Mother of: Will
Wedding venue: South Coast Botanic Garden, Palos Verdes, California
Vibe: Garden Party Formal
Dress: TheiaÂ
When the bride wants the wedding party in color, youâve got to go for it.
Natalie and Will fell in love as undergrads at Mizzou and actually lamented that they met too young. But they stuck together through college, two graduate programs, five cities and many jobs before settling in Chicago. Their wedding vision: outdoors, surrounded by plants and trees and flowers. They booked the South Coast Botanic Gardenâ10 minutes where Natalie grew up, in Palos Verdes, California. Natalieâs request of both mother of the bride and mother of the groom: dress for the venue.

âIt was so fun to dress for a formal event at a venue like thisâeveryone at the wedding got into it, with florals and color everywhere,â says mother of the groom Beth, who wore black for her older sonâs wedding just a year and a half ago. âEven men were really into it and not just in traditional black suits.â

Natalie and Willâs wedding took place in April, 2024. Beth started shopping a full year ahead, in spring 2023. âI was worried if I waited too longâfall or winterâI wouldn't be able to find a floral dress in a spring color.â Because she had plenty of time, Beth says, âI enjoyed the search.â She ordered around 20 dressesâeverywhere from Nordstrom and Bloomingdales to The Outnet to Anthropologie, Reformation and Mac Duggal.
âHome really is the new fitting room,â says Beth, a branding consultant. âI had a lot of packages coming and going because no two brands fit or size the same, and it took a bit to zero in on what would work best for me in terms of style, cut, silhouette and fit. But I did, and I was thrilled!"

Beth chose a Theia strapless floor length column gown in watermelon pink covered in a gold floral pattern. âIt was such a vibrant and pretty dress featuring a gorgeous bodice and a column style that really worked for my height (short!) and figure,â Beth says.
At first, the strapless silhouette gave Beth pause. âThis dress was really structured and well made and it never slipped downâthat is key! It was also pretty high for a strapless. I didnât want to show any cleavage and it was easy to do with the dress I bought. Theia does a nice job there: their dresses are gorgeous and make you feel youthful, but they arenât too sexy or young.â
Best of all: âIt was beautifully constructedâŠand had a slit up the front that made walking and dancing comfortable and easy.â
Beth and Will danced to âGod Only Knowsâ by the Beach Boys. âMakes me choke up just thinking about it.â
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| Photography by Jessie Rowan Photography