Our son was married a few weekends ago. It was an epic celebration in every sense-from the blessed union of two people meant for each other, the meeting of new people who are now new friends, spending time with the wonderful family of my new daughter-in-law, and the beautiful setting we had… It was thrilling to go through it all, and touching.
And it was the culmination of many months of planning. As the mother of the groom, I had the rehearsal dinner to plan, and as the wedding weekend was at our house, more or less, there was a lot of effort that went into making the place look good. I also spent a lot of time on gifts for the bridal party, making sure family had a place to stay, and everything else that goes with hosting a major event. This wedding, by far, was the biggest event we have ever hosted!
Thank goodness I did not have to plan what I was going to wear.
I thought about getting something new (resale, of course, and new to me), for about a minute. I googled “mother of the groom dresses” and was instantly dyspeptic. Don’t go there, it’s frightening.
Then I looked through my closet, and realized I had a long dress that I had just worn to my college reunion. And it was perfect!
I bought this dress on a resale trip to New Bedford, Massachusetts. First of all I highly recommend a visit to New Bedford. It is beautiful, and there is a lot to do. There is the whaling museum and Cisco brewery, and a great record store. And there are several resale shops and flea markets. I found the dress at New Bedford Antiques at The Cove, the biggest antique mall I’ve ever been to. It’s 1.5 acres of market!
They had several vintage dress vendors, and that’s where I picked up the dress. It was a handmade silk dress, and it cost $20. It looked like it was generally my size (I admit I never try things on- if it's a great dress I’ll find a home for it somewhere, or it lands in Second Serve!). I tried it on when I got home and it fit like a glove.
What is great about resale is that there is a good chance that no one is going to have the outfit you have on. Is that important? I’m not sure it’s important but it sure is fun. I like expressing myself with something that has caught my eye, that is one of a kind, and stands out to me when I am not exactly looking for it. Yes it gives me a thrill.
And what is great about vintage clothing, is that it will last much longer than anything you buy new today. That means I can wear the dress to my college reunion and dance all night, and still be able to wear a pristine dress to my son’s wedding and yes, also dance all night. That’s not going to happen with something from Zara. I promise.
And all for $20! Not bad at all. At least something came in under budget!
So that’s my advice for all ya’lls, especially the future mothers of grooms. Buy resale and buy vintage, and let your freak flag fly.
You are not going to keep quiet and wear beige.
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