Mother of: Ike
Venue: The Greenfield Barn in New Richmond, Wisconsin
Vibe: Dressy barn party
Dress: Eliza J.
Torn between two navy dresses for her son’s wedding, Julie broke the tie like any modern mother of the groom would: she took her shopping dilemma to TikTok. The results were decisive: 90% of viewers loved Julie in an off-the-shoulder ruffle mermaid gown by Eliza J.
Julie had been leaning toward her other top option: a ruffled taffeta dress by Xscape Evenings, which she says she “fell in love with the minute I saw it.” But she went with the crowdsourced decision, and says it was definitely the right choice.
“The scuba fabric offered the perfect thickness to cover most of my lumps and bumps,” Julie says of her chosen gown. “It was stretchy but held its shape, all while being form fitting and comfy.”
And here’s the kicker: she got the dress at Macy’s for $50. That’s no typo. The dress was marked down on clearance (it’s available again; but at regular price, which is still a reasonable $198.) But the price was so low, it made Julie question whether it was wedding-worthy.
“Sometimes our minds can mess with us. I’ll admit that knowing the dress was only $50 made it seem not quite good enough. I actually returned it shortly after posting my ‘come shopping with me’ video [on TikTok]. But as soon as I saw all of the positive response, I ran back to Macy’s to buy it again.”
Julie’s son Ike married his college sweetheart Alexia at a church in Hudson, Wisconsin. The two grew up across the Mississippi River from each other, just 15 miles apart with Ike on the Minnesota side and Alexia in Wisconsin. But they met at Montana State University where they were both studying engineering.
Their reception took place on a farm, with fields ablaze in fall colors. Dinner and dancing were in a 100 year old barn. “Seeing Ike and Alexia the happiest they’ve ever been, surrounded by their family and friends, was by far my favorite memory of the day,” Julie says. “As a boy mom, I feel so lucky that I have such an amazing daughter in law to love.”
| Photography by SL Production