I don’t remember ever crying at anyone’s wedding, even my own.
For some reason, though, I cry at the drop of a hat about my son’s upcoming wedding. And when I say upcoming, it was going to be a year from now. Then it was November. They looked at September. I believe they have a firm date now, but I hesitate to say.
It’s not their fault. My son’s work obligations came into play, as well as more important factors, like duck season. The church wasn’t available on one date; the photographer couldn’t do another one.
By the way, I am not going to write a column about this wedding every Sunday until then. Probably.
Anyone who has planned a wedding, though, knows how many millions of details there are to figure out — getting the church reserved, the reception location, figuring out the bridesmaids, groomsmen, colors, invitations, etc.
I wake up and go to bed with the wedding on my mind. I often get teary-eyed just thinking about it.
My future daughter-in-law is a go-getter, and the whole wedding is probably planned as I write.
The dress is bought, and that was one of my crying episodes. While visiting my parents, my sister-in-law pointed out that a bridal shop was going out of business because the owner was retiring. We had an impromptu outing.
It’s the same shop where I bought my wedding dress 26 years ago. That was special to me, and then she tried on The Dress.
My future daughter-in-law, henceforth referred to as DIL, looked pretty in all of them, but when she came out of the dressing room in this one, she stepped up on the little podium and started crying. So then I cried. She looked like “A Bride,” as my younger son’s girlfriend said.
We had quite the entourage — me, my mother — whose birthday was over the weekend — my younger son’s girlfriend, my sister-in-law and the bride-to-be. It wasn’t quite Say Yes to the Dress, although we made our comments — even to the bride next to us. (I’m sure our opinions held great weight in her decision.)
DIL tried on other dresses, but when she tried on the one that originally made her cry, the tears started flowing again. So mine did, too.
I took pictures on my phone of future DIL in some of the dresses, photos that I will guard with my life until after the wedding.
We took our little party to another bridal shop, and we got more vocal, although it was all fun.
She tried on dress after dress as Sister-in-Law helped zip, cinch, hook and lace each one.
My mother’s main concern was whether my son’s fiancee was going to wear a veil, which I did not do 26 years ago, despite my mother’s wishes. And she never … let me … forget it.
The bride-to-be is considering one.
Thank you, future DIL. Thank you!
I did try on a veil while we were in one of the shops, and I thought I looked like the bunny from Trix cereal. My mother said, “Oh, you’re not trying.”
Seriously?
Friends have sent congratulations since the wedding has been announced (via social media, primarily), and one emailed me this sage advice, which was published in a rule book for mothers-of-the groom:
“Remember — show up, shut up and wear beige at the wedding, or at least two out of three,” she wrote.
Yeah, I can do only one of those, I told her.
At least it doesn’t say no crying. I’m pretty sure that’s gonna happen.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.