brides that make my head hurt

[workerbee222]

My productivity was likely trashed yesterday by a bride who has to micro-manage everyone within earshot.

I pin the Mother-of-bride dress. There is great angst, because husband of said MOB doesn't like his wife's cleavage displayed. Bride has chosen for her mother a low-cut dress with tiny spaghetti straps. I shorten the straps, covering the cleavage by a couple millimeters.

I pin part of her hem, I ask if it's okay. MOB says yes. So I pin the rest of it. Then she looks at the bridesmaid, whose hem is 1/4" longer. She asks bride if hers should be longer, too. Bride says yes, so the whole dress is unpinned and re-pinned. Additional 30 minutes.

MOB takes the dress off, and the tiny straps have dug into her shoulders. Frankly, it does look painful. Bride and MOB berate me for twenty minutes about how I should fix this. Well, I can loosen the straps, but then her cleavage shows more. MOB can wear a bra, thus taking some of the work of supporting her cleavage off her shoulders, but she doesn't want to wear one. This takes another thirty minutes. They are not happy with my lack of magic.

Bride then berates me for making her life difficult because the appointments aren't convenient for her (she has decided that she must be present for every fitting of every member of her party, and present for the final, pick-up appointments as well) I make an exception for her, hoping to appease her. Another fifteen minutes.

Then she and her mother and sister gripe about how the alterations prices are outrageous. Quietly standing there, while they insult my profession, maybe seven minutes.

We have to record whatever tasks we did that day, and keep track of our productivity. A fitting that is supposed to take 30 minutes took me more than an hour and fifty minutes.

[Aethian]

See this is when I love that I can trust my Mother to find something tasteful. Now I just need to find a tasteful man, fall in love, and want to get married to said man.

[GingerBiscuit]

I am glad I am having a very unconventional wedding.

No-one will have to put up with any bridezillaness apart from me!

[MoxisPilot]

I'm glad I eloped.

[bainsidhe]

While they're griping about the cost of alterations, I hope you are paid hourly and not per fitting. That way you earn every darn cent.

[BookstoreEscapee]

MOB takes the dress off, and the tiny straps have dug into her shoulders. Frankly, it does look painful. Bride and MOB berate me for twenty minutes about how I should fix this. Well, I can loosen the straps, but then her cleavage shows more. MOB can wear a bra, thus taking some of the work of supporting her cleavage off her shoulders, but she doesn't want to wear one. This takes another thirty minutes. They are not happy with my lack of magic.

Or, you could add some more substantial straps so the dress can support her properly. Honestly, I couldn't imagine putting my mother in a spaghetti-strap dress. Actually, I couldn't imagine "putting" my mother in any dress. If/when I ever get married, I'll trust her to choose her own dress (though we'd probably go shopping together, anyway, but she'd get whatever she's comfortable in.)

When I was a bridesmaid for one of my college roommates, her mother emailed us all to get our dress sizes, then she ordered all the dresses and had them sent to us. She told us where the hem should hit (honestly, is 1/4 inch really that noticeable?), and I took it to a local tailor and had it altered to fit me. $120 for the dress, $45 for alterations, done. Oh, and our shoes were $7 from Payless.

[Tireana Dorcha]

There are many serious issues with this family. That poor husband to be... I mean, firstly, I would think the mother would be fully capable in dressing herself. I realize I'm a fairly non-traditional bride, but shouldn't the mother pick out her own outfit?? If you really are that concerned, just give her the color you'd prefer her in...oy. And the mother just feeds into it by asking her daughter's approval.

Secondly, what's the father's issue with clevage? I highly doubt that the said exposed cleavage was anything indecent. I understand being conservative, but like before, shouldn't it be up to the person wearing said item be allowed to make her own decision? And, if exposed clevage is so abhored, why is it okay she's flouncing around without a bra?

It's just...just....arrrrrghhhhblarglesparf

[BookstoreEscapee]

Secondly, what's the father's issue with clevage? I highly doubt that the said exposed cleavage was anything indecent. I understand being conservative, but like before, shouldn't it be up to the person wearing said item be allowed to make her own decision? And, if exposed clevage is so abhored, why is it okay she's flouncing around without a bra?

It's just...just....arrrrrghhhhblarglesparf

Good point...if you're worried about showing too much, I would think a spaghetti-strap dress would not be your choice in the first place. And yeah, I don't think my dad would have much to say about what my mother could/should or could/should not wear. She'd buy the dress and then show it to him and say "Look what I'm wearing." And he'd go "Nice" and that would be the end of that. (My dad's not a big talker )

One of my friends had her dad perform the ceremony (he's a minister). Normally he would wear a white robe, but she said "I'm not having my dad walk me down the aisle in a white dress!" She also wanted both dads to wear a tux but the clerical collar doesn't work with a tuxedo shirt. She had an easier time dressing her mom.

[workerbee222]

Or, you could add some more substantial straps so the dress can support her properly.

MOB is wearing the same dress as BM, but in a different color. It has to be exactly the same.

I don't know why a woman who was knowledgeable enough to raise a child to marrying age is taking fashion advice from someone who believes "you can never wear too much metallic green eyeshadow."

[BookstoreEscapee]

MOB is wearing the same dress as BM, but in a different color. It has to be exactly the same.

Of course...anything else would ruin the entire day! Silly me. I'm one of those oddballs who would just pick a color and let each person choose the dress they feel most comfortable in.

My friend had her bridesmaids in long satin skirts in a dark periwinkle color, and simple v-neck cashmere sweaters in a lighter shade (perfect for an outdoor September wedding on the water in Rhode Island). The skirts were made by a seamstress (a friend or church member, I think, who did it cheap), the sweaters were part of their bridesmaid gift and something they can actually wear for a long time.

[ottid]

Yea, a tip for young brides. Do not assume that your bridesmaids know what they are going to have to spend money on. Give them time and an approximate cost (if clothing is being made for them) so that they can budget it into their spending.

I think my friends mum may have gone slightly crazy when organising my friends wedding. Engaged at the start of first year at Uni, married at the start of the 2nd year. 2 of the three bridesmaids are still in education, meaning VERY limited budgets. We were not told much about anything, we weren't allowed to do anything to help. The best we did was give the bride some down time away from her mum and her craziness. I do recall that her mum may have said something about not taking over her daughters wedding because that was what her mum had done to her, but that could just have been a figment of my imagination.

OP: Atleast the Bride knew what she wanted, but she could have come to an agreement/compromise to sort out what the MOB was going to wear...

[raw456]

It amazes me the level of anal retentivness brides go to when the day itself goes so quick and the only thing the bride is (or should be) focusing on is the groom.

I got married 4 months ago, my bridesmaid didnt have her outfit till 2 weeks before the wedding. Yes I admit I was slightly panicked, but it all turned out good. On the day, the only thing I noticed was my husband.

"Bridezillas" really annoy me, because they are only concerned with the superficial trappings of the wedding rather than what a marriage should be about. I always feel sorry for the grooms of these women

[Bright_Star]

I'm glad I eloped.

When you elope, that's when you get married by a JP, right?

[crashhelmet]

My wedding is going to be in wet suits with the formal accessories, standing out in the water of the Pacific Ocean. Now I just have to find a bride that will go along with that idea

getting back to the OP tho, I know brides can be real bitchy/whiny/uber-control freaks when it comes to their weddings, but this one is going a little bit too far.

CH

[Andara Bledin]

I am glad I am having a very unconventional wedding.

Huzzah for unconventional weddings!

Mine was a masquerade wedding. The only rule was that you had to have a mask (we even provided them for people who didn't bring their own). Oh, and one of the grooms was a woman.

Bridezillas annoy the hell out of me because the husband is usually completely irrelevant to their plans. They just want a huge fairy-tale wedding. I really feel sorry for some of those grooms.

^-.-^