Becoming a Bride (part 2)

Father of the bride duties kept Dad quite busy on the morning of the wedding! Drop us off at the salon; pick up bottles of water; make sandwiches for lunch; (carefully!) pack my dress, Mom’s dress, Laura’s dress, and his suit into the back of the car. And then it was back to the salon at noon to get us and drive us to Lauxmont Farms.

We all chatted during the drive, and before I knew it, we were turning off of the highway. We pulled into the paved driveway and followed it up to the stone house. The third floor was reserved for us, which was accessed via a narrow staircase with low ceilings. Once we reached our room, I stationed myself on the bed and let the mothers and bridesmaids arrange the dresses and accessories and sandwiches. I was surrounded by loving, helping hands, and I just let them go.

They hung my perfect dress from a padded hanger that said “Soon To Be Mrs. Wiley” — a surprise gift from Mom.

{Credit Robert Winton}

I most definitely did wear red shoes!

{Credit Robert Winton}

And sticking with tradition … Something Old: a piece of fabric from my grandmother’s wedding gown, which we pinned to my bouquet. Something New: jewelry from my parents and Daisy perfume from my groom. Something Borrowed: my great aunt’s mirror. Something Blue: my garter.

I got clutches of different damasks as gifts to my bridesmaids, and Laura surprised me the night before with a matching red one of my own! I suspect sneaky Mom had something to do with that.

Dad brought sandwiches for us — he even cut them into triangles! — and Mom arranged them alongside champagne and daisy paper products, of course.

And then I watched my girls become bridesmaids.

The Mother of the Groom went to the second floor and put on her plum purple dress, and the Mother of the Bride stayed on the third floor and put on her chocolate brown dress. And just after the bridesmaids slipped into their crimson dresses of different styles, our photographer arrived.