Mother of: Neil
Venue: St. James 1868, Milwaukee, Wis.
Vibe: Elegant, boisterous Greek wedding
Dress: Alex Evenings from Nordstrom
The first stage of Barb’s mother of the groom dress shopping journey was ball gowns. Her son Neil and his bride Elena were to be married at Milwaukee’s grand and historic St. James hotel, a venue befitting a formal gown. But. “It felt like too much material,” Barb says.
Stage two was strapless dresses. “But I realized I needed to wear a good bra,” Barb says. Stage three: sheath dresses—she loved the idea of sleek lines, but found they didn’t work with her curves.
Stage four: determination. “I know A-lines fit me best, but I wanted to try something different for the wedding,” Barb says.
She chose a sequined fit and flare dress by Alex Evenings (see a similar style). She liked the cap sleeves and round neckline. “It kind of balanced out my hips!” Barb says, adding, “the lining was soft and had a bit of stretch so it was very comfortable.”
She paired the ice blue dress with silver kitten heels. “I learned from my older son’s wedding years ago that [taller] heels are not comfortable after a few hours!”
While Neil and Elena opted not to hold the ceremony in a church, they incorporated many Greek traditions, like drinking three sips from the common cup to represent a successful and happy marriage, a bouzouki band during the cocktail hour and a traditional kalamatiano dance and dollar at the reception. A koufeta featuring an odd number of sugar-coated almonds to symbolize the couple remaining undivided. And of course there was plate smashing, for good luck.
It was boisterous and fun, but Barb says her highlight was listening to her son recite his handwritten vows to Elena. “That has to be one of my proudest moments!”
| Photography by Heather Cook Elliott