Mother of: Mimi
Venue: Bear Brook Valley in Fredon, New Jersey
Vibe: "Rustic, comfy and fun"
Dress: Calvin Klein
The bride told her mom to wear whatever made her feel beautiful—with the exception of white (obviously) or navy. Mother of the bride Shani says she really wanted to wear a bright color for her daughter Mimi’s spring wedding to Cody at Bear Brook Valley, a countryside venue in New Jersey.
“I knew that I wanted something fun that did not look matronly or have a lot of bows, sequins or busy designs,” Shani says.
She started shopping as soon as Cody asked Mimi to marry him, on a trip to Key West almost three years ago.
“I dragged my mother, Mimi and my younger daughter, Ellee to local bridal shops where I tried on gowns that did not work for me. I searched every mother of the bride social media site that I could find for ideas that would fit my body type.” She came up empty handed, and frustrated.
On a whim, Shani says she breezed through the Macy’s dress department, and there, a gown caught her eye. Sleeveless, it was fitted through the bodice with an A-line skirt and a high-low hemline. “The dress was fun, flirty and totally NOT matronly!” She overlooked the fact that it was black, and bought the dress. Shani continued to shop for something brighter, but kept coming back to the black Calvin Klein.
“Not only did it accentuate my curves,” Shani says, “I felt beautiful in it.”
The high-low hemline allowed Shani to show off her shoes, and she did—three pair in all. She started in blue heels with rhinestone ankle straps for the ceremony and switched to strappy sandals with a lower kitten heel for the reception. “Those got me through most of the night,” she says, “but my all-time favorite were my silver Birkenstocks!”
A reminder that the best look is always the one you make your own.
| Photography by Kelly Sea Images