Shopping in the Husky section.

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Most MOBs (mother(s) of the bride) go out and get their dress as far ahead of time as the bride, sometimes with as many fittings too.  But say the MOB was having surgery and just had NO idea what size she would be on that very special day.  Well she would have to wait until much closer to the wedding.


The end.

was considered

Okay, a very abbreviated version of the story - about 2 weeks before the wedding I went shopping with my daughter.  Plus size shopping is a demeaning experience to begin with because there just isn't the selection you might see in 'regular' sizes.


I tried on a few dresses, we went several places, drove hither and yon and did not find anything.  So I went to my laptop and started to search.  4 dresses, 3 pairs of shoes, 1 purse and expedited shipping later, I was almost confident.


Except the first dress was too big and I didn't really like it.  The second dress was too big and I really didn't like it.  The 3rd and 4th dresses were both too small and of course I loved them.  But altering smaller to bigger?  Uh.. no.


So one more dress - Macy's - online - expedited shipping ... got here on time. It fit beautifully and I loved it.  But it was the wrong color. My daughter had some colors that were going to be acceptable and some that were not.  This was a not.  (Didn't help that I refused to do sleeveless!) A few calls were made, some tears were very nearly shed .. the replacement dress came 2 days before the wedding.  


Still the wrong color.  


So the day before the wedding I went out by myself, found a dress and shoes and the wedding was lovely.


The end.  (Abbreviation is not within my skill-set obviously.)


**Still working on the return shipping.


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And sometimes ..

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.. you just feel special!

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Don't turn your back for a minute!

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So what is it that happens when you turn your back?  When you think you're paying attention, being mindful, and alert? 
THEY GROW UP!!!!!  And next thing you know you are standing by their side giving your blessing, love, and support at their wedding.

I got to walk my daughter down the aisle so-to-speak, what a privilege and joy!  I have no pictures of that yet, but I do have some that I took during the evening and would love to share.

Point a camera at Dani - she makes a face!  I wonder how many pics turned out like this!

But she can whip out that smile when she wants to.

Adorable pic of the brides part of the bridal party - Dani, Kristine, Liz, and Vince!

Fun was had!

Affection was expressed

Talents were exhibited

And there was this, the reason for it all.

A wonderful start to a wonderful life!


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Fun!

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A small slice ..

Bride & Groom - Dani & Dan
Bride & Mother of the Bride - Dani & Me
Member of the bridal party & 21 year old photo booth attendant - Kristine & "Photobooth Guy"
Mother of the Groom & Mother of the Bride - Sharon & Me


More later ~
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Today is the day!

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Posted with permission

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The bouquet, completed this evening.

Perfect for a fall wedding.  It's coming up soon!


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Just call me mother of the bride!

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The wedding plans have begun.  *gleefully clapping hands*  Fun!  


My vegetarian daughter and her vegetarian fiancé are getting married in a somewhat industrial part of Chicago in the west loop area.  In a former meat packing plant.  I know, right?  And it is very cool.  Really.  It is called The Catalyst Ranch. 


Like I said, The Catalyst Ranch is in a building that was a former meat packing plant, now reclaimed as a cool, urban meeting place.  There is even one smallish room called 'the sausage room' where sausage was made many years ago and you can still smell a tinge of it coming from the brick in that room.  Many companies use the location for meetings, focus groups, more out of the box stuff.  There is play-doh on the tables, hats and wigs on the coat rack and plenty of fun things to spark creativity.  Very cool place for a meeting, let me tell you.  And - they do weddings.  More fun!  The business supplies will be removed for a wedding, so there may be things in the pics that won't be there for the wedding. 


So we went today.  Dani & Dan had been there before, and today - they signed the contract.  Woo hoo!  But this was my first time.  I'm excited - it's not your garden variety wedding venue.  And it suits who D & D are.  Fun, young, and out of the ordinary. In a good way of course.  There are a few floors, the room they are using is on the 3rd floor and it's called The Polka Room which will make certain relatives happy!!  There is a lot of color, all the furniture can be moved around to accommodate the ceremony and later the dinner and dancing.  Oh - and the scavenger hunt.  More on another day about that.  There is a photo booth - the old black and white kind that takes pics in strips.  At the end of the night the ranch will give D & D an album with all the film strips shot during the evening.  I have asked Dani to request that any photos of "junk" be left out of the album but so far I don't think I'm being taken seriously.  Cause you know it's going to happen!


Anyway - here are the pics I took today.  Forgive the quality - I used my phone.  I probably included way too many but the place is just so fun - I had to keep taking picture and picture.  Please have a look and hopefully, enjoy!

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So this is the question -

~ Click the pics to make them bigger ~

I got married a million years ago. Okay, 1981. I got divorced in 1995. Officially. Two days after I got married my mother-in-law took my wedding dress to a dry cleaners and had it cleaned and preserved. I am not sure exactly what they do when they preserve a dress, but it came back sealed in a big white box, inside a heavy plastic bag having endured whatever hocus pocus we paid to have done to it. Never to be opened. To open it would break the seal and maybe the white would turn yellow and the lace would turn to dust. I don't know. But I have never opened it.


The dress has traveled with me and lived in attics and closets and garages. At some point it occurred to me that having never opened the box I can only assume it really is my dress. What if there was a mix-up and I got someone else's dress? Hell, what if it isn't even a wedding dress? Could be almost anything I guess. Well, no matter. I'm not opening it.


My daughter says she won't want to wear the dress, and I have no emotional attachment to it beyond that. What do you do with an old wedding dress you don't have a use for anymore? I am thinking about selling it. But I'm thinking about selling it - in the box - unopened still. Probably on eBay. What do you think? Will anyone buy a teeny tiny wedding dress that's been preserved inside a box for over 25 years - on the basis of a few pictures and a description? With the caveat that I cannot guarantee what's in there?


I thought it would be fun that way, kind of like buying the mystery box - taking a chance on size and condition and style. Because I really don't have any good pictures of the dress. It was my wedding dress and I have pictures from my wedding but looking through them I realize I don't have many that showcase the dress very well. It wasn't a very fancy dress, I didn't have a train and chose not to wear a veil. I wore my hair the way I wore it every day back then, in a nice 80's curly perm. Didn't wear a lot of makeup but goodness knows I had pantyhose on! Who WOULDN'T wear pantyhose when it was an 85 degree June day in 1981??? No pantyhose? I don't think so. Wouldn't have been right.


People buy grilled cheese sandwiches with religious icons toasted into the side, people sell (and someone buys) their wisdom teeth. My favorite - someone sold the naming rights to their as yet unborn baby for $15,000.00. Of course this little girl will have to go through life with the moniker of Golden Palace Benedetto, but hey - there are always nicknames!


It's a size 8 by the way. Not that that's accurate. At the time I usually wore a size 5 or maybe a 7 in a dress, you can see I was a tiny little thing. Back then. Sigh-h-h.


So should I try it? Anybody have any suggestions to liven up the description - to spice up the sale? I'm open to ideas!


**Edited to add - That's my father in the pictures by the way, in case there was any doubt about the age and or creepiness of the man I married.