Looks

Mother of the Bride

This weekend we were thrilled to watch our youngest daughter marry the man of her dreams. Thirteen years in the making, their relationship has grown and matured from a junior high crush to their marriage Saturday. I’ll share more of the celebration in a future post. I’m still gathering and sorting through myriad photos taken by friends and family. Aren’t cell phones the best?!

What’s a little easier to share is what I wore. I had a dress ready to go until I ran it by the bride-to-be. It was a very pretty beaded black number that hit below the knee. My daughter was concerned I would regret not opting for a floor-length gown like everyone else in the wedding party. She made a good point so I researched other options.

The dress I chose as the mother of the bride is one I would most likely wear only once, so I looked into Rent the Runway (RTR). What a fabulous concept! Similar to a tuxedo rental, you rent your gown for an event, then return it via UPS. In most cases there isn’t a showroom to visit; everything is delivered to your doorstep and returned through your local UPS store.

We never know for certain that a certain dress will fit us, do we? RTR knows this. I chose my gown and was able to choose an additional size as a back up. I was also given the option to choose a back up dress in case my first choice wasn’t as flattering as I hoped.

Ordering so close to the holidays, I almsot didn’t get the size I needed. Keep this in mind if you’re choosing your dress ahead of a major formal season. As it turned out, my first choice size fit well, but the back up size was the one I went with. I knew I’d be dancing all night and I wanted something with a little “give.” I also wanted to leave a little room for dinner. 🙂

The dress above was the one I wore to the wedding. The dress below, my “back up,” bore some resemblence to my daughter’s wedding dress, and was a tempting option. I was concerned the lace and beading detail wouldn’t shpw up in photographs. Had I taken these photos beforehand, I might have changed my mind. As you can see, the detail shows very well – much more than in real life.

 

Some thoughts on Rent the Runway – although I used it for a formal event, RTR offers a lot more than  gowns.  From vacation-wear to sunglasses, rompers to earrings, RTR carries a much larger variety of rentals than I realized.   There are also rental options: per piece or a monthly fee for unlimited rentals.  For your next event, RTR might be a good option!

 

Marchesa Notte Gown, similar herehere,  here and here | My back-up option: Marchesa Notte Gown, other options   here,  here   and  here  |  Valentino Rockstud Pumps,  also  here |  Christian Louboutin Pumps  others  here   and  here  |  Nordstrom Glitter Clutch , other options here and here