Lisa L.: Custom Made for Cartagena

Mother of: Jorge
Venue: Casa 1537 in Cartagena, Colombia 
Vibe: Black tie
Dress: Gabriella Arango Haute Couture 

Shopping for a mother of the groom dress with her two best friends was loads of fun, but Lisa says she left the fitting room feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. “I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted for the wedding.” 

They went to look at fabric—hoping for inspiration, perhaps—and in walks designer Gabriella Arango, well known in Miami for her romantic and intricately detailed wedding dresses. She had actually made a dress for Lisa some 15 years ago—”and did an amazing job.” 

And so Lisa returned to the designer’s studio with a clear idea of the silhouette she wanted. She actually gathered photos to give Arango an idea of her dream dress: an off-the-shoulder pleated top with sweetheart neckline; a full ballgown skirt with pleating at the waist and a train. “I even photoshopped them together to create my dream dress collage,” Lisa recounts. “My designer took the ideas and added her own design touches to bring everything together.” That included a bustle to collect the train for dancing.

Before cutting the final luxe satin fabric, Arango made a sample for Lisa using an inexpensive material. “This allowed me to check the fullness of the skirt and the train’s length, ensuring everything was just right.” 

The bride asked Lisa to avoid blue, which is what the MOB wore. The designer steered this mother of the groom to a shade of green that was a bit brighter than Lisa had originally imagined. “It turned out to be perfect for our venue in Cartagena, Columbia.” 

The family chose a destination wedding in Caragena after attending a friend’s celebration there a few years prior and falling in love with the city. “We wanted a destination that could host a full weekend of celebrations at different venues so our guests could really enjoy the festivities.”

Ironically, Lisa was insistent on covering her arms for the wedding, but wound up wearing a strapless Theia dress for one of the pre-wedding parties. (She had it shortened to ankle length to make it less formal.)

But back to her custom MOG dress, you might assume an experience and dress like this is utterly cost prohibitive, and indeed, it wasn’t cheap, but Lisa said she was surprised and delighted to find it fit within her budget, at under $2,000.

“My best advice is do you!” Lisa says to other mothers of. “Take direction from the bride and then find what is best within her requests. Make sure you feel beautiful. It shows when we wear something that is our style and look.  Get something you shine in that is comfortable enough to dance all night.”

| Photography by Josué Bonilla