wanna see my mother-of-the-groom dress?

[Charlene]

i have been dreading shopping for one just because i hate to shop. as luck would have it, i stumbled upon this one at a bridal shop just 2 blocks from my office!

i bought it in turquoise. also picked up some shoes much like the one the model is wearing.

i'm getting SO excited! wedding is october 5. hoping for a really nice weather day as i have a couple of surprises planned. first one is a monarch butterfly release and the second one is a horse-drawn wedding carriage.

here is a pic of the carriage...

there will be a driver and a footman, in formal attire. the horses are american cream draft horses, VERY unusual. i have rented it for 2 hours and since the wedding is very small (only about 15 people), everybody will get a chance to take a ride.

thanks for letting me share my excitement!

 

[Sue_C.]

LOVE THE DRESS!!!

Excellent choice...

I cannot imagine not liking to shop. Wish I didn't...not so much for myself, but get me into a tack shop and watch out!

What a beautiful carriage and team...very complimentary.

 

[Watcheye]

Wow thats great! AND butterflies to boot!

 

[Jill]

Beautiful

:wub

 

[AppyLover2]

The dress is perfect for mother of the groom. I love the idea of the carriage and the butterfly release. I'm sure they'll be pleased.

 

[Charlene]

thanks, everybody.

i had originally wanted to do a white dove release but since the wedding is late in the day, doves can't be released because they wouldn't have enough daylight to get home, so i opted for the monarch butterflies instead. a butterfly release "gives wings to the marriage" as well as honors those loved ones who have passed. all i have to do is hope for wedding day temps of 65* or more and NO RAIN!!!!

 

[Miniv]

Classy!!!!

 

[Sterling]

Sounds awesome!!!

 

[twister]

The dress is beautiful as are the horses.That would be so classy.

Yvonne

 

[WhiteTailsMinis]

everything you've chosen is just perfect. The couple will be very honored to know you wanted their day to be very special and unique. Congrats on gaining a daughter-in-law too!

 

[wrs]

The dress is beautiful. Love the horse drawn carriage & the butterflys. Very nice. Good Luck on the wedding.

 

[anoki]

You will look beautiful in that dress!!!!!!!!

That carriage looks pretty darn cool!!! Can't wait to see pics of it all!!!!

~kathryn

ps, I'll make a mental note and remind the dog that Oct 5th is out, so sometime AFTER that!!

lol I'll let you know when I'm coming that way.....

 

[barnbum]

How special your ideas are! Do the bride and groom know about them?

My son was married July 24th--the hottest, most humid day we've had in a long time--but it all worked out. All the flowers came from my dad's and my gardens. The bride and her attendants carried day lilies. A horse drawn carriage would have fit with the historical country church perfectly--but they wanted to drive to the reception in the Chevelle he had put together.

 

[Charlene]

kathryn, can't wait to see you again!!!

karla, the butterflies and wedding carriage are surprises. they are my wedding gift to the kids. i think i've spent more money on this wedding than my son has! LOL

it's gonna be a small wedding, only immediate family. i think the total number of people is 15. the plan is to have them release the butterflies immediately after the ceremony. while they are doing that and the photographer is taking pictures, the carriage driver will be contacted via cell phone so he will know it's time for them. they will be in hiding behind the building so the first thing will be the clip clop of draft horse shoes and then the kids will see them. i have rented it for 2 hours so there will be lots of time for everybody to take a spin if they are so inclined. i know i will!!!

karla, congrats on your son's wedding, it sounds lovely, especially the flowers!

 

[barnbum]

With Charlene's permission, here are some wedding pics. All were taken by the photographer--who we only had for two hours. There were enough people taking photos after that.

The historical church:

Many folks love this shot--it's my hubby before the wedding. The girls made the tulle bows the night before.

Here comes the bride--I played around with editing this shot.

Bride and groom!

More to come...

 

[barnbum]

The girls

The flowers--all picked that morning.

The boys--I love this shot.

How they left:

Charlene--I can't wait to see your photos!! They will be so unique!

 

[Charlene]

ohhhhh, kaaarla!!! i LOVE them!!! your daughter made a beeeautiful bride and what a lovely couple they are!

love the colors, i think john and melissa are going will fall colors for their flowers, too. the chevelle, TOOOOO cute! and the setting is just awesome, love the quaint little church and the pic of your hubby is adorable.

after seeing these, i am even MORE excited!

oh, one more thing i'm doing...i am having a wedding quilt made for the kids. i will put it in the carriage for them to use, it will be the first time they see it, too.

i want them to have nothing but great memories of their special day!

 

[Valerie]

Oh my goodness.....Charlene that dress is just lovely......

The surprises you have lined up for your kids are truly inspiring and I love, love, love the butterfly release. That is the one thing I keep in my memory of my Mom's passing on.....we handed out butterfly memory cards in the shape of butterflies and they had forget me not flower seeds on them, so people could plant them where they wanted to.

The horse carriage is so awesome as well....they are going to be sooooo surprised....what a great Mom and Mom in Law you are!!

 

[barnbum]

ohhhhh, kaaarla!!! i LOVE them!!! your daughter made a beeeautiful bride and what a lovely couple they are!

love the colors, i think john and melissa are going will fall colors for their flowers, too. the chevelle, TOOOOO cute! and the setting is just awesome, love the quaint little church and the pic of your hubby is adorable.

after seeing these, i am even MORE excited!

oh, one more thing i'm doing...i am having a wedding quilt made for the kids. i will put it in the carriage for them to use, it will be the first time they see it, too.

i want them to have nothing but great memories of their special day!

Ha-ha--the boy is mine--well now they're BOTH mine!

If I had added a picture of the family--you'd see the resemblance.

Oh--a wedding quilt in the carriage--you have such great ideas!!!

Jenny fell in love with one of my quilts--so I gave it to her for her shower. She loves fall colors too.

 

[Charlene]

oh sheesh! let me rephrase that...your boy made a VERRRRRY HANDSOME GROOM!!! LOL! i have a feeling that new d-i-l is pretty special to you, too. i bet you love her every bit as much as i love melissa. she is such a special woman, she is an r.n., spent a lot of quiet time with gary during his illness, answered lots of questions for him. i only found out recently that they discussed death and dying and she told me how she tried to put him at ease. i know he appreciated it and i have such regrets that he won't be here to share this special day but then again, i know he WILL be here in spirit.

my former boss is the quilter and she does the most beautiful work. she makes her own labels and will use a picture of john and melissa as well as their wedding invitation for that. can't wait to see it! she also writes, by hand, a story of how each of her quilts came to be.

valerie, what a sweet way to remember your mom. i'm sure she is watching over you.