Ellen R.: An Unexpected Find

Ellen R.: An Unexpected Find

Mother of: Thomas
Venue: Amaterra Winery, Portland, Oregon
Vibe: Elegant and earthy
Dress: Staud

Ellen wasn’t looking for a mother of the groom dress. The wedding was more than a year away. She didn’t know the colors, had received no instructions from her son, Thomas, or future daughter-in-law Michelle. But when she saw the Staud "Millie" organza short sleeve belted maxi shirtdress on the rack at Perch boutique in Denver, she bought it on the spot.

“I knew it was something that could be great for the wedding,” Ellen says. She sent a photo to Michelle. “She loved it.” The mother of the bride ended up falling for a navy dress as well.



Ellen says she loved the classic styling, and the lightweight material—good for a warm day. “I wanted to look elegant and timeless,” Ellen says. “It didn’t look like a typical mother of the bride or groom dress.”



She paired the dress with the “Cariad” ankle strap sandal, a comfort-meets-style collaboration of Pnina Tornai for Naturalizer.



The couple met 10 years ago at the University of Oregon. They chose Amaterra, a winery in Portland for the wedding, a venue with sweeping views of vineyard and mountains. They served a memorable farm-to-table dinner.

On the wedding day in July, Ellen gave Michlle a pearl necklace she had received from her grandmother on her wedding day, and a pearl bracelet from her husband. “I was raised Catholic, but have Irish/Jewish roots—my grandmother was Jewsih. Michelle is also Jewish and I thought this would be a special memory. My grandma would have loved it.”



| Photography by Andreia Claro

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