement - Engagement Advice & Warnings » wedding fashion

Marriage and the MOB: Mother of the Bride Fashion Part 2

This week we continue our feature of MOB fashions for Summer and Fall.

Summer

Fall

Related posts

Marriage and the Mob… Mother of the Bride fashion Part 1

Winter

Spring

Related posts

Spring Rites: Celtic and Pagan Weddings

Handfasting

Symbols

Oak Leaves

Horns

Celtic Design

Clothing

Trees

Language

Related posts

Black Tie Wedding

Black is the new White?

Black Shoes

Long Black Gloves

Related posts

Pets at Weddings: Attire for Four-Legged Guests

This post is dedicated to our dog, and the ring bearer at our wedding, Buddy, who passed away last week.

10-4 Good Buddy

Tips for Dog Owners

Furry Fashions

For tips about wilder wedding parties, please see my previous article: Wild Weddings: Animals.

Related posts

5 Karat Fashion: Plus Size Style Advice

What is your best feature?

When the Hourglass Is Half Full…

When the Hourglass is Half Empty

Freedom to Bare Arms

Prints Charming

Get a Leg Up

Short on Ideas?

Waist Not Want Not

Related posts

Green Weddings

Who Says It Isn’t Easy Being Green?

A Dress That Won’t Cost the Earth

Go green with your gown: wear a hand-me-down!

What Kind of Metal is Your Love Made Of?

Think Refined, Not Mined

Do the Earth a Favor

Related posts

Ring Bearer Wear

The Little Man

Personalized Pillow

Unique Ideas

Thank You Gifts

Diamonds in the Rough

Related posts