Be En-Couraged!: Wedding Attire

One of the parts of Little House on the Prairie book series that I remember the most is when Laura is engaged to Almonzo and they have started to plan their wedding. Laura and her ma were preparing things for the home, and sewing up clothes that Laura was in need of both before and after the wedding. Almonzo busied himself in building a house.

Almonzo asked Laura how soon it was that she could be ready to wed, as his own ma and sister were going to be arriving from out of town, much sooner than expected so that they could help plan the wedding for Laura and Almonzo. But he knew that their plans would involve much more money than he was prepared to spend on a One Day Event.

Well, the short story is.....Ma finished sewing up the new black dress for Laura and that's what she got married in. They quickly put together a wedding with the most important elements in it for themselves, and they became Mr and Mrs without a load of debt. Very simple.

The point here is.....the attire and all the paraphernalia really doesn't matter in the end if the goal is to become Mr and Mrs. That isn't to say that the rest is pointless. It isn't. Just don't make it a bigger deal than it really ought to be.

So, here's some ideas and links about wedding attire other than the traditional long white gown and black tux.

*Wear the clothes that feel great. Be comfortable! A woman doesn't have to wear a gown. It could be a beautiful pant suit instead.

*Go barefoot or wear heels. What about red hightop sneakers? I wore faux snake skin pumps. Not the most comfortable, but back then I really liked them.

*Wear something to fit a theme. Time-period costume for medieval, wild west, or Elizabethan.

*Invite your guests to dress for the time-period also and have a Prize for the Best Costume.

*Borrow a wedding dress. Maybe a siblings, or a parents, or a girlfriends. Get it tailored to fit if needed. I wore my mother's wedding dress but had the style changed abit when I had to get the lace all replaced, and made it more to my liking while still keeping most of the original design.

*Pick something to reflect your ethnicity. Kilts are great for Scotsmen! (There's my celtic ancestory shining through)

*I know there is a significance to white gowns, but don't feel obligated to where white. It's your day and your dress, and likely your own hard-earned money spent. Get what you like and what you feel good in. Besides, white doesn't look good on everybody. Cream is still traditional enough if traditional is what you want, without it having to be white. My mom's dress had yellowed beautifully to a creamy satin so it worked perfect for me since I don't like wearing white.

*Instead of picking just one color for the wedding party (usually in addition to white & black), pick a palette of colors. A great idea I saw was to go to a paint store and pick up those strips of sample paint colors. Let the wedding party pick which specific color they individually want from a small selection of palettes you've pre-chosen as a color theme. Everything should still coordinate well with the theme you have chosen and look great in the photos, while you've encouraged individuality amongst those of your wedding party.

*You can allow your wedding party to choose their own style of attire within whatever guidelines you'd like to make, depending on how particular you are. For example, you could ask your bridesmaids to wear sleeveless evening gowns in jewel tones, or pastel sundresses, or bluejeans with a crisp white blouse and cowboy boots and hats (in brown, or black, or whatever color you choose or don't dictate).

*If you are looking for an economical wedding dress check out formal wear stores, particularly those that sell prom dresses. Or you can opt to rent a gown. Or you might be fortunate to find the right look and fit at a consignment store or even a thrift store. And there's also online auctions.