2016 and beyond wedding moms and dads (Part 1)

@lookingforward ask about the dress swap. They might do it. One of DDs bridesmaids got pregnant and the original size and style dress she ordered just was not going to work. No problem. The shop just got her a different style and size.

Alterations were a breeze, in/out in 30 minutes. Seems the material is one of those those that conforms well. She will just pull it in from the center back and everything fits in the right ways. Hem is perfect length.

D1 came with. Her biggest nag is her worries about me in heels- these are stacked, only 2.5", but it’s been a long while. Kept nagging me about not being the bride whose mom fell during the event. I’ll practice. Lol. And bring flats, in case.

RSVPs are due Weds and yes, the usual delayers. His family, who’ll stay for the dinner, who seems to think a verbal is a confirmation. She wants to tell them it’s the caterer who needs visibility.

I wore heels for the pictures, and ceremony and cocktail hour. Once I sat down for dinner, I slipped on a pair of flats which I wore the rest of the evening. I seriously doubt anyone noticed my shoes.

@thumper1 very smart - the only thing my mom remembers about my niece’s wedding is how much her feet hurt!

I also had a 2 inch heeled sandal for walking down the outdoor aisle and ceremony. Had flat casual sandals under my reception chair so I changed very quickly. Long dress so no one noticed my shoes at the reception. Ceremony and reception both at same venue. Thankful not to be in heels for hours.

For those who can’t wear heels at all or are attending an outdoor wedding where narrower heels may sink in, the availability of dressy, good quality flats currently is a big plus. DD has never been comfortable in heels. At her wedding, we were both in flats; hers were definitely “bridal” and mine also read formal. Not the answer for everyone, but it worked here. She changed into even more comfortable flats for the reception.

I enjoy hearing how folks are making wonderful wedding memories, even as they adapt to current times.

Was at a socially distanced beach yesterday and saw a couple walk down the sand holding a pizza. He was wearing a nice blazer. Bottle of wine in the bag. Sure enough, there was a proposal! Everyone on the beach started cheering, then their fam/friends came out from behind the dune to congratulate them.

Photographer camouflaged himself by taking pics of the dog his wife had on leash.

As far as I know, noone from CC involved, but I had to share!

So just a little update. 12 days to launch (counting the day before.) D1 and I had the make-up trial (her 2nd, she’s very happy with the final look and her hair. Mine’s more make-up than I usually wear, but she likes it.) The wider shoes came and are a good fit. A couple of choices of fancy face masks are ordered.

She did decide to have a champagne toast for all the guests. Only 21, total, I think, will stay for dinner. It might drizzle a little, but should be at least mid-50’s during the day and about 45 degrees as the first guests are leaving. For us, that’s all balmy.

Fingers still crossed.

My older son is now a married man! He got married over the weekend outdoors on the Spanish Steps with some local DC friends there. Great weather and bride and groom looked great, excited, and happy. 8 of us ( immediate family, all from out of town) watched live by zoom. Son blew a kiss to family into the camera after he walked down the steps after the ceremony. I cried. Champagne toast after the ceremony, no reception. They will have a big celebration down the line with all of us (they will probably invite 140-150 people) after we get through this pandemic!

It was wonderful, much better than I expected (as I was not sure how it would go, only being able to see by zoom). I would have loved being there in person, but it turned out better than okay. We felt very included. The ceremony was wonderful, the remarks very heartfelt. After the ceremony, they went to a very nice DC hotel(where the bride got ready earlier in the day). They zoomed to us from the hotel and my daughter in law surprised me by turning around to show us that she was wearing a barette of mine that I had given her a couple of years ago. She said she got quite a few compliments on it. I was very touched. They then went to a very nice French restaurant by themselves for dining on the patio. They looked so happy and I am very happy for them!

@sevmom, thank you for sharing. Congratulations, and what a great post to start off the week.

@sevmom congratulations!!

Some of you may recall we had a nephew who was supposed to have his wedding reception this past June. That has been postponed to July 2021. BUT we had a nice FaceTime call with his parents who live in Australia. They said Quantis is not resuming flights to and from the U.S. until the end of 2021. So…they won’t be able to come if this is in July 2021. Brides family is in India, and they can’t travel to the U.S. now either.

This couple actually got married in September 2019 with immediate family only. So it’s not like they aren’t married. By 2021, it will be celebrating their two year anniversary.

@sevmom Glad things worked out so nicely and that you were able to be part of the wedding via Zoom.

Thanks, everyone! I am so glad they agreed to zoom to a small number of us (4 from each side). My sister and a couple people here(thank you) suggested I talk to my son when they first said no zooming. I did talk to him and it worked out.I still got tearful at times the day before and day of, leading up to the wedding , thinking about missing it in person. But, it ended up being very lovely and memorable, even by zoom. A very small zoom helped, just 8 of us. My son called my husband and me from his car as he was driving to meet his bride at the ceremony. I wasn’t expecting that and it was lovely.

@thumper1 Coincidentally, the Miss Manners piece in our Sunday paper yesterday was entitled “Reception after the fact is ok.”
The bride was getting some pushback from a few people about planning a very delayed reception after getting married at City Hall due to coronavirus. She still wanted to have her father walk her down the aisle, wear her wedding dress, celebrate with friends and family. Miss Manners felt a later reception is fine as long as you don’t " pretend" that you’re not already married. She suggested a note such as, “Having been unable to celebrate our wedding with you last summer, Oliver and I request the pleasure of your company now that it is possible to gather safely at a reception.We hope you will indulge our desire to enjoy some of the wedding customs we missed.”

@sevmom I do hope this couple gets to celebrate their marriage with family and friends at some point. But the longest after their marriage the stranger it feels. I mean really…if it gets put off another year, they could be bringing a baby with them!

My son and daughter in law may very well not be able to have a reception for about a year and a half. Just too much covid stuff going on , that will probably still be going on for quite a while. I hope people will be understanding. Those of you(and your children) that were able to have the weddings and bigger celebrations that you wanted before all this hit are very lucky.

We hope they will have the reception as well. At some point!

It’s always nice to celebrate a happy event.

@sevmom- Congratulations to your son and daughter-in-law. It sounds like a lovely, memorable day and they did a great job creating connections.

With or without a pandemic, couples are planning their wedding celebrations in ways that work best for them, taking all kinds of variables into account. Cheers to all of them!

@sevmom, congratulations! I’m so glad you were able to “be” there, even if by Zoom. I have to say @thumper1, my S and DIL are about ready to cancel the reception planned for 3/21 since they too think it may feel too strange after all that has occurred since their original wedding date. If I had to lay odds, I’d say we won’t be having the party for extended family and friends, which makes me sad, but they’re married and happy and that works, too.

Cousin’s D postponed her wedding from 1/21 to 10/21 because she wants the big party, but if the wedding needs to be postponed again they won’t reschedule it just to accommodate a big reception.

It will definitely be interesting to see if they change their mind about a bigger reception. You never know.