Maxwell 54: Sarah Married and Looking Joyful

[samurai_sarah]

Carry on from here:

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by Coconut Flan

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

Going back to awful weddings party outfits. I have what I think is the worst.

An older male friend was a groomsman in a wedding in 1974.  It was what was known as a rainbow wedding i.e, bridesmaids all in the same style dress, but each one a different pastel color.

The bride, possessed by I guess the styles of the day or an old south obsession, had a frou-frou off the shoulder dress with an absolutely ginormous hoop skirt and an equally frou-frou picture hat. Instead of a bouquet she carried a small lacy parasol filled with flowers (like a vase) and trimmed with trailing flowers and greenery.

The 6 bridesmaids wore dresses that matched the bride's, with only a very large, not ginormous, hoop skirt same hat style, same parasol bouquet. Each dress/ hat / parasol/ flowers were a different pastel color -- pink, peach. pale yellow, mint green, baby blue, lavender.

The 6 groomsmen were in tuxes that matched the bridesmaid they escorted. The tuxes had black lapels, and black pant stripes. The boutonnieres matched the tuxes. My friend wore the yellow tux.

The groom was in a white tux with black lapels, black pants stripe.  His boutonniere was white.

Did I mention that the bride's parasol vase was flowers in white and all the pastel colors.

I cannot begin to describe how OTT and truly awful the wedding photos are. I saw them years after my friend was in this wedding.  He still shuddered at the pale yellow tux.

Oh and one more thing:  This was a huge Baptist wedding. The reception at the fancy country club was punch, cake (it was a huge cake), mints, nuts, pimento cheese crackers,  No alcohol.  There was dancing, but no music of the day,  My friend said the reception was maybe 2 hours, at least 45 minutes was the receiving line.

I have no idea why he kept the photos. He wasn't particularly good friends with the groom. Each groomsman/ bridesmaid got a wedding photo album. I think my friend stored his and just forgot it.

[Hane]

My next-door neighbor had a rainbow wedding in 1974, but it was pretty and tasteful: The bridesmaids each wore a different pastel shade, but their dresses were simple empire waists and the guys wore plain black tuxes.

[kpmom]

9 hours ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

 

The 6 groomsmen were in tuxes that matched the bridesmaid they escorted. The tuxes had black lapels, and black pant stripes. The boutonnieres matched the tuxes. My friend wore the yellow tux.

The groom was in a white tux with black lapels, black pants stripe.  His boutonniere was white.

Did I mention that the bride's parasol vase was flowers in white and all the pastel colors.

I cannot begin to describe how OTT and truly awful the wedding photos are. I saw them years after my friend was in this wedding.  He still shuddered at the pale yellow tux.

 

 

Yuk!  Sounds awful!  And pastel tuxes?  That’s even worse than the bride and bridesmaids dresses. 
 

Regarding frilly  tux shirts, they were a thing back in the 70’s for proms as well as weddings. I thought they were very fashionable back then, don’t ask me why! 😄

[usmcmom]

I know a bride who had kind of a rainbow wedding, I guess. The bridesmaids wore black strapless gowns and each sash was a different color, with bouquets that matched the sash. It was very striking. 

[catlady]

20 hours ago, Hane said:

My next-door neighbor had a rainbow wedding in 1974, but it was pretty and tasteful: The bridesmaids each wore a different pastel shade, but their dresses were simple empire waists and the guys wore plain black tuxes.

My cousin did something similar in 1986!  She had five bridesmaids and a flower girl who all wore different pastels.  I don’t remember exactly what the dresses looked like, other than that they were a drapey chiffon-type fabric.  My mom had made the flower girl’s dress because they couldn’t find a store bought one to coordinate with the adults (and my mom can make her own patterns; she also made the bride’s satin gown).  
The men all had dark tuxes with ties/cummerbunds to match the ladies—it *was* the 80s…….

[WiseGirl]

21 hours ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

The 6 bridesmaids wore dresses that matched the bride's, with only a very large, not ginormous, hoop skirt same hat style, same parasol bouquet. Each dress/ hat / parasol/ flowers were a different pastel color -- pink, peach. pale yellow, mint green, baby blue, lavender.

Umm were you at the wedding I was in? I was the one in peach. It was the 80's though. Truly awful. I felt like an extra in Gone With the Wind.

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

Fortunately I wasn't there, because I don't think I could have kept a straight face and not rolled my eyes out of my head.

I did see the huge album of 8x10 full color glossy formal portraits and all the casual photos.  The album was bad enough.  It was a very old south/ GWTW wedding.

I thought the whole OTT rainbow theme was extremely tacky.... but it was the bride's special day ......

I must ask my friend if he still has the album

[browngrl]

to all the FJ members with super sleuthing skills: any photos of Sarah's wedding shower? (or any other news)

[Caroline]

I was in high school in the 70's when ruffled shirts on men were popular for the prom.  For lots of different reasons I had no interest in attending a prom.  But one big reason was that I hated (and still do) super dressy outfits.  

My husband and I eloped because there was no way I could imagine myself in a wedding gown, not to mention asking my friends to wear some kind of fancy dress as bridesmaids.  (I was asked to be in a few weddings, and after the first one I politely said no to the rest.)  I hated everything about being a bridesmaid, especially the dress.  

I'll wear something moderately dressy and did for the day we eloped, but anything too showy - no thanks.

I've convinced my own daughter that eloping is the way to go if she every decides to marry.  A very small informal wedding would be ok too.  She's like me in that she doesn't like a lot of attention or anything too showy. 

I too hope that Sarah gets to do exactly as she pleases for her wedding day.

[Nothing if not critical]

I've never wanted a wedding dress either - count me in as another person totally immune to the whole "princess gown" thing. I don't hate them or disapprove of them, just never wanted one for myself. I'm fine with comfy summer dresses and skirts, but that's about it. And as I had a courthouse wedding anyway, I just wore a flowy green pantsuit and was perfectly happy with it. I did feel dressed up, but on my terms, and I still wouldn't change a thing about my very low-key wedding.

Fortunately, bridesmaids aren't really a thing here - I was my best friend's maid of honour ages ago, but even then, everyone was fine with me wearing pants and a nice blouse.

Edited July 25, 2022 by Nothing if not critical

[fundiefan]

My sister had a pastel wedding in 1987. Bridesmaids wore spaghetti strap satin dresses with a lace skirt over and a lace "jacket" that buttoned in the back Basically, it looked like a long sleeve, lace dress. They were tea length. We all had dyes shoes to match.  My dress strap broke half way through the reception. 

We didn't carry bouquets but fans with flowers in our pastel color. We also wore a flower - matching, of course-in our hair. 

The groomsmen all wore grey tuxes with ties & cummerbunds that matched their bridesmaid.  

The colors were pink, purple, yellow, green, blue & peach. I was peach. At least I wasn't the yellow; that was awful. So was the green. It wasn't quite mint green, just a very poor attempt at making green pastel. 

My sister & her groom were both in all white; white flowers, white tux, white shoes, white tie & cummerbund. 

[postscript]

17 hours ago, kpmom said:

Yuk!  Sounds awful!  And pastel tuxes?  That’s even worse than the bride and bridesmaids dresses. 
 

Regarding frilly  tux shirts, they were a thing back in the 70’s for proms as well as weddings. I thought they were very fashionable back then, don’t ask me why! 😄

I was in high school in the 70s, when frilly tux shirts were a thing. One year, the pit orchestra for the student-written production was expected to wear tuxes, but the school would only pay half the rental fee. The boys were expected to put up the rest. Understandably, this didn’t go over well with the male portion of the orchestra. In protest, they sat in the pit during performances wearing baby blue tux jackets, frilled shirts with the ruffles edged in baby blue. . .and red gym shorts, courtesy of the athletic department. 

After that, pit orchestra males were allowed to wear their own suits. 

[AnnaSofia]

Pastel rainbow dresses go back to at least the late 1950s. One of my great-aunts did that for her wedding in 1957.

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

I've been in one wedding -- that was enough -- my sister's where I was the maid of honor.  It's what was known as an all white wedding.  The bride in white; the bridesmaids in a white dress with silk screened wildflowers across the skirt, a smocked bodice and elbow length flutter sleeves.

There were only 2 bridesmaids and we were very different in coloring -- as in pale skin and auburn red hair (me) and olive skin and black hair.  According to my mother and sister the white dresses were the only ones that suited us both (they were wrong) so that's what the other maid and I paid for and wore.

I absolutely hated the dress. Hated. It.  The smocked bodice did me no favors. I was bustier than the other maid who was a teeny tiny flat chested 4'10".  I'm 5"2 but looked enormous next to her. However, as my sister's life long best friend she was the other maid. We wore headbands with flowers wired to them  -- didn't look good on either of us.

The groom and the groomsmen were in morning suits and looked very sharp.  

I gave that dress (which wasn't cheap) to the Goodwill within a month after the wedding.

In the south it's hard to be the older unmarried sister of the bride.  People are oh so sorry than you're an old maid dying on the vine. At a 3 months away from being 24, and 3 years older than my sister I was the recipient of many condolences about my old maid-dom. 

I was assured that while it must be oh so terribly hard and sad for me to see my younger sister married before me (nope), my turn would come, not to worry (I wasn't).  Why the speaker had such a nice young man they wanted me to meet. They would be sure to get in touch with my mother so the 2 of them could set us up.

I nodded my head, smiled politely and was ever so grateful that after I finished my Master's in June I was moving to another state. 

 

Edited July 25, 2022 by Red Hair, Black Dress

[SPHASH]

Years ago I was at my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary party and they showed a montage of their family pics over the years.  One of them was their son's wedding who got married in 1985.  Uncle was in a white tux.  Slap a cowboy hat on him and stick a cigar in his mouth and you would have thought he was Boss Hogg.

[Howl]

For awhile (and maybe still) there was such a thing as a Texas tuxedo at some weddings.  The groom and groomsmen rock  a tuxedo jacket and shirt  with black or blue denim Levis or Wranglers and nice cowboy boots.  Tie may or may not be a bolo. 

 

[Caroline]

6 hours ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

n the south it's hard to be the older unmarried sister of the bride.  People are oh so sorry than you're an old maid dying on the vine. At a 3 months away from being 24, and 3 years older than my sister I was the recipient of many condolences about my old maid-dom. 

This is crazy, and a totally foreign concept to me.  It's a good thing you have a mind of your own and use it, because a less secure person would have really struggled with the attitude of all those biddies worrying about your future.

[JermajestyDuggar]

I was a bridesmaid in a pastel rainbow wedding in 2000. 

[WannabeHistorian]

7 hours ago, postscript said:

I was in high school in the 70s, when frilly tux shirts were a thing. One year, the pit orchestra for the student-written production was expected to wear tuxes, but the school would only pay half the rental fee. The boys were expected to put up the rest. Understandably, this didn’t go over well with the male portion of the orchestra. In protest, they sat in the pit during performances wearing baby blue tux jackets, frilled shirts with the ruffles edged in baby blue. . .and red gym shorts, courtesy of the athletic department. 

After that, pit orchestra males were allowed to wear their own suits. 

God, the ingenuity of youth-led protests never fails to both entertain and astound me. Saying this as a young person myself. 

While not exactly a protest, I was reminded of this legendary prank: 

 

[whitney37354]

2001 pastel bridesmaid here.  I was the purple one!

[crawfishgirl]

My younger brother got married on my 30th birthday.  I was a little down that I was turning 30, hadn't met Mr. Right yet, and had to attend his wedding.  I drank like a fish at his wedding, and the next day some friends took me to New Orleans and I continued the party there.  Don't remember much about it, but had a great time.

[ElizaB]

People always talk about having ridiculous wedding fashions that they regret after. But if you look back at your wedding pics and get a good laugh at the fashion I think that’s a win too.

Edited July 26, 2022 by ElizaB
Clarify

[anniebgood]

8 hours ago, crawfishgirl said:

My younger brother got married on my 30th birthday.  I was a little down that I was turning 30, hadn't met Mr. Right yet, and had to attend his wedding.  I drank like a fish at his wedding, and the next day some friends took me to New Orleans and I continued the party there.  Don't remember much about it, but had a great time.

Mine got married just before my 30th birthday. They went to the Black Hills on their honeymoon, I  came home to LA and flew to Hawaii for a week. I got the better deal. 

[rainbowbabycakes]

On 7/25/2022 at 6:40 PM, Howl said:

For awhile (and maybe still) there was such a thing as a Texas tuxedo at some weddings.  The groom and groomsmen rock  a tuxedo jacket and shirt  with black or blue denim Levis or Wranglers and nice cowboy boots.  Tie may or may not be a bolo. 

 

Lots of my family has worn that in their weddings lol, one fairly recently.  Often, only the groom had a jacket, and the groomsmen were just in a vest. In the 90s, my little sister and I were the candle lighters/putter outers in a cousin's wedding, and we wore knee length blue jean skirts, white button down blouses with ruffley (or maybe lacey) collars, and white cowboy boots.